Impacts of plant protection products on biodiversity and ecosystem services

Forword
Introduction
Context
Request for assessment
CSA principles
Composition of the expert group
Sources used
Analysis framework

1. Preamble regarding the fragmentation of knowledge
Patchy and heterogeneous nature
Complementarity of approaches and objects of study
2. Environmental contamination by PPPs and exposure of organisms
Proven environmental contamination by a wide range of PPPs
Transfer dynamics and fate of substances
Influence of context on exposure dynamics
Measures for limiting contamination and exposure
New developments and prospects for characterizing contamination and exposure
3. Effects on biodiversity
From exposure to effects, sources of variability in sensitivity to PPPs
Highlighting the different types of effects
Effects on the state of biodiversity and its change
Impacts on ecosystem functions
Innovations and future directions for the assessment of effects
4. Consequences for ecosystem services
Conceptual links between functions and services
Principal ecosystem services impacted
Innovations and future prospects regarding ecosystem services
5. Cross-cutting areas of concern or improvement
Issues related to the choice of substances
Accumulation phenomena
Reported improvements
Improvements made, and persistent difficulties on the scientific front
6. Interactions between science and regulation
Requirements and complexity of PPP regulations
Available scientific knowledge not being considered
Disconnection between pre-market and post-market assessment
Most frequently identified avenues for improvement

Conclusions
PPP contamination is known to affect all environments
The state of knowledge in the French overseas territories remains highly incomplete
PPPs contribute to the weakening of biodiversity
PPPs reduce the capacity to provide ecosystem services
Impacts are highly dependent on the methods and context of use
Instruments to partially mitigate the impacts
In non-agricultural areas, a redesign of management methods
The ambitious objectives of the PPP regulatory framework have not been fully met
The use of existing knowledge for regulatory purposes needs to be better organised
Taking better account of the complexity of exposures and effects
Linking the study of agricultural systems to that of ecosystems

Acronyms and abbreviations
Glossary
Selected bibliography
Working group