Promoting plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity through vineyard terracing

Terraced vineyards significantly enhance plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity, offering a solution to counter shrub encroachment while maintaining economic viability. Extensively managed embankments within terraced systems support the highest species richness, characterized by perennial plants with low nitrogen requirements—traits increasingly rare in modern agricultural landscapes. In contrast, intensively managed inter-rows, whether in vertical or terraced vineyards, favor annual and ruderal species but do not match the diversity of embankments. Vineyard abandonment, meanwhile, leads to a decline in plant diversity as woody species dominate. The study analyzed 45 sites across Germany’s Upper Middle Rhine Valley, using vascular plant records, Ellenberg indicator values, and Grime's strategy types to assess how management intensity shapes vegetation. These findings underscore terraced vineyards' potential to balance biodiversity conservation with sustainable viticulture.

Wersebeckmann, V., Burstedde, K., & Leyer, I. (2024). Promoting plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity through vineyard terracing. Applied Vegetation Science, 27(2). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12777