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Valera F, Šálek M, Bolonio L, Václav R. Comment on "Solar parks can enhance bird diversity in agricultural landscape" by Jarčuška et al. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 366:121781. [PMID: 38981263 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121781] [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: 02/17/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
This commentary critiques the methodology, interpretation of results, and broader implications of a study by Jarčuška et al. (2024). We argue that the study's design and analysis fail to conclusively demonstrate any causal link between solar parks and bird diversity or community composition. Furthermore, focusing solely on species diversity and community composition, the study overlooks the importance of functional diversity and functional structure of communities in assessing the ecological impacts of solar parks on agricultural ecosystems. By exposing these shortcomings and recommending well-established methods for future research, we aim to ensure robust and informative studies that guide balanced decision-making for conservation and all stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Valera
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Almería, Spain.
| | - Martin Šálek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic; Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Suchdol, Czech Republic; Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, v.v.i, Strnady 136, 252 02, Jíloviště, Czech Republic
| | - Luis Bolonio
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Almería, Spain
| | - Radovan Václav
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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MacColl KA, Tosi M, Chagnon PL, MacDougall AS, Dunfield KE, Maherali H. Prairie restoration promotes the abundance and diversity of mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2981. [PMID: 38738945 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Predicting how biological communities assemble in restored ecosystems can assist in conservation efforts, but most research has focused on plants, with relatively little attention paid to soil microbial organisms that plants interact with. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are an ecologically significant functional group of soil microbes that form mutualistic symbioses with plants and could therefore respond positively to plant community restoration. To evaluate the effects of plant community restoration on AM fungi, we compared AM fungal abundance, species richness, and community composition of five annually cultivated, conventionally managed agricultural fields with paired adjacent retired agricultural fields that had undergone prairie restoration 5-9 years prior to sampling. We hypothesized that restoration stimulates AM fungal abundance and species richness, particularly for disturbance-sensitive taxa, and that gains of new taxa would not displace AM fungal species present prior to restoration due to legacy effects. AM fungal abundance was quantified by measuring soil spore density and root colonization. AM fungal species richness and community composition were determined in soils and plant roots using DNA high-throughput sequencing. Soil spore density was 2.3 times higher in restored prairies compared to agricultural fields, but AM fungal root colonization did not differ between land use types. AM fungal species richness was 2.7 and 1.4 times higher in restored prairies versus agricultural fields for soil and roots, respectively. The abundance of Glomeraceae, a disturbance-tolerant family, decreased by 25% from agricultural to restored prairie soils but did not differ in plant roots. The abundance of Claroideoglomeraceae and Diversisporaceae, both disturbance-sensitive families, was 4.6 and 3.2 times higher in restored prairie versus agricultural soils, respectively. Species turnover was higher than expected relative to a null model, indicating that AM fungal species were gained by replacement. Our findings demonstrate that restoration can promote a relatively rapid increase in the abundance and diversity of soil microbial communities that had been degraded by decades of intensive land use, and community compositional change can be predicted by the disturbance tolerance of soil microbial taxonomic and functional groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin A MacColl
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Micaela Tosi
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pierre-Luc Chagnon
- Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andrew S MacDougall
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kari E Dunfield
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hafiz Maherali
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Frei T, Espelta JM, Górriz-Mifsud E, Hampe A, Lefèvre F, Martín-Forés I, Winkel G. Can natural forest expansion contribute to Europe's restoration policy agenda? An interdisciplinary assessment. AMBIO 2024; 53:34-45. [PMID: 37775713 PMCID: PMC10692052 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01924-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Natural forest expansion (NFE), that is, the establishment of secondary forest on non-forested land through natural succession, has substantially contributed to the widespread expansion of forests in Europe over the last few decades. So far, EU policies have largely neglected the potential of NFE for meeting policy objectives on restoration. Synthesising recent interdisciplinary research, this paper assesses the challenges and opportunities of NFE in view of contributing to European forest and ecosystem restoration. Specifically, we discuss the potential for supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and forestry and economic use, summarize the current knowledge about societal perceptions and the policymaking on NFE, and make policy recommendations to better use the potential of NFE. We conclude that NFE has the potential to contribute to the European restoration policy agenda if local contexts and possible trade-offs are properly considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Frei
- European Forest Institute, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 7, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Josep Maria Espelta
- CREAF, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Elena Górriz-Mifsud
- Forest Science and Technology Center of Catalonia (CTFC), Ctra. St. Llorenç de Morunys km.2, 25280, Solsona, Spain
| | - Arndt Hampe
- BIOGECO, INRAE, University Bordeaux, Cestas, Bordeaux, France.
