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Predicting suitable habitats of Melia azedarach L. in China using data mining. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12617. [PMID: 35871227 PMCID: PMC9308798 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16571-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractMelia azedarach L. is an important economic tree widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of China and some other countries. However, it is unclear how the species’ suitable habitat will respond to future climate changes. We aimed to select the most accurate one among seven data mining models to predict the current and future suitable habitats for M. azedarach in China. These models include: maximum entropy (MaxEnt), support vector machine (SVM), generalized linear model (GLM), random forest (RF), naive bayesian model (NBM), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and gradient boosting machine (GBM). A total of 906 M. azedarach locations were identified, and sixteen climate predictors were used for model building. The models’ validity was assessed using three measures (Area Under the Curves (AUC), kappa, and overall accuracy (OA)). We found that the RF provided the most outstanding performance in prediction power and generalization capacity. The top climate factors affecting the species’ suitable habitats were mean coldest month temperature (MCMT), followed by the number of frost-free days (NFFD), degree-days above 18 °C (DD > 18), temperature difference between MWMT and MCMT, or continentality (TD), mean annual precipitation (MAP), and degree-days below 18 °C (DD < 18). We projected that future suitable habitat of this species would increase under both the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios for the 2011–2040 (2020s), 2041–2070 (2050s), and 2071–2100 (2080s). Our findings are expected to assist in better understanding the impact of climate change on the species and provide scientific basis for its planting and conservation.
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Burton VJ, Contu S, De Palma A, Hill SLL, Albrecht H, Bone JS, Carpenter D, Corstanje R, De Smedt P, Farrell M, Ford HV, Hudson LN, Inward K, Jones DT, Kosewska A, Lo-Man-Hung NF, Magura T, Mulder C, Murvanidze M, Newbold T, Smith J, Suarez AV, Suryometaram S, Tóthmérész B, Uehara-Prado M, Vanbergen AJ, Verheyen K, Wuyts K, Scharlemann JPW, Eggleton P, Purvis A. Land use and soil characteristics affect soil organisms differently from above-ground assemblages. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:135. [PMID: 36397002 PMCID: PMC9673366 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02089-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Land-use is a major driver of changes in biodiversity worldwide, but studies have overwhelmingly focused on above-ground taxa: the effects on soil biodiversity are less well known, despite the importance of soil organisms in ecosystem functioning. We modelled data from a global biodiversity database to compare how the abundance of soil-dwelling and above-ground organisms responded to land use and soil properties. Results We found that land use affects overall abundance differently in soil and above-ground assemblages. The abundance of soil organisms was markedly lower in cropland and plantation habitats than in primary vegetation and pasture. Soil properties influenced the abundance of soil biota in ways that differed among land uses, suggesting they shape both abundance and its response to land use. Conclusions Our results caution against assuming models or indicators derived from above-ground data can apply to soil assemblages and highlight the potential value of incorporating soil properties into biodiversity models. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-02089-4.
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Hudzenko VM, Buniak NM, Tsentylo LV, Demydov OA, Fedorenko IV, Fedorenko MV, Ishchenko VA, Kozelets HM, Khudolii LV, Lashuk SO, Syplyva NO. Evaluation of grain yield performance and its stability in various spring barley accessions under condition of different agroclimatic zones of Ukraine. BIOSYSTEMS DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.15421/012240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Two extremely urgent problems of biological and agronomic research nowadays are ensuring an optimal balance between usage of natural resources to meet rapidly growing needs for food production and preservation of biodiversity. It is also important to extend the genetic diversity of the main crop varieties in agroecosystems. At the same time, modern varieties should be characterized by a combination of high yield and preserving yield stability under variable conditions. Solving the outlined tasks requires comprehensive research and involvement in breeding process of the genetical diversity concentrated in genebanks of the world. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the most important crops that satisfy the various needs of humanity. In respect to this, in 2020–2022, a multi-environment trial was conducted in three agroclimatic zones of Ukraine (Forest-Steppe, Polissia, and Northern Steppe). We studied 44 spring barley collection accessions of different ecological and geographical origin, different subspecies and groups of botanical varieties which were obtained from the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine. Statistical indices (Hom, Sc) and graphical models (GGE biplot, AMMI) were used to interpret the yield performance and its stability. Both individual ecological sites in different years and combinations of different sites and years of trials were characterized for productivity, discriminating power and representativeness. The environments differed quite strongly among themselves in terms of these indicators. It was established that most of the genotypes were characterized by higher adaptability to individual environmental conditions (stability in different years), compared to adaptability for all agroclimatic zones (wide adaptation). A strong cross-over genotype by environment interaction was found for most studied accessions. Nevertheless, both genotypes with very high stability in only one agroclimatic zone (Amil (UKR), Gateway (CAN)) and genotypes with a combination of high adaptability to one or two ecological niches and relatively higher wide adaptability (Stymul (UKR), Ly-1064 (UKR), Rannij (KAZ), Shedevr (UKR), and Arthur (CZE)) were identified. There were also the accessions which did not show maximum performance in the individual sites, but had relatively higher wide adaptability (Ly-1059 (UKR), Ly-1120 (UKR), Diantus (UKR), and Danielle (CZE)). In general, the naked barley genotypes were inferior to the covered ones in terms of yield potential and wide adaptability, but at the same time, some of them (CDC ExPlus (CAN), CDC Gainer (CAN), and Roseland (CAN)), accordingly to the statistical indicators, had increased stability in certain ecological sites. Among naked barley accessions relatively better wide adaptability according to the graphical analysis was found in the accession CDC McGwire (CAN), and by the statistical parameters CDC ExPlus (CAN) was better than standard. The peculiarities of yield manifestation and its variability in different spring barley genotypes in the multi-environment trial revealed in this study will contribute to the complementation and deepening of existing data in terms of the genotype by environment interaction. Our results can be used in further studies for developing spring barley variety models both with specific and wide adaptation under conditions of different agroclimatic zones of Ukraine. The disitnguished accessions of different origin and botanical affiliation are recommended for creating a new breeding material with the aim of simultaneously increasing yield potential and stability, as well as widening the genetic basis of spring barley varieties.
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Yáñez-Serrano AM, Aguilos M, Barbosa C, Bolaño-Ortiz TR, Carbone S, Díaz-López S, Diez S, Dominutti P, Engelhardt V, Alves EG, Pedraza J, Saturno J, Tzompa-Sosa ZA. The Latin America Early Career Earth System Scientist Network (LAECESS): addressing present and future challenges of the upcoming generations of scientists in the region. NPJ CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE 2022; 5:79. [PMID: 36281291 PMCID: PMC9581757 DOI: 10.1038/s41612-022-00300-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Early career (EC) Earth system scientists in the Latin America and the Caribbean region (LAC) have been facing several issues, such as limited funding opportunities, substandard scientific facilities, lack of security of tenure, and unrepresented groups equality issues. On top of this, the worsening regional environmental and climatic crises call for the need for this new generation of scientists to help to tackle these crises by increasing public awareness and research. Realizing the need to converge and step up in making a collective action to be a part of the solution, the Latin America Early Career Earth System Scientist Network (LAECESS) was created in 2016. LAECESS's primary goals are to promote regional networking, foster integrated and interdisciplinary science, organize soft skills courses and workshops, and empower Latin American EC researchers. This article is an initial step towards letting the global science community grasp the current situation and hear the early career LAC science community's perspectives. The paper also presents a series of future steps needed for better scientific and social development in the LAC region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana María Yáñez-Serrano
- IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
- CREAF, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
- Global Ecology Unit, CREAF‐CSIC‐UAB, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Maricar Aguilos
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC USA
| | | | - Tomás Rafael Bolaño-Ortiz
- Centre for Environmental Technologies, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (CETAM-USM), Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Samara Carbone
- Federal University of Uberlandia, Agrarian Sciences Institute, Santa Mônica, Uberlândia - MG Brasil
| | - Stephanie Díaz-López
- Centro de Ciencias Atmosféricas y Biogeoquímica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Sebastián Diez
- Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories, University of York, Innovation Way, Heslington, York UK
- Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Còrdoba, Argentina
| | | | - Vanessa Engelhardt
- Centro de Ciencias Atmosféricas y Biogeoquímica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas, Venezuela
- Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Eliane Gomes Alves
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
- Department of Climate and Environment, National Institute of Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | - Jorge Saturno
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig, Germany
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KC KB, Tzadok E, Pant L. Himalayan ecosystem services and climate change driven agricultural frontiers: a scoping review. DISCOVER SUSTAINABILITY 2022; 3:35. [PMID: 36277838 PMCID: PMC9579111 DOI: 10.1007/s43621-022-00103-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Climate change, rising temperatures, snow melts and more frequent droughts and floods are disproportionately affecting food and water security, habitat health, and agricultural productivity in the Himalayan region. These climatic changes are negatively impacting productivity of staple crops including wheat, maize, and rice at lower altitudes, but may provide opportunities to utilize Climate Change Driven Agricultural Frontiers [CCDAFs] at higher altitudes. Agricultural expansion into CCDAFs paired with behavioural shifts such as replacing traditional crop systems with commercial crops will predominantly affect forests, water resources, and soil health, which are already negatively affected by climate change unless adaptation options are directed to just and sustainable agroecological transitions. By trading regulating, supporting, and cultural services for food and water provisioning services, as are evident in land sparing strategy, the utilization of CCDAFs will have long-term implications for the sustainability of mountain farming systems. Climate change is affecting Himalayan agriculture, food security, and ecosystem services, and scientific literature predominantly focus on one of these topics in isolation, occasionally connecting results to another topic. By classifying literature as predominantly agriculture, food security, or ecosystem service themed, this scoping review identifies sources with multiple dominant themes and explores how the relationships between these topics are represented in literature to provide research based evidence to promote the future expansion of agriculture that is low-carbon, just and sustainable. Gaps in the literature reveal that research is needed on the extent of CCDAFs in the Himalayas and the potential trade-offs on utilizing the frontier areas. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43621-022-00103-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna Bahadur KC
- Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Edan Tzadok
- Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Laxmi Pant
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, ME4 4TB UK
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Juri S, Baraibar M, Clark LB, Cheguhem M, Jobbagy E, Marcone J, Mazzeo N, Meerhoff M, Trimble M, Zurbriggen C, Deutsch L. Food systems transformations in South America: Insights from a transdisciplinary process rooted in Uruguay. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.887034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The wicked nature of sustainability challenges facing food systems demands intentional and synergistic actions at multiple scales and sectors. The Southern Cone of Latin America, with its historical legacy of “feeding the world,” presents interesting opportunities for generating insights into potential trajectories and processes for food system transformation. To foster such changes would require the development of collective understanding and agency to effectively realize purposeful and well-informed action toward desirable and sustainable food futures. This in turn demands the transdisciplinary engagement of academia, the private sector, government/policy-makers, community groups, and other institutions, as well as the broader society as food consumers. While the need for contextualized knowledge, priorities and definitions of what sustainable food systems change means is recognized, there is limited literature reporting these differences and critically reflecting on the role of knowledge brokers in knowledge co-production processes. The political nature of these issues requires arenas for dialogue and learning that are cross-sectoral and transcend knowledge generation. This paper presents a case study developed by SARAS Institute, a bridging organization based in Uruguay. This international community of practice co-designed a 3-year multi-stakeholder transdisciplinary process entitled “Knowledges on the Table.” We describe how the process was designed, structured, and facilitated around three phases, two analytical levels and through principles of knowledge co-production. The case study and its insights offer a model that could be useful to inform similar processes led by transdisciplinary communities of practice or bridging institutions in the early stages of transformative work. In itself, it also represents a unique approach to generate a language of collaboration, dialogue, and imagination informed by design skills and methods. While this is part of a longer-term process toward capitalizing on still-unfolding insights and coalitions, we hope that this example helps inspire similar initiatives to imagine, support, and realize contextualized sustainable food system transformations.
