Wednesday, July 8, 2026

4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Room BM.1.23

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Details

Wildflower plantings are widely promoted as a promising tool to support biodiversity and ecosystem services in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. Yet, their effectiveness has proven to be context-dependent, and optimising their design and management requires coordination across disciplines, regions, and stakeholders. This symposium brings together researchers with extensive experience to discuss how wildflower planting design and implementation can be optimised to increase their value for biodiversity and contribute to long-term conservation goals. We focus on perennial sown wildflower plantings within conventional agroecosystems, examining how seed mixtures, management regimes, and landscape configurations influence biodiversity across taxonomic groups, including plants, soil fauna, pollinators, natural enemies, and associated ecosystem services. A multi-taxa and multi-service perspective is prioritised, with attention to both beneficial ecosystem services, such as pollination, pest control, soil fertility, and weed suppression, as well as potential trade-offs, including pest and weed spillover or conflicts with farm productivity. By integrating insights from ecology, agronomy, and landscape planning, the symposium highlights the mechanisms that drive performance, including floral resource availability, successional dynamics, structural complexity, and the provision of overwintering habitats. A central aim of the session is to promote practical and scalable solutions. Discussions will address how wildflower plantings can be designed to be ecologically robust while also being feasible and appealing to farmers, taking into account their economic context and the differences among agricultural systems. Strategies such as diversification of perennial strips, heterogenisation of management in space and time, and optimising placement to minimise productivity losses offer pathways to maximise multifunctionality and improve landscape connectivity. By fostering the dialogue among experts and linking scientific evidence with real-world needs, this symposium advances the development of effective, long-term conservation strategies. Ultimately, the improved design and implementation of wildflower plantings can substantially contribute to safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services in intensively modified agricultural landscapes.

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Speakers and Presentation Titles

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Organiser