| | - François Lefèvre
- INRAE, URFM, 228 route de l'aérodrome AgroParc, 84914, Avignon, France
| | - Irene Martín-Forés
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Georg Winkel
- Wageningen University, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Zorgetto-Pinheiro VA, Kuff HM, Machado GT, Guimarães RCA, Pott A, Campos RP, Nascimento VA, Bogo D. Biotechnological and socio-environmental potential of Campomanesia adamantium (Myrtaceae): an interdisciplinary review. BRAZ J BIOL 2023; 83:e273473. [PMID: 38126629 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.273473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Guavira (Campomanesia adamantium, Myrtaceae) is a native fruit from the Brazilian Cerrado savanna and is socio-economically important for the indigenous and traditional people living in the Central-West. This is a bibliographic review of the biological properties of guavira and its derivatives, and, after discussing experimental studies, an interdisciplinary approach is conducted highlighting the im-portance of Agroforestry Systems as an ecological restoration tool to leverage the production chain of guavira while providing ecosystem services. Many research groups studied effects of polyphenols and other bioactive compounds and biological properties of this fruit and other plant parts such as antibiotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-diarrheic and antitumoral activities, cardiovascular and hepatic protection and action against neuropathic pain. Besides, guavira by-products benefit poultry intestinal health, similarly to antibiotics added to their feed. Furthermore, several biotechnological products were found, like pulp flour, seasoning from the peel, sunscreen, and seed oil similar to olive oil with pharmaceutical and industrial potential. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of guavira for restoration and preservation of the threatened Brazilian Cerrado, and for the socio-environmental development of family agriculture. The same approach and study are welcome and necessary in other regions and domains worldwide having their native flora as means for a restorative end.
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Affiliation(s)
- V A Zorgetto-Pinheiro
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Faculdade de Medicina - FAMED, Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde e Desenvolvimento na Região Centro-Oeste - PPGSD, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - H M Kuff
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Faculdade de Medicina - FAMED, Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde e Desenvolvimento na Região Centro-Oeste - PPGSD, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - G T Machado
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Alimentos e Nutrição - FACFAN, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - R C A Guimarães
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Faculdade de Medicina - FAMED, Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde e Desenvolvimento na Região Centro-Oeste - PPGSD, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - A Pott
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Instituto de Biociências - INBIO, Laboratório de Botânica, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - R P Campos
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Alimentos e Nutrição - FACFAN, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - V A Nascimento
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Faculdade de Medicina - FAMED, Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde e Desenvolvimento na Região Centro-Oeste - PPGSD, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - D Bogo
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Faculdade de Medicina - FAMED, Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde e Desenvolvimento na Região Centro-Oeste - PPGSD, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
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Buono V, Bissattini AM, Davoli F, Mengoni C, Mucci N, Vignoli L. Fine-scale spatial genetic structure and dispersal among Italian smooth newt populations in a rural landscape. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19956. [PMID: 37968502 PMCID: PMC10651844 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47265-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphibians are particularly sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by the intensification and modernization of farming occurring in the second half of the twentieth century in the Mediterranean basin. However, artificial water bodies, associated with traditional husbandry, proved to be important surrogate for amphibian feeding and reproduction. Here, multilocus genotypes were used to investigate the spatial population structure of Lissotriton vulgaris meridionalis and the role of drinking troughs in supporting viable breeding populations within a rural landscape interested by traditional husbandry and agriculture. Our genetic analysis highlighted the conservation value and the potential stepping-stone function of artificial aquatic sites in the dispersal of the species and for the gene flow maintenance. Indeed, populations of drinking troughs show allelic richness and heterozygosity levels comparable to those from natural ponds and there is no great evidence of genetic bottlenecks. A complex system of artificial aquatic sites and few natural wetlands was identified sustaining a well-structured network of demes highly interconnected with themselves and natural aquatic sites. The conservation of the identified genetic clusters may be useful to prevent further population declines and future loss of genetic diversity within the study area characterized by scarce natural wetlands that frequently dried because of agricultural practices and strong seasonality. Site-specific protection measures are needed to contrast the progressive disappearance of drinking troughs observed in the last years in Italy because of the abandonment of traditional farming practices in favour of modern agriculture and intensive farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Buono
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Francesca Davoli
