Throughout recorded history, humans have modified the landscapes in which they live to provide for their material needs (Ellis, 2021). Today, agricultural land use to produce food, fibre and biofuels to sustain the human population (~8 billion and increasing) is the most widespread and dominant land use on Earth and has profound consequences for biodiversity (Foley et al., 2005; Ramankutty et al., 2018). The vast scale and extent of agricultural enterprises worldwide means that the future of biodiversity will, in large part, be determined by how effectively species, communities and ecological processes can be sustained in and amongst farmlands (Kremen and Merenlender, 2018; Balmford, 2021). This poses a major challenge because extensive loss of plant and animal species has occurred in agricultural landscapes worldwide and continues to occur under current land-use practices. To counter ongoing loss requires an understanding of the factors that affect the conservation of biota in diverse agricultural landscapes (e.g. Newton, 2017; Fahrig et al., 2015; Kleijn et al., 2011) and applying such knowledge through practical guidance for effective on-ground management (e.g. Breckwoldt, 1983; Norton and Reid, 2013; Macdonald and Feber, 2015; Lindenmayer et al., 2016; Balmford, 2021). It also demands a major commitment, politically and financially, to create and implement measures to retain and enhance biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.