Bioenergy crops could damage biodiversity

Colleges & Student Experience Research & Collaboration - Increasing the use of bioenergy is seen as one of the most important ways in which countries could help to meet climate change targets. However, researchers are warning that this could be just as damaging for global biodiversity as climate change itself. Familiar UK species that could be affected include red squirrels, hedgehogs and red grouse. Globally, palm oil production is already known to be having a detrimental impact on orang-utan populations. Crops and habitats. For more bioenergy to be available there would need to be a huge increase in the amount of bioenergy crops, such as maize and oil palm, being grown. In a new study, researchers have investigated the potential impacts of land-use change associated with growing more bioenergy crops on all amphibians, birds and mammals across the planet.