Pressemitteilung vom 13. Januar 2025

Tree crops key to advancing Sustainable Development Goals

In a recent opinion article published in Nature Sustainability, a scientific team involving the UFZ and iDiv points to untapped potential of tree crops for biodiversity conservation, socio-economic development, and climate change mitigation.

Tree crops like olives, coffee, fruit trees, and cacao collectively cover more than 183 million hectares worldwide. According to the scientists, they remain largely overlooked in agricultural policies globally, despite their critical role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the new opinion piece, the researchers argue that these crops are not only essential to global diets and economies but also hold immense potential for biodiversity protection, climate action, and improving livelihoods for millions worldwide.

"We’re missing an opportunity to leverage tree crops to address some of the biggest environmental and social challenges of our time," says Carlos Martínez-Núñez, researcher at the Doñana Biological Station and coordinator of the study. "When managed properly, these agricultural systems can be a powerful tool for biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and rural poverty alleviation, in addition to producing around 1,000 million metric tons of food annually."

The authors recommend that policymakers develop specific agendas promoting sustainable practices in tree crop agriculture. According to the authors, agricultural policies typically focus on annual crops, such as wheat, sunflower, or rice, which have shorter life cycles, from germination to harvest, within a single year. While fostering sustainable practices in annual crops is crucial, the ecological benefits of these systems are often limited due to their simpler structure and short-term dynamics. Tree crops, by contrast, are structurally more complex and provide stable habitats that can support diverse biodiversity when managed sustainably.

With their permanent root systems and extensive leaf litter, tree crops also prevent soil erosion, enhance fertility, and provide habitats for many species year-round. They contribute to greenhouse gas reduction through carbon sequestration and storage, improve habitat connectivity for fragmented ecosystems, and buffer protected areas from the impacts of intensive agriculture. Socioeconomically, perennial tree crops tend to be less mechanised and require more manual labour, offering vital employment opportunities, particularly in developing countries where these crops are widespread.

The authors call for implementing regulations, financial incentives, and supportive policies aimed at improving agricultural practices for tree crops to maximise their contribution to global sustainability. "One striking example is the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), where measures can easily be placed to support farmers engaging in extensive management of orchards, restoring landscape features in vineyards or employing integrated pest management", says Guy Pe’er, a co-author affiliated with the UFZ and iDiv. "Such orchards not only deliver healthy fruits but are also culturally valuable. However, support measures are missing, budgets are too limited and many farmers are even exempt from basic standards. In the next CAP reform, this could be easily addressed to the benefit of both farmers and society", adds Pe’er.

This call to action represents a crucial step in rethinking agriculture’s role in building a fairer and more sustainable future, according to the authors. 
(Based on a media release by Estación Biológica de Doñana EBD (CSIC), Seville, Spain)

Publication
Martinez-Nuñez, C., Velado-Alonso, E., Avelino, J., Rey, P. J., ten Hoopen, G. M., Pe’er, G., Zou, Y., Liu, Y., Antwi-Agyei, P., Rusch, A., Staver, C., Priyadarshana, T. S., Sonwa, D. J., Buchori, D., Garibaldi, L. A., Concepción, E. D., Lewis, O. T., Perfecto, I., Bartomeus, I. (2024). Tailored policies for perennial woody crops are crucial to advance Sustainable Development. Nature Sustainability. DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01483-8


Weitere Informationen

Dr. Guy Pe’er
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) und Deutsches Zentrum für Integrative Biodiversitätsforschung (iDiv)
guy.peer@ufz.de

UFZ-Pressestelle

Susanne Hufe
Telefon: +49 341 235-1630
presse@ufz.de


Im Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) erforschen Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler die Ursachen und Folgen der weit reichenden Veränderungen der Umwelt und erarbeiten Lösungsoptionen. In sechs Themenbereichen befassen sie sich mit Wasserressourcen, Ökosystemen der Zukunft, Umwelt- und Biotechnologien, Chemikalien in der Umwelt, Modellierung und sozialwissenschaftlichen Fragestellungen. Das UFZ beschäftigt an den Standorten Leipzig, Halle und Magdeburg circa 1.100 Mitarbeitende. Es wird vom Bund sowie von Sachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt finanziert.

www.ufz.de

Die Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft identifiziert und bearbeitet große und vor allem drängende Fragen von Gesellschaft, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft. Ihre Aufgabe ist es, langfristige Forschungsziele von Staat und Gesellschaft zu erreichen. Damit sollen die Lebensgrundlagen der Menschen erhalten und sogar verbessert werden. Helmholtz besteht aus 19 naturwissenschaftlich-technologischen und medizinisch-biologischen Forschungszentren.

www.helmholtz.de
« zurück