Bioenergy, biodiversity...or both?

Whether bioenergy will ultimately help or harm wildlife is undetermined. While bioenergy may appear to be a boon for the environment—including wildlife—by reducing fossil fuel use and climate change impacts, it may constitute an environmental boondoggle from land use changes occurring to support it. Drawing on theory and research, we identify key ecological constraints that serve as guiding principles for bioenergy to be sustainable with respect to wildlife. We focus on applying these principles to agricultural landscape design to minimize the environmental trade-offs associated with bioenergy—supporting production of both food and bioenergy feedstocks—while restoring wildlife habitat.