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Blanco G, Romero‐Vidal P, Tella JL, Hiraldo F. Novel food resources and conservation of ecological interactions between the Andean Araucaria and the Austral parakeet. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9455. [PMID: 36311393 PMCID: PMC9608793 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
In fragile ecosystems, the introduction of exotic species could alter some ecological processes. The Austral parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineous) shows close ecological and evolutionary relationships with the Andean Araucaria (Araucaria araucana), so any alteration in these interactions may have negative consequences for both partners and for ecosystem functioning and structure. We conducted extensive roadside surveys to estimate the abundance of parakeets in the northern Patagonian Andes over 4 years and recorded the food plants consumed by foraging flocks. The use of native habitats and humanized areas like villages and farms was influenced by the Araucaria seed crop. In masting years, the large seed crop allowed a massive use of this resource during the non-breeding season, and even during the breeding season. The exploitation of exotic plants was minor in the masting year, but became predominant in non-masting years, especially during the non-breeding season. This feeding switch towards exotic plants primarily arose because the low Araucaria seed crop in non-masting years is entirely consumed just after production by domestic and wild exotic mammals living in Araucaria forests year-round, thus forcing the displacement of parakeets towards anthropic habitats to exploit exotic plants. Given the degradation of the remaining Andean Araucaria forests due to the impact of exotic mammals on the ecological interaction between Araucaria and Austral parakeets, ambitious programs to exclude or reduce the density of these alien mammals, including livestock, are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Blanco
- Department of Evolutionary EcologyMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC)MadridSpain
| | - Pedro Romero‐Vidal
- Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural SystemsUniversidad Pablo de OlavideSevillaSpain
| | - José L. Tella
- Department of Conservation BiologyEstación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC)SevillaSpain
| | - Fernando Hiraldo
- Department of Conservation BiologyEstación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC)SevillaSpain
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Carriquiry M, Dumortier J, Elobeid A. Trade scenarios compensating for halted wheat and maize exports from Russia and Ukraine increase carbon emissions without easing food insecurity. NATURE FOOD 2022; 3:847-850. [PMID: 37117877 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-022-00600-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilized global agricultural markets, triggering food price increases. We present scenarios of reduced exports and production affecting both countries that increase maize and wheat prices by up to 4.6% and 7.2%, respectively. Production expansion in other regions can partially compensate for export declines but may increase carbon emissions and will exacerbate ongoing global food security challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Carriquiry
- Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Jerome Dumortier
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - Amani Elobeid
- Department of Economics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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Schneider JM, Zabel F, Mauser W. Global inventory of suitable, cultivable and available cropland under different scenarios and policies. Sci Data 2022; 9:527. [PMID: 36030257 PMCID: PMC9420104 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01632-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Where land-use change and particularly the expansion of cropland could potentially take place in the future is a central research question to investigate emerging trade-offs between food security, climate protection and biodiversity conservation. We provide consistent global datasets of land potentially suitable, cultivable and available for agricultural use for historic and future time periods from 1980 until 2100 under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5, available at 30 arc-seconds spatial resolution and aggregated at country level. Based on the agricultural suitability of land for 23 globally important food, feed, fiber and bioenergy crops, and high resolution land cover data, our dataset indicates where cultivation is possible and how much land could potentially be used as cropland when biophysical constraints and different assumptions on land-use regulations are taken into account. By serving as an input for land-use models, the produced data could improve the comparability of the models and their output, and thereby contribute to a better understanding of potential land-use trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Schneider
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
| | - Florian Zabel
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfram Mauser
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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Gebhardt S, Haensel M, Schulp CJE, Kaim A. Ecologically and biophysically optimal allocation of expanded soy production in Bavaria, Germany. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.916003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A debate about cultivation and trading of soy has emerged among scientists, policymakers, and the public in recent years. Export-orientated soy production in regions of South America is associated with large-scale ecosystem destruction. Since soy is an important source of animal fodder, policymakers are developing schemes to support and enhance sustainable domestic soy cultivation, especially in the EU. Expanded soy cultivation should ideally provide high yields and at the same time promote environmental benefits. For this purpose, we applied a multi-objective optimization algorithm that selects areas with maximum soy suitability, minimum erosion risk, need for low fertilizer input due to water quality issues, and need for diversification of monotonous crop rotations. We use the state of Bavaria in Germany as a case study, modeling full self-sufficiency of soy. The results of the optimization indicate synergies between plantation suitability with need for low fertilization input and crop variation, which implies that the environmental benefit of nitrogen fixation and rotation diversification from soy plants can easily be reconciled with food productivity. However, slight trade-offs occur between erosion risk and the three other objectives, i.e., locations with better soy production might be more prone toward erosion risk. As a potential consequence of expanded soy cultivation in Bavaria, we identified winter wheat, grain maize, potatoes, and sugar beet as those crops that have the highest share of displaced cultivation area. To reduce such land use conflicts and ensure self-sufficiency in relevant crops, we recommend to limit the use of soy as animal feed. Nevertheless, we propose to explicitly incorporate the local need for the environmental benefits of soy cultivation in the planning for soy expansion. In doing so, domestic soy can turn into a real sustainable alternative to imported plant protein.
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61
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Raven PH. How the living world evolved and where it's headed now. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210377. [PMID: 35757876 PMCID: PMC9234810 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The growth of life on Earth over more than 4 billion years has experienced five major extinction events, each followed by a period of rapid increase in species number. When organisms first invaded the land about 480 million years ago, another explosive proliferation of species followed. Our species, Homo sapiens, appeared some 300 000 years ago, developed agriculture about 11 000 years ago and grew rapidly to some 7.8 billion people, who are currently consuming about 175% of the sustainable productivity available worldwide. By mid-century (2050), we will have grown to about 9.9 billion. Wealth is very unequally distributed. Meanwhile, the Earth's mean temperature has increased by 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, and we are on track for a total increase of 2.6 to 3.9°C. We are driving species to extinction at a rate unprecedented for the past 66 million years. These changes promise to be disastrous for the maintenance of civilization. Indeed, our only hope for a sustainable future will be for us to find a way to overcome our unremitting greed at all levels and to love one another while building social justice. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years'.