- Unit for Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use of Marine Aquatic Resources (BIO-CIT), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Ozzano Dell'Emilia, 40064, Bologna, Italy
| | - Chiara Mengoni
- Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Ozzano Dell'Emilia, 40064, Bologna, Italy
| | - Nadia Mucci
- Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for Biodiversity Conservation, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Ozzano Dell'Emilia, 40064, Bologna, Italy
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Singh S, Singh S, Lukas SB, Machado S, Nouri A, Calderon F, Rieke ER, Cappellazzi SB. Long-term agro-management strategies shape soil bacterial community structure in dryland wheat systems. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13929. [PMID: 37626146 PMCID: PMC10457325 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41216-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Soil microbes play a crucial role in soil organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling and are influenced by management practices. Therefore, quantifying the impacts of various agricultural management practices on soil microbiomes and their activity is crucial for making informed management decisions. This study aimed to assess the impact of various management systems on soil bacterial abundance and diversity, soil enzyme activities and carbon mineralization potential in wheat-based systems. To accomplish this, soil samples from 0 to 15 cm depth were collected from ongoing long-term field trials in eastern Oregon region under wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow (WF), WF with different tillage (WT), wheat-pea (Pisum sativum L.) (WP), WF under different crop residue management (CR) and natural undisturbed/unmanaged grassland pasture (GP). These trials consisted of an array of treatments like tillage intensities, nitrogen rates, organic amendments, and seasonal residue burning. This study was a part of the Soil Health Institute's North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health measurements (NAPESHM). Bacterial community structure was determined using amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of 16SrRNA genes and followed the protocols of the Earth Microbiome Project. In addition, extracellular enzyme activities, and carbon mineralization potential (1d-CO2) were measured. Among different trials, 1d-CO2 in WT, WP, and CR studies averaged 53%, 51% and 87% lower than GP systems, respectively. Enzyme activities were significantly greater in GP compared to the other managements and followed similar trend as respiration. We observed higher evenness in GP and higher richness in spring residue burning treatment of CR study. Our results indicated that species evenness is perhaps a better indicator of soil health in comparison to other indices in dryland wheat systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikha Singh
- Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Oregon State University, 2121 S 1St, Hermiston, OR, 97838, USA
| | - Surendra Singh
- Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center, Oregon State University, 48037 Tubbs Ranch Rd., Adams, OR, 97810, USA
| | - Scott B Lukas
- Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Oregon State University, 2121 S 1St, Hermiston, OR, 97838, USA.
| | - Stephen Machado
- Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center, Oregon State University, 48037 Tubbs Ranch Rd., Adams, OR, 97810, USA
| | - Amin Nouri
- Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Oregon State University, 2121 S 1St, Hermiston, OR, 97838, USA
| | - Francisco Calderon
- Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center, Oregon State University, 48037 Tubbs Ranch Rd., Adams, OR, 97810, USA
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Monteagudo N, Benayas JMR, Andivia E, Rebollo S. Avian regulation of crop and forest pests, a meta-analysis. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:2380-2389. [PMID: 36810937 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Birds have been shown to reduce pest effects on various ecosystem types. This study aimed to synthesize the effect of birds on pest abundance, product damage and yield in agricultural and forest systems in different environments. Our hypothesis is that birds are effective pest regulators that contribute to a reduction in pest abundance, enhancement of yield quality and quantity and economic profit, and that pest regulation may depend on moderators such as the type of ecosystem, climate, pest, and indicator (ecological or economic). RESULTS We performed a systematic literature review of experimental and observational studies related to biological control in the presence and absence of regulatory birds. We retained 449 observations from 104 primary studies that were evaluated through qualitative and quantitative analyses. Of the 79 studies with known effects of birds on pest regulation, nearly half of the 334 observations showed positive effects (49%), 46% showed neutral effects, and very few (5%) showed negative effects. Overall effect sizes were positive (mean Hedges' d = 0.38 ± 0.06). A multiple model selection retained only ecosystem and indicator types as significant moderators. CONCLUSION Our results support our hypothesis that there is a positive effect of avian control of pests for each analyzed moderator and this effect was significant for both ecological and economic indicators. Avian regulation of pests is a potential effective approach for environmentally friendly pest management that can reduce pesticide use regardless of the context of implementation. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navila Monteagudo
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento Ciencias de la Vida, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal (FORECO), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - José María Rey Benayas
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento Ciencias de la Vida, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal (FORECO), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Fundación Internacional para la Restauración de Ecosistemas (FIRE), Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Andivia
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Salvador Rebollo
