Press release: Unlocking the hidden biodiversity of Europe’s villages
No. 113 - 10.07.2025
International research team study surrounding landscapes, biodiversity and human well-being
Villages, often separated from larger towns and cities, consist of clusters of households and a few public buildings. Despite their long history, the biodiversity of European villages is not well understood compared to urban areas, forests, grasslands, or farmland. An international research team led by the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research and including the University of Göttingen studied how landscape complexity and proximity to cities affect village biodiversity and human well-being. They found higher biodiversity in villages in forest-dominated landscapes compared to agricultural settings, while nearby cities boost human well-being. The results were published in Nature Sustainability.
The researchers surveyed biodiversity in 64 villages around 16 cities in Hungary and Romania. Half the villages were near cities, the other half farther away – either in landscapes dominated by farmland or by forest. The team conducted surveys of plants as well as arthropods – creatures like ants, beetles, spiders and flies. They used traps for arthropods on the ground, “suction sampling” for those in the vegetation, and set trap nests for cavity-nesting bees and wasps. They also carried out surveys of birds at specific locations. They documented 1,164 species. They found that overall biodiversity was 15% lower in villages surrounded by farmland than by forests. Lead author Dr Péter Batáry, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, explains, “This underscores the importance of landscape-wide species pools in shaping village biodiversity. City proximity had little impact on species numbers and overall diversity, suggesting other factors have a greater influence.”
The team also collected socioeconomic data for Hungarian villages to calculate their “Better Life Index”, which reflects human well-being through living conditions and quality of life. Compared with villages in agricultural landscapes, the Better Life Index was 27% higher in villages near cities and 14% higher in villages in forest-dominated landscapes. In addition, they measured the Human Footprint Index (HFI) to assess environmental impact from infrastructure and land use. Villages with a higher Better Life Index also had a higher HFI, especially near cities, indicating that better living standards can increase environmental impact. A higher HFI was linked to lower overall biodiversity, revealing a trade-off between human development and biodiversity. However, villages in forest-dominated landscapes maintained higher biodiversity despite increased human activity, suggesting complex landscapes can mitigate biodiversity loss. It is likely that proximity to urban areas brings better access to services, while forested landscapes offer cleaner air and more green spaces. This research highlights the delicate balance needed to enhance human well-being without compromising the ecological health of rural landscapes.
"This comprehensive study on more than one thousand plant, insect and bird species documents the impressive high biodiversity that can be found in villages, in particular when surrounded by forests,” says Professor Teja Tscharntke, Head of Agroecology at the University of Göttingen. “As the extension of urbanization means that villages are increasingly less isolated, it is good to know that human well-being benefits from nearby cities without compromising biodiversity."
Original publication: Batáry P, et al.: “Biodiversity and human well-being trade-offs and synergies in villages”. Nature Sustainability 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01592-y
Contact:
Professor Teja Tscharntke
University of Göttingen
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Agroecology Group
Grisebachstraße 6, 37077Göttingen, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)551 39-9209
Email: ttschar@gwdg.de
www.uni-goettingen.de/en/92552.html
Dr Peter Batáry
Landscape and Conservation Ecology Group
Institute of Ecology and Botany
HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research,
Hungary