Abstract

We study the impact of Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs), one of the three greening conditions of the 2014 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, on bird diversity in France. We use a difference-in-differences approach by comparing agricultural areas to forested areas before and after the reform. We analyze data from the French Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) and bird observations from the French Breeding Bird Survey (FBBS). We find a persistent increase in EFAs in agricultural zones after the reform, indicating that the incentives are working. Although this policy doesn’t directly target bird diversity, some might expect positive side effects such as increased insect populations or diversified landscapes, potentially benefiting bird diversity. However, our analysis shows little to no impact on bird diversity in areas where EFAs have expanded. While farm bird diversity does not change after the reform, we find a slight increase in the diversity of birds in wooded habitats. Our findings raise questions about the effectiveness of incentivizing EFA expansion to preserve biodiversity.

Practical information