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento Ciencias de la Vida, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal (FORECO), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Fundación Internacional para la Restauración de Ecosistemas (FIRE), Madrid, Spain
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López-Cubillos S, McDonald-Madden E, Mayfield MM, Runting RK. Optimal restoration for pollination services increases forest cover while doubling agricultural profits. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002107. [PMID: 37220120 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Pollinators are currently facing dramatic declines in abundance and richness across the globe. This can have profound impacts on agriculture, as 75% of globally common food crops benefit from pollination services. As many native bee species require natural areas for nesting, restoration efforts within croplands may be beneficial to support pollinators and enhance agricultural yields. Yet, restoration can be challenging to implement due to large upfront costs and the removal of land from production. Designing sustainable landscapes will require planning approaches that include the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of pollination services flowing from (restored) vegetation into crops. We present a novel planning framework to determine the best spatial arrangement for restoration in agricultural landscapes while accounting for yield improvements over 40 years following restoration. We explored a range of production and conservation goals using a coffee production landscape in Costa Rica as a case study. Our results show that strategic restoration can increase forest cover by approximately 20% while doubling collective landholder profits over 40 years, even when accounting for land taken out of production. We show that restoration can provide immense economic benefits in the long run, which may be pivotal to motivating local landholders to undertake conservation endeavours in pollinator-dependent croplands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofía López-Cubillos
- School of Earth and Environmental Science and Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Eve McDonald-Madden
- School of Earth and Environmental Science and Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Margaret M Mayfield
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rebecca K Runting
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Hooftman DAP, Kimberley A, Cousins SAO, Santamaría Bueno S, Honnay O, Krickl P, Plue J, Poschlod P, Traveset A, Bullock JM. Could green infrastructure supplement ecosystem service provision from semi-natural grasslands? JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 328:116952. [PMID: 36516711 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116952] [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: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ancient semi-natural grasslands in Europe are important for ecosystem service (ES) provision. Often, the surrounding matrix contains 'Grassland Green Infrastructure' (GGI) that contain grassland species which have the potential to supplement grassland ES provision across the landscape. Here we investigate the potential for GGI to deliver a set of complementary ES, driven by plant composition.We surveyed 36 landscapes across three European countries comprising core grasslands and their surrounding GGI. We calculated community-level values of plant species characteristics to provide indicators for four ES: nature conservation value, pollination, carbon storage and aesthetic appeal.Inferred ES delivery for GGI was substantially lower than in core grasslands for conservation, pollination and aesthetic appeal indicators, but not for carbon storage. These differences were driven by the GGI having 17% fewer plant species, and compositional differences, with 61% of species unique to the core grasslands. In addition, connectivity to the core, the amount of GGI and inferred seed dispersal distances by livestock, were strongly positively correlated with conservation value, pollination and aesthetic indicators. All ES indicators showed similar responses to the GGI spatial structure and distance to the core, suggesting robust effects of these drivers on ES. We projected that improved landscape-wide delivery of nature conservation value and pollination could be achieved through targeted GGI management. Reductions in the distances seeds would need to disperse, more GGI, along with a diversification of the GGI elements, were predicted to enhance service credits.We conclude that for vegetation-related ES, species surveys can be employed to assess potential ES delivery. Creating and enhancing GGI is a useful landscape management strategy to supplement the ES delivered by ancient grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny A P Hooftman
- Lactuca, Environmental Data Analyses and Modelling, Diemen, 1112NC, The Netherlands; UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, OX10 8BB, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.
| | - Adam Kimberley
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Sara A O Cousins
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Silvia Santamaría Bueno
- Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), 07190-Esporles, Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Olivier Honnay
- Division of Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, Biology Department, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Patricia Krickl
- Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstrasse 31, D-93053, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Jan Plue
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden; Division of Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, Biology Department, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Peter Poschlod
- Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstrasse 31, D-93053, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Anna Traveset
- Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), 07190-Esporles, Mallorca, Spain.
| | - James M Bullock
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, OX10 8BB, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.
