How Can Europe Prevent Both Land Abandonment and Biodiversity Loss?

FRAMEwork has published evidence-based guidelines on supporting viable farming on marginal lands across diverse European regions.

Land abandonment poses a critical challenge to European biodiversity, food security and rural livelihoods. As economic pressures drive farmers to exit production on marginal lands, former agricultural areas rapidly transition to scrubland and woody encroachment, reducing habitat diversity for farmland specialists. FRAMEwork has published guidelines providing evidence-based strategies for managing abandoned land and supporting farmers on marginal farms across diverse European contexts.

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Understanding Abandonment's Drivers

Land abandonment stems from economic viability collapse on marginal farms, compounded by social factors including demographic change and rural decline. Approximately 25 per cent of EU farmland is classified as marginal, vulnerable to abandonment as commodity prices stagnate and production costs rise. Labour availability has become critical, particularly in remote regions experiencing rural depopulation. Younger farmers are abandoning land as they migrate to urban centres seeking employment security and amenities unavailable in agricultural communities.

These structural shifts interact with ecological succession, where abandoned fields rapidly become dominated by woody vegetation unsuitable for biodiversity-dependent species. In Alpine Austria, abandonment of grasslands reduces habitat for mountain-adapted species. In Estonia, arable land abandonment accelerates woody encroachment. In Italy, olive groves face abandonment due to labour intensity and low commodity prices.

Developing Region-specific solutions

FRAMEwork case studies across Austria, Estonia and Italy reveal that abandonment prevention requires integrated approaches combining economic support, social capital development and adaptive management. Successful interventions include agri-environmental payments for traditional management, cooperative hay marketing to reduce transaction costs, and agroforestry combining timber production with biodiversity.

In Alpine regions, subsidies for habitat management sustain valuable alpine meadows whilst supporting farm income. In Estonia, community-supported grassland management and Natura 2000 payments stabilise semi-natural habitats. In Italy, cooperative processing facilities and geographic indication certification improve profitability whilst supporting rural communities. Organic certification creates market premiums that enhance viability on marginal land.

These evidence-based strategies help policymakers and practitioners design integrated support systems tailored to diverse regional contexts. Effective abandonment prevention also requires recognition of social dimensions. Retaining farmers in marginal areas depends not only on income but on access to training, cooperative organisations, and community engagement.

Policies must address both the push factors driving abandonment and pull factors that attract farmers to remain in rural areas. No single policy instrument suffices; successful regions employ diversified subsidies, cooperative structures, value-added processing and ecosystem services payments tailored to local conditions and farmer preferences.

Access the full guidelines: https://zenodo.org/records/17174565. Explore all FRAMEwork publications: https://www.framework-biodiversity.eu/publications.