Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108663
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Model-based analysis of the agglomeration bonus for the conservation of twelve meadow bird species in an agricultural landscape
Author Drechsler, M.; Sturm, A.
Source Titel Ecological Economics
Year 2025
Department OESA
Volume 236
Page From art. 108663
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0921800925001466-mmc1.docx
Keywords highlight; Agglomeration bonus; Biodiversity; Grassland; Meadow; Birds; Payment Scheme
Abstract The agglomeration bonus has been proposed as an effective and cost-effective instrument for inducing the spatial aggregation of conservation measures. It consists of a spatially homogenous base payment (like most existing payment schemes) plus a bonus for each adjacent land parcel that is conserved, too. While the agglomeration bonus has been investigated in numerous theoretical studies, very few applied studies exist to date. We extend a recent modelling study which analysed the effect of several grassland conservation schemes on meadow bird species in the Federal State of Saxony in Germany, by adding to the homogenous payment the described bonus. As expected, the bonus induces a spatial aggregation of the conservation measures. However, for typical bird dispersal ranges this does not reflect in an increased scheme cost-effectiveness. Only for much smaller dispersal ranges, which would be typical for insect species, the cost-effectiveness of the scheme would increase. We conclude that in complex agricultural landscapes with many land-use measures and species the agglomeration bonus may have limited value. Instead it should be used as a targeted instrument for the conservation of selected species of high conservation value that depend on very particular types of land use and have a small dispersal range.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=30757
Drechsler, M., Sturm, A. (2025):
Model-based analysis of the agglomeration bonus for the conservation of twelve meadow bird species in an agricultural landscape
Ecol. Econ. 236 , art. 108663 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108663