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Payen FT, Evans DL, Falagán N, Hardman CA, Kourmpetli S, Liu L, Marshall R, Mead BR, Davies JAC. How Much Food Can We Grow in Urban Areas? Food Production and Crop Yields of Urban Agriculture: A Meta-Analysis. EARTH'S FUTURE 2022; 10:e2022EF002748. [PMID: 36246543 PMCID: PMC9540868 DOI: 10.1029/2022ef002748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Urban agriculture can contribute to food security, food system resilience and sustainability at the city level. While studies have examined urban agricultural productivity, we lack systemic knowledge of how agricultural productivity of urban systems compares to conventional agriculture and how productivity varies for different urban spaces (e.g., allotments vs. rooftops vs. indoor farming) and growing systems (e.g., hydroponics vs. soil-based agriculture). Here, we present a global meta-analysis that seeks to quantify crop yields of urban agriculture for a broad range of crops and explore differences in yields for distinct urban spaces and growing systems. We found 200 studies reporting urban crop yields, from which 2,062 observations were extracted. Lettuces and chicories were the most studied urban grown crops. We observed high agronomic suitability of urban areas, with urban agricultural yields on par with or greater than global average conventional agricultural yields. "Cucumbers and gherkins" was the category of crops for which differences in yields between urban and conventional agriculture were the greatest (17 kg m-2 cycle-1 vs. 3.8 kg m-2 cycle-1). Some urban spaces and growing systems also had a significant effect on specific crop yields (e.g., tomato yields in hydroponic systems were significantly greater than tomato yields in soil-based systems). This analysis provides a more robust, globally relevant evidence base on the productivity of urban agriculture that can be used in future research and practice relating to urban agriculture, especially in scaling-up studies aiming to estimate the self-sufficiency of cities and towns and their potential to meet local food demand.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel L. Evans
- Centre for Soil, Agrifood and BiosciencesCranfield UniversityCranfieldUK
| | - Natalia Falagán
- Centre for Soil, Agrifood and BiosciencesCranfield UniversityCranfieldUK
| | | | - Sofia Kourmpetli
- Centre for Soil, Agrifood and BiosciencesCranfield UniversityCranfieldUK
| | - Lingxuan Liu
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | | | - Bethan R. Mead
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
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Chen S, Wu C, Lin D, Chen T, Trac LVT. An empirical and expert‐knowledge hybrid approach to implement farmland habitat assessment for birds. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Szu‐Hung Chen
- International Master Program of Agriculture National Chung Hsing University Taichung City Taiwan
| | - Chen‐Fa Wu
- Department of Horticulture National Chung Hsing University Taichung City Taiwan
- Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture National Chung Hsing University Taichung City Taiwan
| | - Da‐Li Lin
- Endemic Species Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Taiwan Nantou County Taiwan
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia
| | - Tien‐Shui Chen
- Endemic Species Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Taiwan Nantou County Taiwan
| | - Luu Van Thong Trac
- Department of Horticulture National Chung Hsing University Taichung City Taiwan
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Chen H, Tan Y, Xiao W, Li G, Meng F, He T, Li X. Urbanization in China drives farmland uphill under the constraint of the requisition-compensation balance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 831:154895. [PMID: 35364167 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The slope is an important objective attribute of farmland that changes with the evolution of its spatial pattern. A growing area of plain farmland is being occupied by built-up land owing to rapid urbanization, while the newly added are sloping and terrace farmland under the constraint of the requisition-compensation balance. Researchers have focused on the horizontal spatial redistribution of farmland quantity while ignoring vertical variations in its slope, which is critical for its overall quality. Based on data on land use classification in China from 1990 to 2019, this study uses land use change trajectory as well as trend and driver analyses to identify the impact of urbanization on change in the slope of unstable farmland. The results show the following: (1) The area of unstable farmland accounted for ~20% of all farmland, with its slope increasing from 5.77° in 1990 to 6.25° in 2019 due to conversion in land use. (2) Variation in the slope of unstable farmland had significant heterogeneity, with regions undergoing a significant increase concentrated in the east and those undergoing monotonous decline not spatially clustered. (3) Farmland development and built-up land occupation have driven increases in the slope of unstable farmland with a relatively balanced effect, whereas the trend of increasing has been mainly suppressed by farmland marginalization. (4) The area of urban land expanded by 158,446.70km2 during 1990-2019, 24.15% of which was due to encroachment on farmland with a slope of 1.31°. Farmland development with a slope of 6.98° helped replenish 90.30% of the occupied area. This combined process has led to unstable farmland uphill under the constraint of the requisition-compensation balance. The results here can provide a reference for the protection and sustainable utilization of farmland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Chen
- Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yongzhong Tan
- Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Wu Xiao
- Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Guoyu Li
- Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Fei Meng
- Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Tingting He
- Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xinhui Li
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Mine Ecological Restoration, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China; School of Public Policy & Management of Emergency Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
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Wang L, Zhang S, Xie Y, Liu Y, Liu Y. How Does Different Cropland Expansion Trajectories Affect Cropland Fragmentation? Insights From Three Urban Agglomerations in Yangtze River Economic Belt, China. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.927238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A clear understanding of cropland expansion dynamics and their effects is vital for cropland protection and food security. However, the trajectories of cropland expansion have been less discussed. This study referred to the modes of landscape expansion and assessed the cropland expansion trajectory in three urban agglomerations in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and its impact on cropland fragmentation. Specifically, we identified three cropland expansion trajectories using the landscape expansion index, namely, infilling, edge-expansion, and outlying. Moreover, the surface relief amplitude model was employed to characterize the relief amplitude effect on cropland expansion trajectories. By coupling landscape metrics (e.g., patch density, landscape shape index, the largest patch index, and aggregation index) and Spearman correlation analysis, the relationship between cropland expansion trajectories and cropland fragmentation was assessed. Results show that (1) three urban agglomerations experience cropland expansion, in which the edge-expansion trajectory is primary, followed by infilling and outlying trajectories; (2) the cumulative frequency curve indicates that infilling and edge-expansion trajectories are likely to be distributed in low topographic relief amplitude regions, while the outlying trajectory is located in relatively higher topographic relief amplitude regions; and (3) infilling and edge-expansion trajectories contribute to a significantly positive relationship with the decrease of cropland fragmentation, while the outlying trajectory has a negative relationship with cropland fragmentation. This research highlights that cropland protection policies should considerably focus on the trajectory of cropland expansion, not only request the total area of cropland in a dynamic balance.
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Munstermann MJ, Heim NA, McCauley DJ, Payne JL, Upham NS, Wang SC, Knope ML. A global ecological signal of extinction risk in terrestrial vertebrates. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13852. [PMID: 34668599 PMCID: PMC9299904 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
To determine the distribution and causes of extinction threat across functional groups of terrestrial vertebrates, we assembled an ecological trait data set for 18,016 species of terrestrial vertebrates and utilized phylogenetic comparative methods to test which categories of habitat association, mode of locomotion, and feeding mode best predicted extinction risk. We also examined the individual categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List extinction drivers (e.g., agriculture and logging) threatening each species and determined the greatest threats for each of the four terrestrial vertebrate groups. We then quantified the sum of extinction drivers threatening each species to provide a multistressor perspective on threat. Cave dwelling amphibians (p < 0.01), arboreal quadrupedal mammals (all of which are primates) (p < 0.01), aerial and scavenging birds (p < 0.01), and pedal (i.e., walking) squamates (p < 0.01) were all disproportionately threatened with extinction in comparison with the other assessed ecological traits. Across all threatened vertebrate species in the study, the most common risk factors were agriculture, threatening 4491 species, followed by logging, threatening 3187 species, and then invasive species and disease, threatening 2053 species. Species at higher risk of extinction were simultaneously at risk from a greater number of threat types. If left unabated, the disproportionate loss of species with certain functional traits and increasing anthropogenic pressures are likely to disrupt ecosystem functions globally. A shift in focus from species- to trait-centric conservation practices will allow for protection of at-risk functional diversity from regional to global scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya J. Munstermann
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Hawaii at HiloHiloHawaiiUSA
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Graduate ProgramUniversity of Hawaii at HiloHiloHawaiiUSA
| | - Noel A. Heim
- Department of Earth & Ocean SciencesTufts UniversityMedfordMassachusettsUSA
| | - Douglas J. McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology and Marine Science InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jonathan L. Payne
- Department of Geological SciencesStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - Nathan S. Upham
- School of Life SciencesArizona State UniversityTempeArizonaUSA
| | - Steve C. Wang
- Department of Mathematics and StatisticsSwarthmore CollegeSwarthmorePennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Matthew L. Knope
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Hawaii at HiloHiloHawaiiUSA
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Graduate ProgramUniversity of Hawaii at HiloHiloHawaiiUSA
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Ascoli-Morrete T, Bandeira NMG, Signor E, Gazola HA, Homrich IS, Biondo R, Rossato-Grando LG, Zanella N. Bioaccumulation of pesticides and genotoxicity in anurans from southern Brazil. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:45549-45559. [PMID: 35147872 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19042-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The expansion of agricultural activities causes habitat loss and fragmentation and the pollution of natural ecosystems through the intense use of pesticides, which may affect the populations of amphibian anurans that inhabit agricultural areas. The present study evaluated the in situ bioaccumulation of pesticides in a population of Leptodactylus luctator that occupies farmland in southern Brazil. We also compared the genotoxicity of L. luctator populations from farmland and forested areas in the same region. We analyzed the micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities of 34 adult anurans, 19 from farmland, and 15 from the forested area. We also assessed the presence of 32 pesticides in liver samples obtained from 18 farmland-dwelling anurans, using chromatographic analysis. We recorded significantly higher rates of nuclear abnormalities in the individuals from the farmland, in comparison with the forest. We detected nine pesticides in the liver samples, of which, deltamethrin was the most common and carbosulfan was recorded at the highest concentrations. The bioaccumulation of pesticides and the higher levels of genotoxic damage found in the anurans from agricultural areas, as observed in the present study, represent a major potential problem for the conservation of these vertebrates, including the decline of their populations and the extinction of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaís Ascoli-Morrete
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
| | - Nelson M G Bandeira
- Centro de Pesquisa em Alimentação (CEPA), Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
| | - Elias Signor
- Centro de Pesquisa em Alimentação (CEPA), Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
| | - Humberto A Gazola
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
| | - Isis S Homrich
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Rhaíssa Biondo
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
| | - Luciana G Rossato-Grando
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioexperimentação, Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
| | - Noeli Zanella
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (ICB), Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
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UK food policy: implications for nutritionists. Proc Nutr Soc 2022; 81:176-189. [DOI: 10.1017/s0029665122000817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Implications of the ‘changing world’ for nutrition and nutritionists are considered, using the UK within a global context as an illustration. The first section summarises the slow recognition by policy makers of the significance of the changing world of food and nutrition. The second section ‘Food system stress is now at a critical level’ considers the present scale of global food system stress and the failure so far sufficiently to narrow the gap between evidence and policy change. The year 2021 was earmarked when three major UN conferences had the opportunity to chart food changes ahead. The third section ‘Multi-criteria analysis helps frame 21st century nutrition science’ proposes that multi-criteria analysis is an essential methodology for nutrition within this more complex policy world; nutrition studies can no long exclude social and environmental criteria. The penultimate section ‘Nutrition science can reconnect its life science, social and environmental nutrition traditions to contribute to new paradigm formation’ suggests that nutrition science can now recombine three traditions within its own history to address this complexity: social nutrition, environmental nutrition and life sciences. The final section ‘Priorities ahead’ concludes that this multi-criteria approach to nutrition offers new routes for science and policy influence. Five priorities are identified: (1) clarification of the features of a good food system; (2) new sustainable dietary guidelines which integrate different determinants of sustainability; (3) helping consumer engagement with change; (4) developing improved policy frameworks and (5) contributing to professional channels in these processes. In the UK, while the challenge of narrowing the gap between evidence, policy and change remains daunting, the risks of not attempting to improve the transition to an ecologically sound public health nutrition are even greater.
