Results‐based approach for biodiversity management at the farm scale: proposal for a new method

Abstract Several initiatives have been launched over the past 20 years throughout Europe to explore practical ways to enhance biodiversity on farms; however, their effectiveness in preserving wildlife has been questioned, as they are mainly means‐based approaches. Agri‐environmental schemes, the instrument of choice of the Common Agricultural Policy to promote biodiversity with action‐oriented payments, have also partially failed to achieve their desired results. As researchers are called upon to invest in the support, implementation, and acceleration of farms' transitions towards more biodiversity‐sustainable systems, and in view of the limitations of these initiatives and other public policy instruments, we propose in this article to operationalize the concept of adaptive management. We tested a results‐based approach to biodiversity management on a research farm located on the French Atlantic coast. Using a scientific approach, we describe the project design, including identification of several target species with their quantified objectives, development of dashboards, and design of a roadmap. We then discuss the major challenges encountered in implementing this approach to biodiversity goals, and how this type of results‐based approach on private farms can be tested.