Synthesis and applications.
Our results show that organic farming often has positive
effects on species richness and abundance, but that its effects are likely to differ between
organism groups and landscapes. We suggest that positive effects of organic farming on
species richness can be expected in intensively managed agricultural landscapes, but not
in small-scale landscapes comprising many other biotopes as well as agricultural fields.
Measures to preserve and enhance biodiversity should be more landscape- and farmspecific
than is presently the case.