soil properties are so important for
determining susceptibility to erosion.
As far as biodiversity is concerned,
the Europe-wide comparison
uncovered clear differences,
especially relating to wild bees and
earthworms. The study revealed that
the intensively cultivated, hot and
dry Spanish wine-growing region
was especially species-poor. The
team counted few wild bees and
almost no earthworms there. “The
high number of zero results per soil
sample was actually shocking,”
says Winter. In contrast, the humid
Atlantic climate, together with less
frequent tillage in French vineyards,
had a particularly positive effect on
the earthworm population there, with
twenty or more individuals identified
per sample.
Recalculating
susceptibility to soil
erosion
Based on management, soil and
climate data, a model is used to
calculate the erosion risk for a given
area. The “cover-management
factor”, C-factor in short, is a central
parameter because it determines
the mitigating effect of vegetation
on erosion. This standardised value
depends on land use and is applied
throughout Europe. “According
to our research results, the
susceptibility to erosion is strongly
dependent on how often the soil is
cultivated. This is why the C-factor
for viticulture must be considered in
a differentiated way,” suggests Peter
Strauss from the Austrian Federal
Agency for Water Management.
In Austria, where alternating and
permanent vegetation cover are
predominant, the C-factor needs to
be downgraded as the soil erosion
risk is lower than expected.
The project’s country comparison
shows that the Austrian practice of
greening the inter-rows with seed
mixtures is unique – however, in
order to preserve biodiversity, Winter
notes that “the amount of flowering
plants must be increased instead of
just paying attention to a high degree
of ground cover.” Flowering plants
not only attract wild bees, they also
represent an important resource
for the survival of this extremely
diverse species group in the
monotonous agricultural landscape.
In comparative terms, however, the
Austrian wine-growing landscapes
turned out to be very structurally
diverse. If vineyard inter-rows are
carefully managed and their potential
as habitats for plants and animals is
actively supported, they provide a
significant contribution to fostering
ecosystem services such as erosion
control.
Gorgeous Sunset over a South Australian vineyard
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