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Xiao J, Xiong K. A review of agroforestry ecosystem services and its enlightenment on the ecosystem improvement of rocky desertification control. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158538. [PMID: 36067859 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Agroforestry (AF) has become an important strategy in reconciling the contradictory requirements of environmental protection and economic development in ecologically fragile areas, and whose multiple ecosystem services provide effective ways to promote the restoration of degraded ecosystems in the region. However, agroforestry ecosystem services (AFES) are usually constrained by their generative elements (vulnerability, structure, function, and ecological assets) and service management-both crucial for informed decision-making which enhances AFES supply capacity and AF sustainable management. Karst rocky desertification (KRD) is a typical case in an ecologically fragile area, and within the KRD region greatly relevant for promoting AFES as a strategy for restoring degraded regional ecosystems and for achieving sustainable development goals. In this study, a total of 164 publications related to AFES that met a set of inclusion criteria were obtained through the Scopus database using the literature review method of searching, appraisal, synthesis, and analysis. From the systematic literature review results, (i) we found that the number of relevant publications generally exhibited a year-on-year growth trend, with AFES generation elements being the most common topic (68.11 % of publications), and service management research being the second most common (31.89 % of publications); (ii) we summarised the main progress and landmark results of AFES generation elements and service management research and explored the relevant key scientific questions; and (iii) the above information enlightened the key improvement areas of KRD control ecosystem within three aspects: natural environment, agricultural development, and human-environment relationship. This study provides agroforestry practitioners and relevant decision-makers with information for improving and managing the supply capacity of AFES, and also presents important insights on the KRD control ecosystem to land degradation restoration technicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xiao
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, People's Republic of China; State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, People's Republic of China
| | - Kangning Xiong
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, People's Republic of China; State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, People's Republic of China.
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Romanelli JP, Meli P, Santos JPB, Jacob IN, Souza LR, Rodrigues AV, Trevisan DP, Huang C, Almeida DRA, Silva LGM, Lopes Assad MLRC, Cadotte MW, Rodrigues RR. Biodiversity responses to restoration across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 821:153403. [PMID: 35101503 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is focussing attention and resources on restoration globally. Nowhere is this more crucial than in tropical forests that harbor immense biodiversity, but have also undergone widespread deforestation over the past few decades. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate how biodiversity features respond to forest restoration across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF), one of the most threatened biodiversity hotspots in the world. We assembled biodiversity in different metrics of structure and diversity features of three taxonomic groups (vascular plants, soil microorganisms, and invertebrates), generating a dataset with 2370 observations from 76 primary studies. We quantified the incomplete recovery of biodiversity (i.e., the rate of recovery to a pre-disturbance state) occurring during the restoration process, which we called the 'recovery gap'. Our results revealed that forests undergoing restoration in the BAF show a recovery gap of 34% for structure features and 22% for diversity features in comparison to reference reforests, considering all taxonomic groups investigated. For vascular plants, soil microorganisms, and invertebrates the recovery gap ranged between 46 and 47%, 16-26%, and 4-7%, respectively. Overall, the recovery gap was influenced by the interaction of restoration actions (i.e., the past land use, restoration age and restoration approach - active and passive restoration), however, structure features responded more sensitively to the time elapsed since restoration started, while the recovery gap for diversity features depended more on the past land-use. Our study can help guide the prioritization of the aforenamed taxonomic groups in restoration, the regulation of potential biodiversity offsetting policies in the BAF, and understanding how coupled biodiversity features respond to the interaction of environmental conditions and restoration actions in a high fragmented tropical landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Paulo Romanelli
- Laboratory of Ecology and Forest Restoration (LERF), Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil.
| | - Paula Meli
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Forestales, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile; Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Concepción, Chile
| | - João Paulo Bispo Santos
- Postgraduate in Plant Biology, Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Zeferino Vaz University City, Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Igor Nogueira Jacob
- Laboratory of Ecology and Forest Restoration (LERF), Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Lukas Rodrigues Souza
- Laboratory of Ecology and Forest Restoration (LERF), Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil
| | - André Vieira Rodrigues
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo - USP, Rua do Matão, travessa 14, no 101, 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Diego Peruchi Trevisan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Washington Luiz Road, São Carlos 13565-905, SP, Brazil; Department of Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Chunbo Huang
- Research Center of Spatial Planning and Human-Environmental System Simulation, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Danilo R A Almeida
- Laboratory of Ecology and Forest Restoration (LERF), Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Luiz G M Silva
- Stocker Lab, Institute for Environmental Engineering (IfU), Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (D-BAUG), ETH-Zurich, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria Leonor R C Lopes Assad
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Federal University of São Carlos, Anhanguera Highway, km 174, 13600-970 Araras, Brazil
| | - Marc W Cadotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Ecology and Forest Restoration (LERF), Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, SP 13418-900, Brazil.