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69
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Willow J, Cook SM, Veromann E, Smagghe G. Uniting RNAi Technology and Conservation Biocontrol to Promote Global Food Security and Agrobiodiversity. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:871651. [PMID: 35547161 PMCID: PMC9081497 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.871651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat loss and fragmentation, and the effects of pesticides, contribute to biodiversity losses and unsustainable food production. Given the United Nation's (UN's) declaration of this decade as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we advocate combining conservation biocontrol-enhancing practices with the use of RNA interference (RNAi) pesticide technology, the latter demonstrating remarkable target-specificity via double-stranded (ds)RNA's sequence-specific mode of action. This specificity makes dsRNA a biosafe candidate for integration into the global conservation initiative. Our interdisciplinary perspective conforms to the UN's declaration, and is facilitated by the Earth BioGenome Project, an effort valuable to RNAi development given its utility in providing whole-genome sequences, allowing identification of genetic targets in crop pests, and potentially relevant sequences in non-target organisms. Interdisciplinary studies bringing together biocontrol-enhancing techniques and RNAi are needed, and should be examined for various crop‒pest systems to address this global problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Willow
- Chair of Plant Health, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Samantha M. Cook
- Biointeractions and Crop Protection Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Eve Veromann
- Chair of Plant Health, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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70
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Mu H, Li X, Wen Y, Huang J, Du P, Su W, Miao S, Geng M. A global record of annual terrestrial Human Footprint dataset from 2000 to 2018. Sci Data 2022; 9:176. [PMID: 35440581 PMCID: PMC9018937 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01284-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Human Footprint, the pressure imposed on the eco-environment by changing ecological processes and natural landscapes, is raising worldwide concerns on biodiversity and ecological conservation. Due to the lack of spatiotemporally consistent datasets of Human Footprint over a long temporal span, many relevant studies on this topic have been limited. Here, we mapped the annual dynamics of the global Human Footprint from 2000 to 2018 using eight variables that reflect different aspects of human pressures. The accuracy assessment revealed a good agreement between our mapped results and the previously developed datasets in different years. We found more than two million km2 of wilderness (i.e., regions with Human Footprint values below one) were lost over the past two decades. The biome dominated by mangroves experienced the most significant loss (i.e., above 5%) of wilderness, likely attributed to intensified human activities in coastal areas. The derived annual and spatiotemporally consistent global Human Footprint can be a fundamental dataset for many relevant studies about human activities and natural resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haowei Mu
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xuecao Li
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
- Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing for Agri-Hazards, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Yanan Wen
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jianxi Huang
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
- Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing for Agri-Hazards, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Peijun Du
- School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 221100, China
| | - Wei Su
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
- Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing for Agri-Hazards, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Shuangxi Miao
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
- Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing for Agri-Hazards, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Mengqing Geng
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
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Sheng S, Yang B, Kuang B. Impact of Cereal Production Displacement from Urban Expansion on Ecosystem Service Values in China: Based on Three Cropland Supplement Strategies. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:4563. [PMID: 35457431 PMCID: PMC9024629 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19084563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The acceleration of global urban expansion constantly occupies high-quality cropland and affects regional food security. The implementation of cropland protection policies has alleviated the pressure of cropland loss worldwide, and thus keeping a dynamic balance of cereal production. Such a displacement of cereal production from the lost cropland to the supplemented cropland has resulted in the massive losses of natural habitats (such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands) as well as ecosystem service values. However, the impact of cereal production displacement caused by different cropland supplement strategies has not been concerned. Therefore, taking China (mainland) as a case, this study used the LANDSCAPE model to simulate cereal production displacement caused by urban expansion and cropland supplement between 2020 and 2040, based on three scales of the Chinese administration system (i.e., the national level, the provincial level, and the municipal level). The natural habitat loss and corresponding ecosystem service value (ESV) loss were assessed. The results show that the national-scale cereal displacement will lead to a large reclamation of cropland in North China, causing the most natural habitat loss (5090 km2), and the least ESV loss (46.53 billion yuan). Cereal production displacement at the provincial and municipal scales will lead to fewer natural habitat losses (4696 km2 and 4954 km2, respectively), but more ESV losses (54.16 billion yuan and 54.02 billion yuan, respectively). Based on the national food security and ecological conservation in China, this study discussed the reasons for the ecological effects of cereal production displacement, direct and indirect natural habitat loss of urban expansion, and cropland protection policies in China. We suggest that China's cropland protection policy should emphasize avoiding large-scale cropland displacement and occupation of natural habitat with high ESV for cropland supplement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Sheng
- College of Public Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China; (S.S.); (B.K.)
| | - Bohan Yang
- College of Public Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China; (S.S.); (B.K.)
- Institute of Nature Resources Governance, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Bing Kuang
- College of Public Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China; (S.S.); (B.K.)
- Institute of Nature Resources Governance, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
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Calla S, Lécuyer L, Skrimizea E, Balian E, Young JC. Advancing Food System Transformation and Addressing Conflicts Through Transdisciplinary Methodologies: Strengths and Limitations of the Community Voice Method, T-Labs, Film-Making and the Miracle Question. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.835203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Food systems are changing through various socioeconomic and policy processes. For example, in France, following concerns over the effects of pesticides on ecosystems and health, the French government launched the “Ecophyto II+” plan in 2019 that aims for a 50% reduction in the use of pesticides by 2025. This top-down food system transformation is leading to conflicts between stakeholders over how to enact such a policy, and its implications for farmers and their practices. By adopting a transdisciplinary research approach, we explore conflicts linked to food system transformations in the context of three case studies in France. The case studies revolve around conflicts over pesticide use and reduction in three agricultural settings in Bourgogne Franche-Comté, namely (a) water management near Auxerre, (b) apiculture-agriculture relations in the Jura, and (c) viticulture-local resident relationships near Macon. We use four innovative transdisciplinary techniques to integrate inclusively the viewpoints of diverse stakeholders with the aim of generating actionable responses to transform food systems. First, the Community Voice Method (CVM) includes filmed semi-structured interviews and integrates a number of opportunities for participation and successive rounds of data analysis. Second, the interviewees were asked a “miracle question” that encouraged them to step back from conflicts and practices toward their ideal vision of agriculture and food systems. Third, the CVM resulted in the production of four films that relate the visions and perception of each case study interviewees in their own words and in their own setting. Finally, Transformation Labs (T-Labs) conveyed the main results of the CVM knowledge synthesis through the films produced and opened a dialogue toward the development of solutions. We review the four techniques, how they were implemented in the three case studies, and with which outcomes. Thus the aim of this paper is to offer reflections and lessons learnt from different transdisciplinary processes as a means of strengthening their application in other contexts. We argue that such methodologies, whilst resource-consuming, are essential to fully understand the complexity of food system transformations from the often-conflictual perspectives and competing knowledge claims of the multiple actors involved. In addition, we highlight the role of these techniques in building long-term trust between researchers and other stakeholders, and the benefits in terms of opening up dialogue and developing long-term solutions, as determined by the stakeholders themselves.
