Do increases in agricultural yield spare land for nature

摘要: Feeding a rapidly expanding human population will require large increase in the supply of agricultural products during coming decades. This may lead to transformation many landscapes from natural vegetation cover land use, unless increases crop yields reduce need for new farmland. Here, we assess evidence that past yield have spared wild nature. We investigated relationship between change combined energy 23 most energetically important food crops over period 1979–1999 and per capita cropland area 124 countries same period. Per staple tended decrease developing where occurred. However, this was counteracted by tendency used grow other than staples increased. There remained weak all decline as increased, pattern evident with highest supplies. In developed countries, there no higher were associated decreases area. be because high subsidies override any land-sparing might otherwise occur. Declines forest smaller increased most, when negative effects on controlled for. Our results show is process occurs under limited set circumstances, but it can positive outcomes conservation