Research sheds light on whether cropland abandonment is meaningful for biodiversity conservation

The clearing of forests, grasslands, and other natural ecosystems to grow more crops is one of the most widespread threats to terrestrial biodiversity and continues to degrade ecosystems across the globe. However, changes in agricultural land use are not unidirectional: Substantial areas of cropland have also been abandoned in recent decades, especially as the agricultural labor supply continues to shrink from rural outmigration, urbanization, and geopolitical conflicts.