Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111712
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) From digital decision-support to policy implementation: An operational framework for agri-environmental schemes
Author Wartenberg, A.C.; Cheng, C.; Marples, C.; Dettmann, H.; Hemminger, K.; Ghafarian, F.; Schaan, L.N. ORCID logo ; Scoville, M.; Bellingrath-Kimura, S.D.
Source Titel Biological Conservation
Year 2026
Department iDiv; BioP
Volume 315
Page From art. 111712
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Keywords AES; Biodiversity; Ecosystem services; Agricultural landscape; Decision-support system; Digitalization
Abstract Advances in digital technologies have the potential to address shortcomings of current agri-environment schemes (AES) designed to promote biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health in agricultural landscapes. We identify three major barriers that currently hinder broader implementation of AES: gaps in the current understanding and reflections of locally-specific agro-ecological complexities; spatial scale mismatches between ecological scales of change and individual and administrative scales of implementation; and administrative and logistical hurdles. The Digital Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (DAKIS) is an integrated decision support system (DSS) which generates localised land management recommendations designed to simultaneously support sustainable agricultural production, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience. We here draw on core concepts and components of the DAKIS to formulate a guiding framework for leveraging digital technologies to support the implementation, monitoring and valorisation of sustainable agricultural practices across farm and landscape scales. We present the five central steps of the framework and illustrate its technical application through a case study examining the implementation of the EU's Nature Restoration Regulation in Brandenburg, Germany. We then discuss its advantages and challenges, its potential to overcome multi-scalar barriers to AES planning and implementation, and potential contributions to scaling up sustainable agricultural land management beyond individual farms.
Wartenberg, A.C., Cheng, C., Marples, C., Dettmann, H., Hemminger, K., Ghafarian, F., Schaan, L.N., Scoville, M., Bellingrath-Kimura, S.D. (2026):
From digital decision-support to policy implementation: An operational framework for agri-environmental schemes
Biol. Conserv. 315 , art. 111712 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111712