biodiversity

Agriculture

Nitrogen

A tractor spreading fertilizer on a field

In as much as nitrogen is an indispensable nutrient for all living things, the use of mineral and organic nitrogen fertilizers to increase crop yields is a common practice. It is essential that such fertilizer be used judiciously and on a needs oriented basis. Nitrogen surpluses can damage terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and can have harmful climatic, air quality, and biodiversity effects. read more

Agriculture

Pesticides

Spray device on the tractor

Massive amounts of pesticides are used for farming, mainly in order to keep crop plants healthy and eliminate weeds and pests. But pesticides also have a negative impact on biodiversity and on the waterbody quality of nearby biotopes. read more

The Umweltbundesamt

For our environment