Does vineyard abandonment negatively affect the taxonomic and functional diversity of ground-dwelling beetles?

Conventionally managed vineyards and grazed grasslands in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley support higher taxonomic and functional diversity of ground-dwelling beetles compared to set-aside fallows, which show significantly reduced conservation value. The study, conducted across 40 sites using pitfall traps, reveals that abandonment leads to declines in open landscape and xerothermic beetle species, while (semi)-natural habitats positively influence beetle diversity. Grazing emerges as a viable alternative management strategy to maintain biodiversity in set-aside vineyards, counteracting secondary succession and preserving landscape heterogeneity. These findings underscore the importance of active land management in conserving insect diversity in xerothermic regions.

Yilmazer, M., Plath, E., & Fischer, K. (2026). Does vineyard abandonment negatively affect the taxonomic and functional diversity of ground-dwelling beetles? Journal of Insect Conservation, 30(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-026-00775-y