Agroecology Group

Agro Landscape by Natalia Zielonka

We are interested in understanding ecological processes and functions in agricultural ecosystems, and in conserving wild species that live within and around these working landscapes.

In our field studies, we use a range of methods, including genetics, remote sensing, audio-recording, experimental and observational field ecology and network analysis. We work mostly on animal taxa that are functionally important in the system, particularly wild pollinators (especially bees), predatory invertebrates, and birds.

Our research is trans-disciplinary - challenge-led,inter-disciplinary, and co-produced with a range of non-academic stakeholders. We use survey methods and participatory techniques to involve farmers, industry and other stakeholders from the outset, and we follow ‘user-centered design’ approaches to build decision support tools based on evidence.

Current research projects include:

  • Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People (H3): evaluating the effects of a transition to regenerative agriculture on soils, biodiversity, ecosystem services and food quality.
  • Global Insect Threat Response Synthesis (GLiTRS): a comprehensive and predictive assessment of the pattern and consequences of insect decline.
  • Mandala – Transforming Urban Food Systems. Compiling data and evidence on the environmental impacts of food consumed in UK cities.
  • Building user-friendly models to support sustainable farm management decisions, including the Cool Farm Biodiversity Tool
  • Developing methods to bridge the gaps between policy, practice and scientific knowledge on biodiversity, in collaboration with Conservation Evidence and Eklipse
  • Studying impacts of agricultural intensification on biodiversity and ecosystem services on fruit farms in the Brazilian caatinga, funded by the SUFICA project
  • Translating scientific knowledge into usable, accessible tools to inform decisions that impact pollinators across multiple sectors as part of RestPoll – a transdisciplinary project aiming to provide society with tools to reverse wild pollinator declines and to position Europe as a global leader in pollinator restoration.
  • Assessing the use of landscape and impacts of management on bumblebees, in partnership with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust
  • We are part of the Centre for Landscape Regeneration: providing knowledge and tools to regenerate British countryside using cost-effective nature-based solutions. Our group leads work on biodiversity monitoring at field scale, incorporating new genetic and acoustic technologies.

Key Publications:

Dartnell, S. & Dicks, L. V. (2026) Brood parasitism reduces but does not prevent Bombus terrestris reproductive success. Insect Science (2026) 0, 1–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70235

Berger I, Pannure A, Harris A, Basu P, Smith BM, Dicks LV. (2026) Agroecological cashew cultivation increases pollinator abundance, diversity and flower visitation rates, with potential yield benefits. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 396:110006. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.110006

Berger I, Kamble A, Morton O, Raj V, Nair SR, Edwards DP.....Dicks LV. (2025) India’s agroecology programme, ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’, delivers biodiversity and economic benefits without lowering yields. Nat Ecol Evol. 2025. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02849-7

Berger I, Kamble A, Morton O, Raj V, Nair SR, Joshi V, Dicks LV. (2025) Woody vegetation patches in South Indian rice landscapes support tree-affiliated birds but reduce food production, with complex non-linear effects. Landscape Ecol. 40(7):145. Doi https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02136-7

Berthon K, Wade R, Chapman P, Jaworski CC, Leake JR, McHugh N, ....Dicks LV. (2025) Measuring the socio-economic and environmental outcomes of regenerative agriculture across spatio-temporal scales. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 380(1935):20240157. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0157

Ju Q, Wei X, Berthon K, Zhang Q, Ma W, Qu M,..... Dicks LV. (2025) Flower strips increase natural pest control of peanut aphids, thereby enhancing crop yield. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 388:109659. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.109659

Zielonka, N. B., Arellano, E., Crowther, L. P., Ferreira, V., Muñoz-Sáez, A., Oliveira-Rebouças, P., . . . Dicks, L. V. (2024). Distinct bird communities in forests and fruit farms of Caatinga landscapes. Ibis, https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13311

Beacham, J. D., Jackson, P., Jaworski, C. C., Krzywoszynska, A. & Dicks, L. V.(2023). Contextualising farmer perspectives on regenerative agriculture: A post-productivist future? Journal of Rural Studies 102, 103100.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103100

Blüthgen N., Dicks L.V., Forister M.L., C.L., O., & E.M., S. (2023). Insect declines in the Anthropocene. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00478-x

Jaworski, C. C., Krzywoszynska, A., Leake, J. R., & Dicks, L. V. (2023). Sustainable soil management in the United Kingdom: A survey of current practices and how they relate to the principles of regenerative agriculture. Soil Use and Management. doi:10.1111/sum.12908

Luke, S. H., Roy, H. E., Thomas, C. D., Tilley, L. A. N., Ward, S., Watt, A., . . . Dicks, L. V. (2023). Grand challenges in entomology: Priorities for action in the coming decades. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 16(2), 173-189. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12637

Ryan, I. C., Shutt, J. D., & Dicks, L. V. (2023). The importance of multi-year studies and commercial yield metrics in measuring pollinator dependence ratios: A case study in UK raspberries Rubus idaeus L. Ecology and Evolution, 13(5), e10044. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10044

Sharps E, Hawkes RW, Bladon AJ, Buckingham DL, Border J, Morris AJ, Grice PV & Peach WJ (2023) Reversing declines in farmland birds: How much agri-environment provision is needed at farm and landscape scales? Journal of Applied Ecologyhttps://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14338

Stout, J. C., & Dicks, L. V. (2022). From science to society: implementing effective strategies to improve wild pollinator health. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 377(1853), 20210165. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0165

Barnsley, S. L., Lovett, A. A., & Dicks, L. V. (2022). Mapping nectar-rich pollinator floral resources using airborne multispectral imagery. Journal of Environmental Management, 313, 114942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114942

Dicks, L. V., Breeze, T. D., Ngo, H. T., Senapathi, D., An, J., Aizen, M. A., . . . Potts, S. G. (2021). A global-scale expert assessment of drivers and risks associated with pollinator decline. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5, 1453-1461. doi:10.1038/s41559-021-01534-9

Cole, L. J., Kleijn, D., Dicks, L. V., Stout, J. C., Potts, S. G., Albrecht, M., ... Scheper, J. (2020). A critical analysis of the potential for EU Common Agricultural Policy measures to support wild pollinators on farmland. Journal of Applied Ecology.  doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13572

Egan, P., Dicks, L. V., Hokkanen, H., & Stenberg, J. (2020). Delivering integrated pest and pollinator management. Trends in Plant Science.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2020.01.006

Shackelford GE, Kelsey R & Dicks, LV. (2019) Effects of cover crops on multiple ecosystem services: Ten meta-analyses of data from arable farmland in California and the Mediterranean. Land Use Policy, 88: 104204.

Garibaldi LA, Pérez-Méndez N, Garratt MPD, Gemmill-Herren B, Miguez FE, Dicks LV. (2019) Policies for Ecological Intensification of Crop Production. Trends Ecol Evol. 34: 282-286

Rose DC, Sutherland WJ, Parker C, Lobley M, Winter M, Morris C, Twining S, Ffoulkes C, Amano T, Dicks L V (2016) Decision support tools for agriculture: Towards effective design and delivery. Agricultural Systems 149: 165-174.

Dicks, L.V., Viana, B., Bommarco, R., Brosi, B., Arizmendi, M.D.C., Cunningham, S.A., Galetto, L., Hill, R., Lopes, A.V., Pires, C., Taki, H., Potts, S.G. (2016) Ten policies for pollinators. Science 354, 975-976.