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73
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Schneider JM, Zabel F, Schünemann F, Delzeit R, Mauser W. Global cropland could be almost halved: Assessment of land saving potentials under different strategies and implications for agricultural markets. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263063. [PMID: 35192630 PMCID: PMC8863228 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The pressure on land resources continuously increases not only with the rising demand for agricultural commodities, but also with the growing need for action on global challenges, such as biodiversity loss or climate change, where land plays a crucial role. Land saving as a strategy, where agricultural productivity is increased to allow a reduction of required cropland while sustaining production volumes and meeting demand, could address this trade-off. With our interdisciplinary model-based study, we globally assess regional potentials of land saving and analyze resulting effects on agricultural production, prices and trade. Thereby, different land saving strategies are investigated that (1) minimize required cropland (2) minimize spatial marginalization induced by land saving and (3) maximize the attainable profit. We find that current cropland requirements could be reduced between 37% and 48%, depending on the applied land saving strategy. The generally more efficient use of land would cause crop prices to fall in all regions, but also trigger an increase in global agricultural production of 2.8%. While largest land saving potentials occur in regions with high yield gaps, the impacts on prices and production are strongest in highly populated regions with already high pressure on land. Global crop prices and trade affect regional impacts of land saving on agricultural markets and can displace effects to spatially distant regions. Our results point out the importance of investigating the potentials and effects of land saving in the context of global markets within an integrative, global framework. The resulting land saving potentials can moreover reframe debates on global potentials for afforestation and carbon sequestration, as well as on how to reconcile agricultural production and biodiversity conservation and thus contribute to approaching central goals of the 21st century, addressed for example in the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement or the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M. Schneider
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Florian Zabel
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Franziska Schünemann
- Department of Bioeconomy and Computational Science Lab, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Ruth Delzeit
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Kiel, Germany
| | - Wolfram Mauser
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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Ramírez-Mejía D, Levers C, Mas JF. Spatial patterns and determinants of avocado frontier dynamics in Mexico. REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE 2022; 22:28. [PMID: 35250377 PMCID: PMC8885778 DOI: 10.1007/s10113-022-01883-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The surging demand for commodity crops has led to rapid and severe agricultural frontier expansion globally and has put producing regions increasingly under pressure. However, knowledge about spatial patterns of agricultural frontier dynamics, their leading spatial determinants, and socio-ecological trade-offs is often lacking, hindering contextualized decision making towards more sustainable food systems. Here, we used inventory data to map frontier dynamics of avocado production, a cash crop of increasing importance in global diets, for Michoacán, Mexico, before and after the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). We compiled a set of environmental, accessibility and social variables and identified the leading determinants of avocado frontier expansion and their interactions using extreme gradient boosting. We predicted potential expansion patterns and assessed their impacts on areas important for biodiversity conservation. Avocado frontiers expanded more than tenfold from 12,909 ha (1974) to 152,493 ha (2011), particularly after NAFTA. Annual precipitation, distance to settlements, and land tenure were key factors explaining avocado expansion. Under favorable climatic and accessibility conditions, most avocado expansion occurred on private lands. Contrary, under suboptimal conditions, most avocado expansion occurred on communal lands. Large areas suitable for further avocado expansion overlapped with priority sites for restoration, highlighting an imminent conflict between conservation and economic revenues. This is the first analysis of avocado frontier dynamics and their spatial determinants across a major production region and our results provide entry points to implement government-based strategies to support small-scale farmers, mostly those on communal lands, while trying to minimize the socio-environmental impacts of avocado production. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10113-022-01883-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Ramírez-Mejía
- Posgrado en Geografía, Circuito de Posgrados SN, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (CIGA-UNAM), Antigua carretera a Pátzcuaro, 58190 Morelia, Michoacán Mexico
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Vancouver, BC Canada
| | - Christian Levers
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Vancouver, BC Canada
- Department of Environmental Geography, Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jean-François Mas
- Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (CIGA-UNAM), Antigua carretera a Pátzcuaro, 58190 Morelia, Michoacán Mexico
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75
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Abeli T, Rossi G, Orsenigo S, Dalrymple SE, Godefroid S. On farm plant reintroduction: A decision framework for plant conservation translocation in EU agro-ecosystems. J Nat Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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de la Torre A, Bosch J, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM, Ito S, Muñoz C, Iglesias I, Martínez-Avilés M. African Swine Fever Survey in a European Context. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11020137. [PMID: 35215081 PMCID: PMC8878522 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11020137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is currently the most threatening disease for domestic and wild pigs worldwide. Wild boar has been the main affected species in all EU countries except for Romania, where most notifications occur in domestic pigs. The spread of ASF in wild boar is challenging to control; risk factors are harder to identify and establish than in domestic pigs, which, together with an underestimation of the disease and the lack of treatment or an effective vaccine, are hindering control and eradication efforts. We distributed two online questionnaires, one for domestic pigs and one for wild boar, to experts of different background and countries in Europe, to explore risk factors in relation to ASF control connected to farming, hunting, trade, the environment, and domestic pig and wild boar populations. Overall, wild boar movements were estimated to pose the highest risk of ASF introduction and spread. The movement of pork and pork products for own consumption also ranked high. Here we explored, in addition to the assessment of risk pathways, the identification of risks of transmission at the domestic/wild boar interface, the importance of biosecurity practices and improved control efforts, and controversial opinions that require further attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana de la Torre
- Infectious Diseases and Global Health Department, Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA-CSIC), 28130 Madrid, Spain; (A.d.l.T.); (I.I.)
| | - Jaime Bosch
- Animal Health Department, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (J.B.); (J.M.S.-V.); (S.I.); (C.M.)
| | - José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno
- Animal Health Department, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (J.B.); (J.M.S.-V.); (S.I.); (C.M.)
| | - Satoshi Ito
- Animal Health Department, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (J.B.); (J.M.S.-V.); (S.I.); (C.M.)
| | - Carolina Muñoz
- Animal Health Department, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (J.B.); (J.M.S.-V.); (S.I.); (C.M.)
| | - Irene Iglesias
- Infectious Diseases and Global Health Department, Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA-CSIC), 28130 Madrid, Spain; (A.d.l.T.); (I.I.)
| | - Marta Martínez-Avilés
- Infectious Diseases and Global Health Department, Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INIA-CSIC), 28130 Madrid, Spain; (A.d.l.T.); (I.I.)
- Correspondence:
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77
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Romdhane S, Spor A, Banerjee S, Breuil MC, Bru D, Chabbi A, Hallin S, van der Heijden MGA, Saghai A, Philippot L. Land-use intensification differentially affects bacterial, fungal and protist communities and decreases microbiome network complexity. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2022; 17:1. [PMID: 34991714 PMCID: PMC8740439 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-021-00396-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soil microbial communities are major drivers of cycling of soil nutrients that sustain plant growth and productivity. Yet, a holistic understanding of the impact of land-use intensification on the soil microbiome is still poorly understood. Here, we used a field experiment to investigate the long-term consequences of changes in land-use intensity based on cropping frequency (continuous cropping, alternating cropping with a temporary grassland, perennial grassland) on bacterial, protist and fungal communities as well as on their co-occurrence networks. RESULTS We showed that land use has a major impact on the structure and composition of bacterial, protist and fungal communities. Grassland and arable cropping differed markedly with many taxa differentiating between both land use types. The smallest differences in the microbiome were observed between temporary grassland and continuous cropping, which suggests lasting effects of the cropping system preceding the temporary grasslands. Land-use intensity also affected the bacterial co-occurrence networks with increased complexity in the perennial grassland comparing to the other land-use systems. Similarly, co-occurrence networks within microbial groups showed a higher connectivity in the perennial grasslands. Protists, particularly Rhizaria, dominated in soil microbial associations, as they showed a higher number of connections than bacteria and fungi in all land uses. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide evidence of legacy effects of prior land use on the composition of the soil microbiome. Whatever the land use, network analyses highlighted the importance of protists as a key element of the soil microbiome that should be considered in future work. Altogether, this work provides a holistic perspective of the differential responses of various microbial groups and of their associations to agricultural intensification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Romdhane
- Department of Agroecology, University Bourgogne Franche Comte, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Aymé Spor
- Department of Agroecology, University Bourgogne Franche Comte, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Samiran Banerjee
- Agroscope, Plant-Soil Interactions Group, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, 58102, USA
| | - Marie-Christine Breuil
- Department of Agroecology, University Bourgogne Franche Comte, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - David Bru
- Department of Agroecology, University Bourgogne Franche Comte, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Abad Chabbi
- ECOSYS, UMR INRAE, AgroParisTech, Thiverval-Grignon, France
- CNRS, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences-Paris (iEES-Paris, UMR Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAE), Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Sara Hallin
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marcel G A van der Heijden
- Agroscope, Plant-Soil Interactions Group, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Aurélien Saghai
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Laurent Philippot
- Department of Agroecology, University Bourgogne Franche Comte, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Dijon, France.
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78
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Franke JA, Müller C, Minoli S, Elliott J, Folberth C, Gardner C, Hank T, Izaurralde RC, Jägermeyr J, Jones CD, Liu W, Olin S, Pugh TAM, Ruane AC, Stephens H, Zabel F, Moyer EJ. Agricultural breadbaskets shift poleward given adaptive farmer behavior under climate change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:167-181. [PMID: 34478595 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Modern food production is spatially concentrated in global "breadbaskets." A major unresolved question is whether these peak production regions will shift poleward as the climate warms, allowing some recovery of potential climate-related losses. While agricultural impacts studies to date have focused on currently cultivated land, the Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison Project (GGCMI) Phase 2 experiment allows us to assess changes in both yields and the location of peak productivity regions under warming. We examine crop responses under projected end of century warming using seven process-based models simulating five major crops (maize, rice, soybeans, and spring and winter wheat) with a variety of adaptation strategies. We find that in no-adaptation cases, when planting date and cultivar choices are held fixed, regions of peak production remain stationary and yield losses can be severe, since growing seasons contract strongly with warming. When adaptations in management practices are allowed (cultivars that retain growing season length under warming and modified planting dates), peak productivity zones shift poleward and yield losses are largely recovered. While most growing-zone shifts are ultimately limited by geography, breadbaskets studied here move poleward over 600 km on average by end of the century under RCP 8.5. These results suggest that agricultural impacts assessments can be strongly biased if restricted in spatial area or in the scope of adaptive behavior considered. Accurate evaluation of food security under climate change requires global modeling and careful treatment of adaptation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Franke
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Christoph Müller
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Sara Minoli
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Joshua Elliott
- Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Christian Folberth
- Ecosystem Services and Management Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Charles Gardner
- Program on Global Environment, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Tobias Hank
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | | | - Jonas Jägermeyr
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York City, New York, USA
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Curtis D Jones
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Wenfeng Liu
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Stefan Olin
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Thomas A M Pugh
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Alex C Ruane
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Haynes Stephens
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Florian Zabel
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth J Moyer
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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79
