Farmland Ecosystem Assessment Support Tool
Farmland Ecosystem Assessment Support Tool
The Farmland Ecosystem Assessment Support Tool (FEAST) is a Microsoft Windows-based software designed to assess farmland biodiversity and ecosystem services. It enables users to model the interactions between land use and biodiversity, supporting conservation planning and ecosystem management.
FEAST offers four core functions:
1. biodiversity monitoring, allowing users to input or import species data and visualize it spatially;
2. performance assessment, evaluating landscape features for habitat suitability and ecosystem services;
3. mapping, creating data-driven maps to identify ecological strengths and weaknesses; and,
4. planning, generating reports and action plans for ecosystem improvement.
Biodiversity data can be directly entered or imported from external sources like GBIF, and habitat suitability is assessed in two steps—evaluating individual landscape features and analysing spatial configuration for species requirements. FEAST currently includes 64 indicator species and 25 ecosystem service indicators, covering aspects like pollination, carbon storage, and water filtration.
The FEAST tool supports the work undertaken in the FRAMEwork’s Farmer Clusters by identifying suitable habitats that are present in both time and space (habitat complementarity) so each farmland species of interest can complete its life cycle. It identifies where additional habitats may be created so that they become ‘bigger, better and joined’, improving habitat networks between farms and throughout the cluster.
To learn more and download the tool, go to https://sitem.herts.ac.uk/aeru/feast/index.htm.
The Farmland Ecosystem Assessment Support Tool (FEAST) is a Microsoft Windows-based software designed to assess farmland biodiversity and ecosystem services. It enables users to model the interactions between land use and biodiversity, supporting conservation planning and ecosystem management.
FEAST offers four core functions:
1. biodiversity monitoring, allowing users to input or import species data and visualize it spatially;
2. performance assessment, evaluating landscape features for habitat suitability and ecosystem services;
3. mapping, creating data-driven maps to identify ecological strengths and weaknesses; and,
4. planning, generating reports and action plans for ecosystem improvement.
Biodiversity data can be directly entered or imported from external sources like GBIF, and habitat suitability is assessed in two steps—evaluating individual landscape features and analysing spatial configuration for species requirements. FEAST currently includes 64 indicator species and 25 ecosystem service indicators, covering aspects like pollination, carbon storage, and water filtration.
The FEAST tool supports the work undertaken in the FRAMEwork’s Farmer Clusters by identifying suitable habitats that are present in both time and space (habitat complementarity) so each farmland species of interest can complete its life cycle. It identifies where additional habitats may be created so that they become ‘bigger, better and joined’, improving habitat networks between farms and throughout the cluster.
To learn more and download the tool, go to https://sitem.herts.ac.uk/aeru/feast/index.htm.
Farmer Clusters for Realising Agrobiodiversity Management across Ecosystems (FRAMEwork)
Ongoing | 2020-2025
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- United Kingdom