New policy brief – Maximizing CAP Impact: Advancing Climate, Biodiversity, and Farm Profitability Through strategic Action

 

A new policy brief was release in July 2025, produced as part of the LAMASUS project.

This policy brief was developed in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) framework, the EU agricultural policy framework to tackle climate change, protection of natural resources, and enhancing of biodiversity.

Recent research conducted by the LAMASUS consortium shows that strategic agricultural de-intensification in the EU can produce major co-benefits for climate, biodiversity, and farm profitability, including potential reduction of hashtag#carbonemissions by nearly a third and improved biodiversity recovery.

Key messages:
– Strategic de-intensifying on 7% of EU agricultural land in win-win areas could reduce agricultural emissions by 4.9%, equivalent to a reduction of an estimated 12 million tons of CO₂ per year.
– Improvement of biodiversity: investing €350 per hectare in win-win areas can boost native species variety and abundance by 1%.
– Better targeting of CAP support: redirecting funds to high-potential areas could enhance biodiversity and climate outcomes per euro spent.
– Result-based payments could enable flexible and outcome-orientated support while encouraging uptake where environmental returns are greatest.

 

Press release from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).