Beef
a d
dai y
d ive
41%
of
biodive sity
damage
li ked
to
global
fa mla d
A
si gle
thi d
of
the
wo ld’s
ag icultu al
la d
is
espo sible
fo
oughly
two-thi ds
of
all
fa mi g- elated
biodive sity
loss
a d
the
loss
of
atu al
ca bo
sto age,
acco di g
to
a
global
study
published
i
Natu e
Food.The
esea ch,
led
by
scie tists
f om
Leide
U ive sity’s
I stitute
of
E vi o me tal
Scie ces
(CML),
togethe
with
expe ts
f om
the
Oxfo d
Ma ti
School
at
the
U ive sity
of
Oxfo d
a d
Chi a
Ag icultu al
U ive sity,
maps
the
e vi o me tal
damage
caused
by
food
p oductio
i
g eate
detail
tha
p evious
studies.
The
fi di gs
show
that
ag icultu al
damage
is
co ce t ated
i
ce tai
egio s
a d
is
st o gly
li ked
to
a
small
umbe
of
food
p oducts,
especially
beef
a d
dai y.By
studyi g
ca bo
sto age
loss
a d
the
isk
of
species
exti ctio
togethe ,
the
esea che s
say
gove me ts
a d
co se vatio
g oups
ca
focus
o
these
fa mi g
hotspots
to
make
p og ess
o
both
climate
cha ge
a d
atu e
p otectio .
High-impact
geog aphic
hotspots
Ag icultu e
ow
cove s
mo e
tha
40
pe
ce t
of
the
Ea th’s
habitable
la d.
The
co ve sio
of
atu al
habitats
i to
fa mla d
has
pe ma e tly
emoved
a
estimated
300
billio
to es
of
sto ed
ca bo .
This
is
equal
to
about
140
yea s
of
ag icultu al
emissio s
at
cu e t
ates.
La d
co ve sio
fo
fa mi g
has
also
put
a ou d
14
pe
ce t
of
the
wo ld’s
species
at
isk
of
exti ctio .But
the
damage
is
ot
sp ead
eve ly
a ou d
the
wo ld.
The
study
ide tifies
majo
e vi o me tal
hotspots
i
pa ts
of
South
Ame ica,
Ce t al
Ame ica,
sub-Saha a
Af ica,
South-East
Asia,
I dia,
a d
Chi a.Lead
autho
Baoxiao
Liu,
a
esea che
at
Leide
U ive sity’s
CML,
says
these
hotspots
a e
fou d
whe e
fa mi g
ove laps
with
a eas
that
a e
especially
impo ta t
fo
atu e
a d
ca bo
sto age.‘These
a e
mai ly
egio s
whe e
ag icultu e
is
eithe
ve y
i te sive
o
takes
place
i
ecosystems
that
atu ally
sto e
la ge
amou ts
of
ca bo
a d
a e
ich
i
biodive sity,
such
as
t opical
fo ests,’
Liu
explai s.
‘Whe
these
a eas
a e
co ve ted
i to
fa mla d,
both
values
a e
lost
at
the
same
time.’The
co ce t atio
of
damage
is
eve
g eate
whe
o ly
ca bo
loss
is
co side ed.
Half
of
all
ag icultu al
ca bo
loss
comes
f om
just
12
pe
ce t
of
the
wo ld’s
fa mla d.
Beef
a d
dai y
have
a
pa ticula ly
la ge
impact
The
esea che s
also
looked
at
how
i dividual
ag icultu al
p oducts
co t ibute
to
e vi o me tal
damage.
A imal-based
foods
we e
fou d
to
be
the
biggest
d ive s
of
this
damage,
eve
though
they
p ovide
a
elatively
small
sha e
of
the
wo ld’s
calo ies.O
ave age,
a imal-based
foods
cause
eight
times
mo e
ca bo
loss
a d
14
times
mo e
biodive sity
loss
pe
calo ie
tha
pla t-based
foods.
Cattle
fa mi g
has
the
la gest
impact
because
cattle
eed
la ge
a eas
of
la d
fo
g azi g,
as
well
as
la d
to
g ow
feed
such
as
maize
a d
soy.Togethe ,
beef
a d
milk
p oductio
a e
espo sible
fo
41
pe
ce t
of
biodive sity
loss
a d
29
pe
ce t
of
the
loss
of
atu al
ca bo
sto age
li ked
to
global
food
p oductio .‘A imal-based
p oducts,
a d
especially
p oducts
f om
cattle,
have
a
disp opo tio ately
la ge
impact,’
says
Liu.