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Kuang W, Liu J, Tian H, Shi H, Dong J, Song C, Li X, Du G, Hou Y, Lu D, Chi W, Pan T, Zhang S, Hamdi R, Yin Z, Yan H, Yan C, Wu S, Li R, Yang J, Dou Y, Wu W, Liang L, Xiang B, Yang S. Cropland redistribution to marginal lands undermines environmental sustainability. Natl Sci Rev 2022; 9:nwab091. [PMID: 35070327 PMCID: PMC8776548 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cropland redistribution to marginal land has been reported worldwide; however, the resulting impacts on environmental sustainability have not been investigated sufficiently. Here we investigated the environmental impacts of cropland redistribution in China. As a result of urbanization-induced loss of high-quality croplands in south China (∼8.5 t ha-1), croplands expanded to marginal lands in northeast (∼4.5 t ha-1) and northwest China (∼2.9 t ha-1) during 1990-2015 to pursue food security. However, the reclamation in these low-yield and ecologically vulnerable zones considerably undermined local environmental sustainability, for example increasing wind erosion (+3.47%), irrigation water consumption (+34.42%), fertilizer use (+20.02%) and decreasing natural habitats (-3.11%). Forecasts show that further reclamation in marginal lands per current policies would exacerbate environmental costs by 2050. The future cropland security risk will be remarkably intensified because of the conflict between food production and environmental sustainability. Our research suggests that globally emerging reclamation of marginal lands should be restricted and crop yield boost should be encouraged for both food security and environmental benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui Kuang
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jiyuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hanqin Tian
- International Center for Climate and Global Change Research, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Hao Shi
- International Center for Climate and Global Change Research, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Jinwei Dong
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Changqing Song
- Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiaoyong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guoming Du
- School of Public Administration and Law, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Yali Hou
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dengsheng Lu
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
| | - Wenfeng Chi
- School of Resources and Environmental Economics, Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics, Hohhot 010017, China
| | - Tao Pan
- School of Geography and Tourism, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao 276826, China
| | - Shuwen Zhang
- Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Rafiq Hamdi
- Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Brussels 1180, Belgium
- Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Zherui Yin
- School of Geography and Tourism, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao 276826, China
| | - Huimin Yan
- Key Laboratory for Resources Use & Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Changzhen Yan
- Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shixin Wu
- Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Rendong Li
- Hubei Province's Key Laboratory for Environment & Disaster Monitoring and Evaluation, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430077, China
| | - Jiuchun Yang
- Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Yinyin Dou
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Wenbin Wu
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Liqiao Liang
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Bao Xiang
- Institute of Ecology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Shiqi Yang
- College of Environment and Planning, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
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80
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Potapov P, Turubanova S, Hansen MC, Tyukavina A, Zalles V, Khan A, Song XP, Pickens A, Shen Q, Cortez J. Global maps of cropland extent and change show accelerated cropland expansion in the twenty-first century. NATURE FOOD 2022; 3:19-28. [PMID: 37118483 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-021-00429-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Spatiotemporally consistent data on global cropland extent is essential for tracking progress towards sustainable food production. In the present study, we present an analysis of global cropland area change for the first two decades of the twenty-first century derived from satellite data time-series. We estimate that, in 2019, the cropland area was 1,244 Mha with a corresponding total annual net primary production (NPP) of 5.5 Pg C year-1. From 2003 to 2019, cropland area increased by 9% and cropland NPP by 25%, primarily due to agricultural expansion in Africa and South America. Global cropland expansion accelerated over the past two decades, with a near doubling of the annual expansion rate, most notably in Africa. Half of the new cropland area (49%) replaced natural vegetation and tree cover, indicating a conflict with the sustainability goal of protecting terrestrial ecosystems. From 2003 to 2019, global per-capita cropland area decreased by 10% due to population growth. However, the per-capita annual cropland NPP increased by 3.5% as a result of intensified agricultural land use. The presented global, high-resolution, cropland map time-series supports monitoring of natural land appropriation at the local, national and international levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Potapov
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Svetlana Turubanova
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Matthew C Hansen
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Alexandra Tyukavina
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Viviana Zalles
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Ahmad Khan
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Xiao-Peng Song
- Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Amy Pickens
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Quan Shen
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Jocelyn Cortez
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
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81
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Chen H, Dong S, He Z, Chen Y, Tian D, Liu Y, Wang Y, Zhang W, Li L, Yang J, Song Z. Effects of land use change on population survival of three wild rice species in China since 2001. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:951903. [PMID: 36147237 PMCID: PMC9488966 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.951903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Land use change stemming from human activities, particularly cropland expansion, heavily threatens the survival of crop wild relatives that usually occur nearby or scatter in farming systems. Understanding the impacts of land use change on wild populations is critical in forming the conservation decision-making of wild relatives. Based on the investigations on the population survival of three wild rice species (Oryza rufipogon, O. officinalis, and O. granulata) in China over the past 40 years (1978-2019), the effect of land use change during the past 20 years (2001-2019) on the natural populations of the three species was examined using the land use type data of satellite-based Earth observations (data from GlobCover). From 1978 to 2019, the number of populations (distribution sites) of the three wild rice species had decreased by 65-87%, mainly because of the habitat destruction or disappearance caused by human-induced land use change. The three wild rice species display different habitat preferences, resulting in specific land use types surrounding their populations. In the recent 20 years, although the surrounding community composition of the wild rice population has been relatively stable, the surrounding vegetation cover area of the survived populations was significantly more extensive than that of the extinct ones (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that habitat vegetation plays a "biological barrier" role in the survival of wild populations through resisting or mitigating the disturbing impact of land use change on wild populations. This study provides not only direct guidelines for the conservation of wild rice but also new insights into the mechanisms underlying the influence of land use change on wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Chen
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shanshan Dong
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhizhou He
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhong Chen
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Defeng Tian
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuguo Wang
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenju Zhang
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Linfeng Li
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ji Yang
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiping Song
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Institute of Botany, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Zhiping Song,
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82
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Horizon scanning and review of the impact of five food and food production models for the global food system in 2050. Trends Food Sci Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2021.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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83
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Zhao J, Cao Y, Yu L, Liu X, Yang R, Gong P. Future global conflict risk hotspots between biodiversity conservation and food security: 10 countries and 7 Biodiversity Hotspots. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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84
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Kanyi NC, Karuri H, Nyasani JO, Mwangi B. Land use effects on termite assemblages in Kenya. Heliyon 2021; 7:e08588. [PMID: 34977409 PMCID: PMC8683729 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Termites perform key ecological functions and they also cause crop damage. Land use change resulting from agricultural intensification can result in changes in termite species diversity and abundance. Termite species occurring in natural vegetation, maize monocrop and maize-beans intercrop macrohabitats were investigated in Embu and Machakos Counties, Kenya. Influence of soil properties and seasons was also evaluated. Across the two Counties, seven termite species were recorded with Machakos County having the highest number. Additive diversity partitioning of species richness and Simpson diversity showed that, α component contributed to 98.3% and 99.1% of the total diversity, respectively. Population densities of three termite species significantly varied between land use types in Machakos County but there were no differences in termite species abundance in Embu County. In addition, there were no significant differences in species richness between macrohabitats within each County. In Embu, season significantly influenced the abundance of Macrotermes subhyalinus, M. herus, and Coptotermes formosanus which occurred in greater numbers during the wet season. There was a significant influence of land use on Trinervitermes gratiosus and C. formosanus in Machakos with both species occurring in higher numbers in natural vegetation. Trinervitermes gratiosus was negatively associated with Mn and positively correlated to pH and sand. Macrotermes subhyalinus and M. herus showed a positive association with P and silt while C. formosanus was positively correlated to Ca and Mg. These findings provide an insight into the effects of land use change from natural vegetation to maize agro-ecosystems on termite diversity. It also provides a baseline for further studies on termite diversity in Kenya and their ecological significance.
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85
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Spatial Differentiation of Non-Grain Production on Cultivated Land and Its Driving Factors in Coastal China. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su132313064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The rapid development of urbanization and industrialization in coastal China in the past 20 years has exerted a huge squeezing effect on agricultural land use. The phenomenon of non-grain production on cultivated land (NGP) is very common, seriously threatening the protection of high-quality arable land and national food security. In order to find out the overall situation regarding NGP on cultivated land in coastal China, this study revealed the spatial differentiation of NGP and its main driving factors by spatial autocorrelation analysis, multiple linear regression models and geographically weighted regression analysis (GWR). The results show that: (1) in 2018, the non-grain cultivated land area of 11 provinces along the coast of China was about 15.82 × 106 hm2, accounting for 33.65% of the total cultivated land area. (2) The NGP rate in 11 provinces gradually decreased from south to north, but the NGP area showed two peak centers in Guangxi province and Shandong province, then decreased gradually outwards. (3) The low economic benefit of the planting industry (per capita GDP and urban-to-rural disposable income ratio) was the most important driving force, leading to the spatial differentiation of NGP, while the number of rural laborers and land transfer areas also acted as the main driving factors for the spatial differentiation of NGP. However, the influence of each driving factor has obvious spatial heterogeneity. The non-grained area and the non-grain production rate at the municipal level were completely different from those at the provincial level, and the spatial heterogeneity was more prominent. In the future, the local government should control the disorganized spread of NGP, scientifically set the bottom line of NGP, reduce the external pressure of NGP, regulate multi-party land transfer behavior, and strengthen land-use responsibilities. This study can provide a scientific foundation for adjusting land-use planning and cultivated land protection policies in China and other developing countries.
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86
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Heydenrych MJ, Saunders BJ, Bunce M, Jarman SN. Epigenetic Measurement of Key Vertebrate Population Biology Parameters. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.617376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The age, sex, and sexual maturity of individual animals are key parameters in assessing wild populations and informing conservation management strategies. These parameters represent the reproductive potential of a population and can indicate recovery rates or vulnerabilities. Natural populations of wild animals are difficult to study; logistically, economically, and due to the impacts of invasive biomonitoring. Genetic and epigenetic analyses offer a low impact, low cost, and information-rich alternative. As epigenetic mechanisms are intrinsically linked with both biological aging and reproductive processes, DNA methylation can be used as a suitable biomarker for population biology study. This review assesses published research utilizing DNA methylation analysis in relation to three key population parameters: age, sex, and sexual maturity. We review studies on wild vertebrates that investigate epigenetic age relationships, with successful age estimation assays designed for mammals, birds, and fish. For both determination of sex and identification of sexual maturity, very little has been explored regarding DNA methylation-based assays. Related research, however, confirms the links between DNA methylation and these processes. Future development of age estimation assays for underrepresented and key conservation taxa is suggested, as is the experimental development and design of DNA methylation-based assays for both sex and sexual maturity identification, further expanding the genomics toolkit for population biology studies.