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12
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From Forest Dynamics to Wetland Siltation in Mountainous Landscapes: A RS-Based Framework for Enhancing Erosion Control. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14081864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Human activities have caused a significant change in the function and services that ecosystems have provided to society since historical times. In mountainous landscapes, the regulation of services such as water quality or erosion control has been impacted by land use and land cover (LULC) changes, especially the loss and fragmentation of forest patches. In this work, we develop a Remote Sensing (RS)-based modelling approach to identify areas for the implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) (i.e., natural forest conservation and restoration) that allow reducing the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems to siltation in mountainous regions. We used time series Landsat 5TM, 7ETM+, 8OLI and Sentinel 2A/2B MSI (S2) imagery to map forest dynamics and wetland distribution in Picos de Europa National Park (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain). We fed RS-based models with detailed in situ information based on photo-interpretation and fieldwork completed from 2017 to 2021. We estimated a forest cover increase rate of 2 ha/year comparing current and past LULC maps against external validation data. We applied this forest gain to a scenario generator model to derive a 30-year future LULC map that defines the potential forest extent for the study area in 2049. We then modelled the distribution of wetlands to identify the areas with the greatest potential for moisture accumulation. We used an S2 mosaic and topography-derived data such as the slope and topographic wetness index (TWI), which indicate terrain water accumulation. Overall accuracy scores reached values of 86% for LULC classification and 61% for wetland mapping. At the same time, we obtained the potential erosion using the NetMap software to identify potential sediment production, transport and deposition areas. Finally, forest dynamics, wetland distribution and potential erosion were combined in a multi-criteria analysis aiming to reduce the amount of sediment reaching selected wetlands. We achieved this by identifying the most suitable locations for the conservation and restoration of natural forests on slopes and in riparian areas, which may reduce the risk of soil erosion and maximise sediment filtering, respectively. The results show a network pattern for forest management that would allow for controlling erosion effects across space and time at three levels: one, by reducing the load that originates upslope in the absence of forest cover; two, by intersecting runoff at watercourses related to sediment transport; and three, by a lack of former barriers, by trapping erosion near to the receiving wetland systems, main river axes and contributing streams. In conclusion, the proposed methodology, which could be transferred to other mountain regions, allows to optimise investment for erosion prevention and wetland conservation by using only very specific areas of the landscape for habitat management (e.g., for NBS implementation).
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13
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Galindo V, Giraldo C, Lavelle P, Armbrecht I, Fonte SJ. Land use conversion to agriculture impacts biodiversity, erosion control, and key soil properties in an Andean watershed. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Víctor Galindo
- Fundación CIPAV Cali Colombia
- Universidad del Valle, Facultad de Ciencias, Biology Department Cali Colombia
| | | | - Patrick Lavelle
- Sorbonne Université, Institute of Ecological and Environmental Sciences Paris France
| | - Inge Armbrecht
- Universidad del Valle, Facultad de Ciencias, Biology Department Cali Colombia
| | - Steven J. Fonte
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
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14
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Interactions between changes in land cover and potential of ecosystem services in Lithuania at temporal and spatial scale. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2022.100984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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15
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Natural Afforestation on Abandoned Agricultural Lands during Post-Soviet Period: A Comparative Landsat Data Analysis of Bordering Regions in Russia and Belarus. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14020322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Remote monitoring of natural afforestation processes on abandoned agricultural lands is crucial for assessments and predictions of forest cover dynamics, biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services. In this work, we built on the general approach of combining satellite and field data for forest mapping and developed a simple and robust method for afforestation dynamics assessment. This method is based on Landsat imagery and index-based thresholding and specifically targets suitability for limited field data. We demonstrated method’s details and performance by conducting a case study for two bordering districts of Rudnya (Smolensk region, Russia) and Liozno (Vitebsk region, Belarus). This study area was selected because of the striking differences in the development of the agrarian sectors of these countries during the post-Soviet period (1991-present day). We used Landsat data to generate a consistent time series of five-year cloud-free multispectral composite images for the 1985–2020 period via the Google Earth Engine. Three spectral indices, each specifically designed for either forest, water or bare soil identification, were used for forest cover and arable land mapping. Threshold values for indices classification were both determined and verified based on field data and additional samples obtained by visual interpretation of very high-resolution satellite imagery. The developed approach was applied over the full Landsat time series to quantify 35-year afforestation dynamics over the study area. About 32% of initial arable lands and grasslands in the Russian district were afforested by the end of considered period, while the agricultural lands in Belarus’ district decreased only by around 5%. Obtained results are in the good agreement with the previous studies dedicated to the agricultural lands abandonment in the Eastern Europe region. The proposed method could be further developed into a general universally applicable technique for forest cover mapping in different growing conditions at local and regional spatial levels.
