Agriculture and Environment: Tea

Better Management Practices: Conserve Biodiversity

The conservation of biodiversity in the plantation and surrounding areas is important, particularly where plantations are located in areas of high conservation value.

The principle should be that the land is being borrowed from nature and that if production of any kind ends on it, the land could be repopulated with a good representation of local biodiversity in a relatively short time.

Improving yields
Improving yields on existing plantations can reduce pressure to convert natural habitat to tea plantations. For example, 1.2% per year increases in black tea production from 2000 to 2010 are expected to come from improved yields rather than increased planting and habitat conversion.

Reduce agrochemical use
Producers should reduce pesticide use, abandon illegal pesticides entirely, adopt integrated pest management (IPM) whenever possible, adopt conservation measures for rare or endangered species that are on the farm or that use it as habitat, and work with initiatives that encourage biodiversity.

Environmental impact assessments
Before new areas are planted, environmental impact assessments should be undertaken and the recommendations followed. While this may be unnecessary for small farms, the principle is that biodiversity implications must be considered before any new plantings are undertaken.

Preserving native habitats
Riparian areas should be maintained and continue to be dominated by native species. Similarly, areas that are too steep to plant should be left in native habitat. Wherever possible these wildlife habitats should be connected through corridors, not only on the same farm but between farms as well. When planting trees for fuelwood or for windbreaks, native species should be used whenever possible.

Abandon unprofitable areas
Another way to enhance biodiversity within existing tea estates is for producers to abandon tea growing in areas that are unprofitable (e.g., steep slopes, shallow soils, alkaline soils, poorly drained lands, etc.). In many instances, farming these areas takes producers' energy away from more productive parts of farms. Abandoning such areas will often result in higher net producer profits.