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87
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Sehra KK, MacMillan DC. Wildlife-friendly food requires a multi-stakeholder approach to deliver landscape-scale biodiversity conservation in the Satoyama landscape of Japan. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 297:113275. [PMID: 34329912 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Many global biodiversity hotspots have been cultivated for food for centuries and their unique agrobiodiversity is now under threat from land-use conversion, land abandonment or agricultural intensification. Wildlife-friendly farming (WFF) certification is a market-based approach that aims to alleviate the threats through charging a premium over conventional food products. This study explores the economic demand for WFF to protect biodiversity and maintain traditional rice cultivation in the Satoyama landscape of Japan by quantifying the price differential for key attributes of a landscape scale WFF scheme using choice experiments with consumers. A novel component of this study was to combine the choice experiment data with qualitative interviews with stakeholders together with observational and participatory approaches to identify underlying motivations for purchase decisions and to assess using a mixed methods approach the potential of WFF schemes to support landscape scale conservation and rural development. We found that consumer's willingness to pay (WTP) for organic rice was the highest, with a premium of 2937 JPY (26.83 USD) compared to non-organic rice. Respondents were also willing to pay more for all rice that conserves individual target species, with WTP for bird species the highest and for rice produced specifically in the traditional Satoyama landscapes. Although a WFF-Satoyama programme would bring public benefits and support rural livelihoods we suggest there are several challenges to widespread adoption that include an ageing farming population, a lack of appropriate business skills and technical capacity, and obstacles arising from Japanese land use policies concerning forestry and hunting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran K Sehra
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom.
| | - Douglas C MacMillan
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom.
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88
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Bird Functional Diversity in Agroecosystems and Secondary Forests of the Tropical Andes. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13100493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Agricultural systems have increased in extension and intensity worldwide, altering vertebrate functional diversity, ecosystem functioning, and ecosystemic services. However, the effects of open monoculture crops on bird functional diversity remain little explored, particularly in highly biodiverse regions such as the tropical Andes. We aim to assess the functional diversity differences of bird guilds between monoculture crops (coffee, cocoa, and citrus) and secondary forests. We use four functional diversity indices (Rao Q, Functional Richness, Functional Evenness, and Functional Divergence) related to relevant morphological, life history, and behavioral traits. We find significant differences in functional diversity between agroecosystem and forest habitats. Particularly, bird functional diversity is quite homogeneous among crop types. Functional traits related to locomotion (body weight, wing-chord length, and tail length), nest type (closed), and foraging strata (canopy and understory) are dominant at the agroecosystems. The bird assemblages found at the agroecosystems are more homogeneous in terms of functional diversity than those found at the secondary forests, as a result of crop structure and management. We recommend promoting more diverse agroecosystems to enhance bird functional diversity and reduce their effects on biodiversity.
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89
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Liposki Biassi D, Baldissera R, Galiano D, Souza Rezende R. Effect of forestry (
Pinus
sp.) on the bat community (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in Neotropical region. AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Liposki Biassi
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ciências Ambientais Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó (UNOCHAPECÓ) ChapecóBrazil
| | - Ronei Baldissera
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ciências Ambientais Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó (UNOCHAPECÓ) ChapecóBrazil
| | - Daniel Galiano
- Laboratório de Zoologia Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, Campus Realeza (UFFS) Realeza Brazil
| | - Renan Souza Rezende
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ciências Ambientais Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó (UNOCHAPECÓ) ChapecóBrazil
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90
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Targeting Irrigation Expansion to Address Sustainable Development Objectives: A Regional Farm Typology Approach. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13172393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Sustainable water management is a core sustainable development goal (SDG) that also contributes to other SDGs, including food and water security, ecosystem health, and climate adaptation. To achieve these synergies, policies must target efforts to regions that best correspond with development objectives. This study designs a targeting strategy for irrigation expansion in southern Mexico—a region long considered to have strong potential for sustainable irrigation development. We use an integrated farm typology and decision tree approach to identify priority municipalities for irrigation expansion. We use multivariate statistics to examine the relationships among farm characteristics in 933 municipalities, classifying each according to four farm types: lowland, midland, midland-irrigated, and highland. We then partition municipalities into 11 farm-type subgroups, each ranked by priority level for receiving irrigation interventions following Mexico’s National Water Program guidelines. Results identify a ‘highest-priority’ subgroup of 73 municipalities comprised mostly of midland and highland farm types. These types are characterized by low irrigation use, small farmland areas, high vulnerability to climate, high marginalization (poverty), strong representation from indigenous communities, low maize yield, and high rates of subsistence production. Findings provide a crucial first approximation of where irrigation expansion would best address water policy priorities and sustainable development objectives in southern Mexico. This study also provides a useful framework for scaling organizations tasked with targeting development efforts across large spatial scales.
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91
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Bi QF, Jin BJ, Zhu D, Jiang YG, Zheng BX, O'Connor P, Yang XR, Richter A, Lin XY, Zhu YG. How can fertilization regimes and durations shape earthworm gut microbiota in a long-term field experiment? ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2021; 224:112643. [PMID: 34411817 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The positive roles of earthworms on soil functionality has been extensively documented. The capacity of the earthworm gut microbiota on decomposition and nutrient cycling under long-term fertilization in field conditions has rarely been studied. Here, we report the structural, taxonomic, and functional responses of Eisenia foetida and Pheretima guillelmi gut microbiota to different fertilization regimes and durations using 16S rRNA gene-based Illumina sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR techniques. Our results revealed that the core gut microbiota, especially the fermentative bacteria were mainly sourced from the soil, but strongly stimulated with species-specificity, potential benefits for the host and soil health. The functional compositions of gut microbiota were altered by fertilization with fertilization duration being more influential than fertilization regimes. Moreover, the combination of organic and inorganic fertilization with the longer duration resulted in a higher richness and connectivity in the gut microbiota, and also their functional potential related to carbon (C), nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling, particularly the labile C decomposition, denitrification, and phosphate mobilization. We also found that long-term inorganic fertilization increased the abundance of pathogenic bacteria in the P. guillelmi gut. This study demonstrates that understanding earthworm gut microbiota can provide insights into how agricultural practices can potentially alter soil ecosystem functions through the interactions between soil and earthworm gut microbiotas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Fang Bi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China; Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, PR China; Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bing-Jie Jin
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China
| | - Dong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China
| | - Yu-Gen Jiang
- Fuyang Agricultural Technology Popularization Center, Hangzhou 311400, PR China
| | - Bang-Xiao Zheng
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Lahti 15140, Finland
| | - Patrick O'Connor
- Centre for Global Food and Resources, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - Xiao-Ru Yang
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, PR China
| | - Andreas Richter
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Xian-Yong Lin
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China.
| | - Yong-Guan Zhu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China; Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China
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92
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Zabel F, Müller C, Elliott J, Minoli S, Jägermeyr J, Schneider JM, Franke JA, Moyer E, Dury M, Francois L, Folberth C, Liu W, Pugh TAM, Olin S, Rabin SS, Mauser W, Hank T, Ruane AC, Asseng S. Large potential for crop production adaptation depends on available future varieties. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3870-3882. [PMID: 33998112 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change affects global agricultural production and threatens food security. Faster phenological development of crops due to climate warming is one of the main drivers for potential future yield reductions. To counter the effect of faster maturity, adapted varieties would require more heat units to regain the previous growing period length. In this study, we investigate the effects of variety adaptation on global caloric production under four different future climate change scenarios for maize, rice, soybean, and wheat. Thereby, we empirically identify areas that could require new varieties and areas where variety adaptation could be achieved by shifting existing varieties into new regions. The study uses an ensemble of seven global gridded crop models and five CMIP6 climate models. We found that 39% (SSP5-8.5) of global cropland could require new crop varieties to avoid yield loss from climate change by the end of the century. At low levels of warming (SSP1-2.6), 85% of currently cultivated land can draw from existing varieties to shift within an agro-ecological zone for adaptation. The assumptions on available varieties for adaptation have major impacts on the effectiveness of variety adaptation, which could more than half in SSP5-8.5. The results highlight that region-specific breeding efforts are required to allow for a successful adaptation to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Zabel
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Christoph Müller
- Climate Resilience, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Joshua Elliott
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sara Minoli
- Climate Resilience, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jonas Jägermeyr
- Climate Resilience, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julia M Schneider
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - James A Franke
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Elisabeth Moyer
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | | | - Christian Folberth
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Wenfeng Liu
- Center for Agricultural Water Research in China, College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Thomas A M Pugh
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Sam S Rabin
- Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research - Atmospheric Environmental Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Wolfram Mauser
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Tobias Hank
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Alex C Ruane
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
| | - Senthold Asseng
- School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), München, Germany
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93
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Fischer J, Bergsten A, Dorresteijn I, Hanspach J, Hylander K, Jiren TS, Manlosa AO, Rodrigues P, Schultner J, Senbeta F, Shumi G. A social-ecological assessment of food security and biodiversity conservation in Ethiopia. ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE (ABINGDON, ENGLAND) 2021; 17:400-410. [PMID: 34396139 PMCID: PMC8352376 DOI: 10.1080/26395916.2021.1952306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We studied food security and biodiversity conservation from a social-ecological perspective in southwestern Ethiopia. Specialist tree, bird, and mammal species required large, undisturbed forest, supporting the notion of 'land sparing' for conservation. However, our findings also suggest that forest areas should be embedded within a multifunctional landscape matrix (i.e. 'land sharing'), because farmland also supported many species and ecosystem services and was the basis of diversified livelihoods. Diversified livelihoods improved smallholder food security, while lack of access to capital assets and crop raiding by wild forest animals negatively influenced food security. Food and biodiversity governance lacked coordination and was strongly hierarchical, with relatively few stakeholders being highly powerful. Our study shows that issues of livelihoods, access to resources, governance and equity are central when resolving challenges around food security and biodiversity. A multi-facetted, social-ecological approach is better able to capture such complexity than the conventional, two-dimensional land sparing versus sharing framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joern Fischer
- Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany
| | - Arvid Bergsten
- Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany
| | - Ine Dorresteijn
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Hanspach
- Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany
| | - Kristoffer Hylander
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tolera S. Jiren
- Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany
| | - Aisa O. Manlosa
- Social Sciences Department, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany
| | - Patricia Rodrigues
- Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany
| | - Jannik Schultner
- Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Feyera Senbeta
- Center for Environment and Development Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Girma Shumi
- Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany
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94
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Raatikainen KJ, Purhonen J, Pohjanmies T, Peura M, Nieminen E, Mustajärvi L, Helle I, Shennan‐Farpón Y, Ahti PA, Basile M, Bernardo N, Bertram MG, Bouarakia O, Brias‐Guinart A, Fijen T, Froidevaux JSP, Hemmingmoore H, Hocevar S, Kendall L, Lampinen J, Marjakangas E, Martin JM, Oomen RA, Segre H, Sidemo‐Holm W, Silva AP, Thorbjørnsen SH, Torrents‐Ticó M, Zhang D, Ziemacki J. Pathways towards a sustainable future envisioned by early‐career conservation researchers. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa J. Raatikainen
- Department of Geography and Geology, Geography Section University of Turku Turku Finland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Jenna Purhonen
- Department of Music, Art and Cultural Studies, Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Tähti Pohjanmies
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
- Natural Resources Institute Finland Helsinki Finland
| | - Maiju Peura
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Eini Nieminen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Linda Mustajärvi
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Ilona Helle
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Yara Shennan‐Farpón
- ZSL Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London London UK
- UCL Department of Anthropology University College London London UK
| | - Pauliina A. Ahti
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Marco Basile
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | | | - Michael G. Bertram
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia
| | - Oussama Bouarakia
- SARChI Chair on Biodiversity Value and Change University of Venda Thohoyandou South Africa
- Laboratory Biodiversity Ecology Genome, Research Center BIOBIO, Faculty of Sciences Mohammed V University in Rabat Rabat Morocco
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité, MNHN, CNRS Sorbonne Université Paris France
| | - Aina Brias‐Guinart
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Science & Faculty of Social Sciences, Global Change and Conservation Lab University of Helsinki, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science Helsinki Finland
| | - Thijs Fijen
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Jérémy S. P. Froidevaux
- Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Stirling, Biological and Environmental Sciences Stirling UK
- University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences Bristol UK
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO, UMR 7204) CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne‐Université, Station marine Concarneau France
- Dynafor, Université de Toulouse, INRA, INPT, INP‐EI Purpan Castanet‐Tolosan France
| | - Heather Hemmingmoore
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Sara Hocevar
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science & School of Resource Wisdom University of Jyvaskyla Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Liam Kendall
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science Lund University Lund Sweden
- University of New England, School of Environmental and Rural Science Armidale NSW Australia
| | - Jussi Lampinen
- Department of Biology & Biodiversity Research Unit University of Turku Turku Finland
| | - Emma‐Liina Marjakangas
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
- The Helsinki Lab of Ornithology, Finnish Museum of Natural History University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Jake M. Martin
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia
| | - Rebekah A. Oomen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis University of Oslo Oslo Norway
- Centre for Coastal Research, Department of Natural Sciences University of Agder Kristiansand Norway
- Department of Biology Dalhousie University Halifax Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Hila Segre
- Human and Biodiversity Research Lab, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa Israel
| | | | - André P. Silva
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal
| | | | - Miquel Torrents‐Ticó
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Science & Faculty of Social Sciences, Global Change and Conservation Lab University of Helsinki, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science Helsinki Finland
| | - Di Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University Beijing China
| | - Jasmin Ziemacki
- Center for Development Research University of Bonn Bonn Germany
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95
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Hamer KC, Sasu MA, Ofosuhene L, Asare R, Ossom B, Parr CL, Scriven SA, Asante W, Addico R, Hill JK. Proximity to forest mediates trade‐offs between yields and biodiversity of birds in oil palm smallholdings. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael A. Sasu
- School of Biology University of Leeds Leeds UK
- Nature Conservation Research Centre Accra Ghana
| | - Linda Ofosuhene
- School of Biology University of Leeds Leeds UK
- Nature Conservation Research Centre Accra Ghana
| | | | | | - Catherine L. Parr
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
| | - Sarah A. Scriven
- Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity Department of Biology University of York York UK
| | - Winston Asante
- Department of Silviculture and Forest Management Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana
| | | | - Jane K. Hill
- Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity Department of Biology University of York York UK
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96
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Rakotonarivo OS, Bell A, Dillon B, Duthie AB, Kipchumba A, Rasolofoson RA, Razafimanahaka J, Bunnefeld N. Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Payments and Property Rights on Forest User Decisions. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.661987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clearing forests for swidden agriculture, despite providing food to millions of farmers in the tropics, can be a major driver of deforestation. Payments for ecosystem services schemes can help stop swidden agriculture-induced forest loss by rewarding forest users for maintaining forests. Clear and secure property rights are a key prerequisite for the success of these payment schemes. In this study, we use a novel iterative and dynamic game in Madagascar and Kenya to examine farmer responses to individual and communal rights to forestlands, with and without financial incentives, in the context of swidden agricultural landscapes. We find that farmer pro conservation behaviour, defined by the propensity to keep forests or fallows on their lands, as well as the effects of land tenure and conservation incentive treatments on such behaviour, differ across the two contexts. The average percentages of land left forest/fallow in the game are 65 and 35% in Kenya and Madagascar, respectively. Individual ownership significantly improves decisions to preserve forests or leave land fallow in Madagascar but has no significant effect in Kenya. Also, the effect of the individual tenure treatment varies across education and wealth levels in Madagascar. Subsidy increases farmers' willingness to support conservation interests in both countries, but its effect is four times greater in Kenya. We find no interaction effects of the two treatments in either country. We conclude that the effectiveness of financial incentives for conservation and tenure reform in preserving forestland vary significantly across contexts. We show how interactive games can help develop a more targeted and practical approach to environmental policy.
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97
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Thorslund J, Bierkens MFP, Oude Essink GHP, Sutanudjaja EH, van Vliet MTH. Common irrigation drivers of freshwater salinisation in river basins worldwide. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4232. [PMID: 34244500 PMCID: PMC8270903 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24281-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Freshwater salinisation is a growing problem, yet cross-regional assessments of freshwater salinity status and the impact of agricultural and other sectoral uses are lacking. Here, we assess inland freshwater salinity patterns and evaluate its interactions with irrigation water use, across seven regional river basins (401 river sub-basins) around the world, using long-term (1980-2010) salinity observations. While a limited number of sub-basins show persistent salinity problems, many sub-basins temporarily exceeded safe irrigation water-use thresholds and 57% experience increasing salinisation trends. We further investigate the role of agricultural activities as drivers of salinisation and find common contributions of irrigation-specific activities (irrigation water withdrawals, return flows and irrigated area) in sub-basins of high salinity levels and increasing salinisation trends, compared to regions without salinity issues. Our results stress the need for considering these irrigation-specific drivers when developing management strategies and as a key human component in water quality modelling and assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefin Thorslund
- grid.10548.380000 0004 1936 9377Department of Physical Geography and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden ,grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc F. P. Bierkens
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands ,grid.6385.80000 0000 9294 0542Unit Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Deltares, The Netherlands
| | - Gualbert H. P. Oude Essink
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands ,grid.6385.80000 0000 9294 0542Unit Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Deltares, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin H. Sutanudjaja
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Michelle T. H. van Vliet
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Restoration and Conservation of Priority Areas of Caatinga’s Semi-Arid Forest Remnants Can Support Connectivity within an Agricultural Landscape. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land10060550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes are major drivers of biodiversity loss in semi-arid regions, such as the Caatinga biome located in the Northeast of Brazil. We investigated landscape dynamics and fragmentation in an area of the São Francisco Valley in the Brazilian Caatinga biome and measured the effect of these dynamics on ecological, functional and structural connectivity over a 33-year period (1985–2018). We calculated landscape connectivity indices based on graph theory to quantify the effect of further agricultural expansion on ecological connectivity at the landscape scale. We used a multicriteria decision analysis that integrates graph-based connectivity indices at the habitat patch scale, combined with an index of human disturbance to identify patches that, if conserved and restored, preserve the connectivity of the landscape most effectively. In the period studied, agriculture increased at a rate of 2104 ha/year, while native Caatinga vegetation decreased at a rate of 5203 ha/year. Both dense and open Caatinga became more fragmented, with the number of fragments increasing by 85.2% and 28.6%, respectively, whilst the average fragment size decreased by 84.8% and 6.1% for dense and open Caatinga, respectively. If agriculture patches were to expand by a 300 m buffer around each patch, the overall ecological connectivity could be reduced by 6–15%, depending on the species’ (small- to mid-size terrestrial vertebrates) mobility characteristics for which the connectivity indices were calculated. We provided explicit spatial connectivity and fragmentation information for the conservation and restoration of the Caatinga vegetation in the studied area. This information helps with conservation planning in this rapidly changing ecosystem.
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Can road stormwater ponds be successfully exploited by the European green frog (Pelophylax sp.)? Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-021-01129-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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100
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Agricultural intensification and climate change are rapidly decreasing insect biodiversity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2002548117. [PMID: 33431564 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002548117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Major declines in insect biomass and diversity, reviewed here, have become obvious and well documented since the end of World War II. Here, we conclude that the spread and intensification of agriculture during the past half century is directly related to these losses. In addition, many areas, including tropical mountains, are suffering serious losses because of climate change as well. Crops currently occupy about 11% of the world's land surface, with active grazing taking place over an additional 30%. The industrialization of agriculture during the second half of the 20th century involved farming on greatly expanded scales, monoculturing, the application of increasing amounts of pesticides and fertilizers, and the elimination of interspersed hedgerows and other wildlife habitat fragments, all practices that are destructive to insect and other biodiversity in and near the fields. Some of the insects that we are destroying, including pollinators and predators of crop pests, are directly beneficial to the crops. In the tropics generally, natural vegetation is being destroyed rapidly and often replaced with export crops such as oil palm and soybeans. To mitigate the effects of the Sixth Mass Extinction event that we have caused and are experiencing now, the following will be necessary: a stable (and almost certainly lower) human population, sustainable levels of consumption, and social justice that empowers the less wealthy people and nations of the world, where the vast majority of us live, will be necessary.
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