Trashed farmland could be a conservation treasure

Low-productivity agricultural land could be transformed into millions of hectares of conservation reserves across the world, according to University of Queensland-led research. The research team proposed a new way of understanding the conservation value of "uncontested lands" - areas where agricultural productivity is low. Dr Zunyi Xie , from UQ's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , said uncontested lands could be low-hanging fruit for expanding the world's conservation areas. "These spaces could offer great opportunities, and it's time we recognise what that could mean and where it might be," Dr Xie said. "Global agricultural area has actually declined over the past two decades due to socio-political trends, market changes and environmental degradation. "Restoring degraded lands that are no longer contested for agricultural use, due to low productivity or inappropriate farming practices, may present a major conservation opportunity if balanced with local community and indigenous groups' needs." UQ's Associate Professor Eve McDonald-Madden said this approach could be cheaper and quicker than others. "Quite rightly, most conservation endeavours focus on protecting the best places for biodiversity," she said.