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16
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Contribution of Small-Scale Agroforestry to Local Economic Development and Livelihood Resilience: Evidence from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK), Pakistan. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11010071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Agroforestry plays a vital role in enhancing environmental sustainability, improving local economies, and reducing poverty through livelihood resilience. Several researchers have studied the importance of agroforestry, but little attention has been paid to livelihood resilience and local economic development in developing countries. This study aims to find the role of small-scale agroforestry in local economic development in the Shangla and Swat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province, Pakistan. In this study, a total of 350 quantitative household surveys, 12 qualitative household case studies, and interviews of experts are used. The ordinary least squares (OLS), linear regression model, household income, wealth index, and five capitals of sustainable livelihood approach (SLA) were used to measure livelihood resilience. Results show several significant findings which may apply on a larger scale and in other cities of Pakistan or other countries. First, it directly shows the association between agroforestry, resilience-building, and local economic development. Second, financial capital can be improved through agroforestry, which can improve other capital assets. Third, small-scale agroforestry brings non-financial benefits such as environmental sustainability, improved living standards, reduced soil erosion, and provided shade. Fourth, irrigation plays a vital role in building livelihood resilience and promoting agroforestry. Lastly, on-farm diversity can be improved through agroforestry. This research discusses several practical implications along with recommendations for future research.
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García de León D, Rey Benayas JM, Andivia E. Contributions of Hedgerows to People: A Global Meta-Analysis. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.789612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Hedgerows are linear landscape features of woody vegetation usually located around agricultural fields. An increasing number of studies have addressed the effects of hedgerows on biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study is aimed to synthesize these effects and compare the levels of biodiversity and ecosystem services in farmland with hedgerows and (1) farmland without hedgerows and (2) nearby natural habitat at the global scale. We hypothesized that farmland with hedgerows (1) enhances biodiversity and ecosystem services as compared to farmland without hedgerows but (2) supports lower levels of biodiversity and ecosystem services than natural habitat. Our systematic literature review retained 835 observations from 170 primary studies, which were analyzed following the standard methodology in meta-analyses. Our results partially support both hypotheses. Farmland with hedgerows exhibited higher levels of biodiversity and provisioning services than farmland without hedgerows (H1). Farmland with hedgerows provided similar levels of biodiversity (edge effects) but lower levels of ecosystem services than natural habitat (H2). The effects of hedgerows on biodiversity and ecosystem services depended on control ecosystem type (grassland/meadow or forest/woodland) but were largely independent of climate type (temperate or tropical) and the focus of spatial scale (field or landscape). In conclusion, conservation and restoration of hedgerows contribute to people in several ways by enhancing biodiversity and multifunctionality in agricultural landscapes.
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Abstract
The study of ecosystem services (ES) is becoming increasingly popular, as it plays an important role in human wellbeing, economic growth, and livelihoods. The primary goal of this research is to investigate the global trend in ES research using a rigorous systematic review of highly cited articles. The articles for this study were extracted from Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E), Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) databases of Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) covering the period from 2000 to 2020. This study was limited to SCI-E, ESCI, and SSCI databases of the Web of Science. The term “ecosystem service/s” has been used as a research term to filter the study sample and eliminate other databases from the analysis. A citation level equal to or greater than 200 was used to further filtration of articles. This query could restrict to 128 articles that are highly cited in the selected period. Bibliometric analysis results show that, according to the author’s keywords, the “ecosystem service/s” keyword is highly connected to the “biodiversity”, “valuation”, “marine spatial planning”, and “conservation planning”. The U.S.A., Canada, China, France, and Australia are the leading countries in the cumulative number of highly cited articles and networks of co-authors. The U.S.A. is a strong contributor to ES research with China, Canada, and France. The most productive universities linked to the United States were the University of Minnesota, the University of California-Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara), and the Chinese Academy of Science. The most significant and compelling author is Halpern S Benjamin, who represents UC Santa Barbara. He has earned international recognition for a model he developed to analyze global data sets of anthropogenic drivers of ecological change in marine environments. The most accessed and studied fields in the ES are terrestrial, urban, and marine environments.
