Semi-natural habitats on organic farms did not have higher plant abundance, richness or diversity than their conventional counterparts. The only landscape element that showed a significant increase in plant abundance, richness or diversity was arable fields.
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Synthesis and applications. Even within a complex agricultural landscape differences do exist between organic and conventional farms, these differences being larger areas of semi-natural habitats on organic farms. However, with the exception of arable fields, no habitats on organic farms were yet of a better quality than their conventional counterparts in terms of plant abundance and diversity. Conventional farmers may be able to achieve an increase in plant diversity within arable fields by adopting some organic management practices at the field scale (e.g. exclusion of synthetic herbicides), and whole-farm conversion to organic practice might not be required. However, further work is needed to determine any biodiversity benefits of larger areas of semi-natural habitat on conventional farmland.