Environmental fallows as a new policy tool to safeguard farmland biodiversity in Finland

► Novel agri-environment fallowing scheme in Finland was assessed for biodiversity values. ► The meadow fallow type held the highest number of vascular plant species. ► The game and landscape fallow types considerably differed from non-cropped biotopes. ► Fallow area and age, and sward variation related positively to the plant species richness. ► Fallowing with seed and management options is needed for conservation in the EU.