Wildlife-friendly restoration practices for organic and conventional farms

Agriculture is responsible in a large part for the biodiversity crisis. However, with its dominant footprint on the landscape, it has an unique ability to support wild Nature. Both organic and conventional agriculture can profit from and provide for biodiversity conservation. Protecting water quality is starting to become a standard concern of all California farmers. Moreover, conserving biodiversity is beginning to be an important issue on organic farms across the country. These positive changes are due to recent state water quality regulations and national organic program rules. Restoration practices that address these concerns include re-contouring and establishing native grasses in ditches, planting natives in non-cropped areas of the farm, allowing native vegetation to prosper in marginal areas and augmenting it when possible, restoring natural areas on the farm invaded by non-native species, installing sediment basins replete with native plants, and planting structurally diverse habitat along springs, ponds, creeks, and rivers. Tall trees and midsized shrubs provide habitat for native pollinator and natural enemy insects, rodent-eating predators, and riparian dependent wildlife, while stabilizing soils. The shorter grasses help to slow water and filter out sediments and some nutrients. The riparian soils themselves break down many types of toxins. Farms can provide beneficial habitat within their borders, feed our local communities healthy food, and ultimately support connections to wildlands beyond through the conservation and restoration of riparian buffers and corridors for clean water and the safe passage of animals to clear and free-flowing watersheds.