Field margins are increasingly being considered as vital habitat for biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. They have the potential to provide semi-natural habitat for feeding, shelter and breeding of wild plants and nesting for small animals and birds, as well as providing corridors that connect such habitats. Also buffers can help prevent soil erosion and the transfer of agricultural pollutants from cropped areas to non-cropped areas, particularly aquatic habitats.
The report shows that field margins can be multifunctional in character, not only providing semi-natural habitat for biodiversity, including pollinators for crops and the predators or agricultural pests, but also reducing the effects of run-off and soil erosion.