We’re all concerned about what the future holds for the next generation, and climate change is already impacting the world as we know it. Farmers, especially, are at the heart of the issue and suffer its biggest effects.

Winegrowers are seeing many negative changes, such as a big increase in the number of wildfires that are wreaking havoc on vineyards. They are also noticing a reduction in grape quality. Warmer temperatures bring an increase in sugar concentrations, and lead to wines with higher alcohol levels, lower acidity and modified aroma compounds.

One way to fight climate change in the vineyards is by promoting biodiversity, a term that refers to the full variety of life on earth. It includes all types of animal and plant life (fauna and flora), as well as fungi and microorganisms. A biodiverse vineyard is a healthy and balanced ecosystem in which the smallest living organisms play a very important role in the life of the vine.

On a recent press trip to the Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages AOCs in southern France I saw firsthand how winegrowers are adopting practices, including the reduction of chemicals and the planting of cover crops and trees, that protect and preserve biodiversity. I spoke with several wine producers, like Christine Saurel of Domaine Montirius, who say that it’s time for us humans (farmers, consumers, buyers) to take care of nature. "Biodiversity is the only way for humans to survive,” she says.

Read the full article, published on Grape Collective, here: Talking About the Birds and the Bees: Biodiversity in Côtes du Rhône Vineyards.