‘Cattle
equi e
la ge
amou ts
of
ag icultu al
la d,
both
fo
g azi g
a d
fo
g owi g
feed
c ops.’Liu
says
i dividual
food
choices
ca
add
up
to
sig ifica t
e vi o me tal
effects.‘Food
p oductio
o
fa mla d
has
o goi g
e vi o me tal
costs
that
a e
ofte
ove looked.
We
li k
lo g-te m
damage
to
both
climate
(ca bo
loss)
a d
atu e
(biodive sity
loss)
to
foods
we
cu e tly
co sume.
If
fa mla d
we e
o
lo ge
used
fo
food,
it
could
pote tially
be
used
fo
atu e,
helpi g
to
esto e
ca bo
stocks
a d
p ovide
habitat
fo
mo e
species.
Ou
daily
eati g
choices
the efo e
have
a
eal
impact.’
Global
t ade
shifts
e vi o me tal
damage
The
study
also
exami es
how
i te atio al
t ade
moves
the
e vi o me tal
impact
of
food
p oductio
betwee
cou t ies.
About
18
pe
ce t
of
all
ag icultu al
ca bo
a d
biodive sity
losses
a e
co ected
to
food
a d
othe
ag icultu al
p oducts
that
a e
expo ted
ac oss
atio al
bo de s.The
esea ch
shows
majo
diffe e ces
betwee
cou t ies.
B azil
is
the
wo ld’s
la gest
et
expo te
of
ca bo
a d
biodive sity
loss
li ked
to
ag icultu e,
la gely
because
of
its
ag icultu al
expo ts.
Chi a,
mea while,
is
the
la gest
et
impo te
of
these
e vi o me tal
impacts.
I te atio al
t ade
i
meat
a d
dai y
accou ts
fo
ma y
of
the
biggest
flows.
Ta geted
esto atio
could
b i g
majo
be efits
Ea lie
e vi o me tal
studies
ofte
looked
at
ca bo
loss
a d
biodive sity
decli e
sepa ately
a d
used
less
detailed
global
maps.
The
autho s
of
the
Natu e
Food
study
say
that
exami i g
both
p oblems
togethe
a d
at
a
high
level
of
detail
shows
that
the
same
a eas
ca
offe
solutio s
to
both.The
esea che s
estimate
that
allowi g
the
30
pe
ce t
of
fa mla d
with
the
highest
combi ed
e vi o me tal
impacts
to
etu
to
atu al
habitat
could
captu e
about
170
billio
to es
of
ca bo .
This
is
equal
to
a ou d
15
yea s
of
global
fossil
fuel
emissio s
at
cu e t
levels.At
the
same
time,
esto i g
these
a eas
could
p eve t
about
60
pe
ce t
of
the
exti ctio
isks
cu e tly
caused
by
ag icultu al
la d
use.P ofesso
Paul
Beh e s
of
the
Oxfo d
Ma ti
School
at
the
U ive sity
of
Oxfo d
says
climate
a d
biodive sity
policies
should
be
mo e
closely
co ected.‘Climate
a d
atu e
have
bee
t eated
as
sepa ate
p oblems
fo
too
lo g,
with
sepa ate
ta gets
a d
sepa ate
egotiatio s.
Ou
fi di gs
show
they’ e
ofte
the
same
p oblem
o
the
same
piece
of
la d,
with
two-thi ds
of
the
ca bo
damage
a d
two-thi ds
of
the
biodive sity
damage
f om
fa mi g
happe i g
o
just
a
thi d
of
ag icultu al
la d.
The e
is
a
huge
oppo tu ity
to
ta get
the
specific
places
a d
foods.
The
same
actio s
ca
delive
fo
the
climate
a d
fo
atu e
at
o ce.’Liu
is
also
optimistic
about
the
pote tial
fo
ta geted
actio .‘By
ta geti g
a
elatively
small
sha e
of
ag icultu al
la d,
we
ca
al eady
achieve
majo
be efits,’
Liu
says.
‘If
we
ta get
a
elatively
small
sha e
of
ag icultu al
la d,
this
ca
al eady
delive
majo
be efits
fo
climate
a d
atu e.
The
losses
we
see
also
ep ese t
pote tial
gai s.
Ag icultu e
ca
the efo e
ot
o ly
be
pa t
of
the
p oblem,
but
also
offe
majo
oppo tu ities
to
add ess
both
c ises.’
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