Any change in land use, including the conversion of uncultivated land to agricultural use, has consequences for wildlife in the area.
The ploughing up of baulks, escarpments or the conversion of grassland into arable land causes the disappearance of many plant, insect and bird species that are associated with plant communities in areas not used for agriculture. The compartmentalisation of the agricultural environment and the effective reduction in wildlife-friendly areas has a negative impact on the biodiversity of the entire area. Extensively used grasslands with high plant biodiversity are protected as habitats of natural value in the Natura 2000 network and their destruction is defined as environmental damage that must be remedied by compensatory measures, i.e. restoration of the community elsewhere. Any change in land use that entails the removal of such sites should be preceded by a nature inventory.