A study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology highlights the negative impact of removing hedgerows and field margins covered with wild grass and flowers on arthropod diversity and abundance in Chinese rice fields.

The research showed that traditional farmlands supported more natural enemies of rice pests compared to consolidated land, even though there were no significant differences in pest numbers or rice yield.

Implementing agri-environmental measures, such as planting flowering plants in field margins, could help mitigate the effects of land consolidation on biodiversity.

The study emphasizes the need to balance biodiversity improvements with factors like labor efficiency and yield.

Further research is required to assess the effectiveness of natural enemies in biological pest control and the impact of agri-environmental measures on yield in different agricultural settings.