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19
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Parkhurst T, Standish RJ, Andersen AN, Prober SM. Old‐field restoration improves habitat for ants in a semi‐arid landscape. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tina Parkhurst
- Harry Butler Institute Murdoch University Perth Western Australia 6150 Australia
- Land and Water CSIRO Land and Water Perth Western Australia 6913 Australia
| | - Rachel J. Standish
- Harry Butler Institute Murdoch University Perth Western Australia 6150 Australia
| | - Alan N. Andersen
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Northwest Territories 0811 Australia
| | - Suzanne M. Prober
- Land and Water CSIRO Land and Water Perth Western Australia 6913 Australia
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia 6009 Australia
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20
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Do TH, Vu TP, Catacutan D, Nguyen VT. Governing Landscapes for Ecosystem Services: A Participatory Land-Use Scenario Development in the Northwest Montane Region of Vietnam. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 68:665-682. [PMID: 33098453 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-020-01378-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Land-use planning is an important policy instrument for governing landscapes to achieve multifunctionality in rural areas. This paper presents a case study conducted in Na Nhan commune in the northwest montane region of Vietnam to assess land-use strategies toward multiple ecosystem services, through integrated land-use planning. The assessment employed the Land-Use Planning for Multiple Ecosystem Services (LUMENS) framework and a number of methods and tools, including land-use mapping, GIS-based land-use change analysis, survey questionnaire, rapid carbon-stock appraisal for different land uses, qualitative ecosystem services assessment, and a backcasting technique. Our findings suggest that a lack of participation and acknowledgement of customary land-use practices inhibit successful implementation of current land-use planning and relevant policies such as payment for forest environmental services and the nationally determined contributions. The study also confirmed the contributions of forests and the land-use sector in achieving national emission reduction targets, especially when local stakeholders are involved early in the planning process. Other findings with important policy implications are: (i) tree-based land uses such as agroforestry are key to securing multiple ecosystem services and are highly relevant to local stakeholders, yet their potentials were not made explicit in current debates at the local level; (ii) local stakeholders are highly aware of the co-benefits of ecosystem services to climate-change mitigation and this should be considered in nationally determined contributions; and (iii) an approach for integrated, participatory land-use planning can help catalyze stakeholder engagement, and hence improve governance in rural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trong Hoan Do
- World Agroforestry (ICRAF) Vietnam, HCMCC Tower, 249A Thuy Khue, Hanoi, Vietnam.
| | - Tan Phuong Vu
- Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, Duc Thang Ward, Bac Tu Liem, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Delia Catacutan
- World Agroforestry (ICRAF) Vietnam, HCMCC Tower, 249A Thuy Khue, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Van Truong Nguyen
- Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, Duc Thang Ward, Bac Tu Liem, Hanoi, Vietnam
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21
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Malek Ž, Verburg PH. Representing responses to climate change in spatial land system models. LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT 2021; 32:4954-4973. [PMID: 35874924 PMCID: PMC9293358 DOI: 10.1002/ldr.4083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Modelling future change to land use and land cover is done as part of many local and global scenario environmental assessments. Nevertheless, there are still considerable challenges related to simulating land-use responses to climate change. Mostly, climate change is considered by changing the temperature and precipitation, affecting the spatial distribution and productivity of future land use and land cover as result of differential changes in growing conditions. Other climate change effects, such as changes in the water resources needed to support future cropland expansion and intensification, are often neglected. In this study, we demonstrate how including different types of responses to climate change influences the simulation of future changes to land use and land cover, and land management. We study the influence of including different climate change effects in land system modeling step by step. The results show that land system models need to include numerous simultaneous climate change effects, particularly when looking at adaptation options such as implementing irrigation. Otherwise, there is a risk of biased impact estimates leading either to under- or overestimation of the consequences of land use change, including land degradation. Spatial land system models therefore need to be developed accounting for a multitude of climate change impacts, uncertainties related to climate data, and an assessment of the sensitivity of the outcomes toward the decisions of modellers on representing climate change impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Žiga Malek
- Institute for Environmental studiesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Peter H. Verburg
- Institute for Environmental studiesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Land‐Use Systems GroupSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
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22
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Effects of environmental factors on the behaviour and nest group sizes of Smith's bush squirrels, Paraxerus cepapi, in a Zambezian bioregion. Mamm Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-021-00159-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe responses of wildlife to environmental factors are of conservation importance. However, the absence of relevant information due to inadequate studies, and lack of understanding of the influences of environmental factors on wildlife, particularly in the Zambezian bioregion, remain a conservation concern. For instance, there is a shortage of knowledge on the relationship between fixed effects of environmental factors and behaviour as well as nest group sizes of Smith’s bush squirrels, Paraxerus cepapi Smith, 1836. Our study examined the relationship between fixed effects of several environmental factors (i.e., with focus on ecological factors) and the behaviour as well as nest group sizes of the bush squirrels in and around Zambia’s Chembe Bird Sanctuary (CBS). Flight initiation distances (FIDs) as an index of bush squirrel behaviour, and nest group sizes were simultaneously surveyed to understand the drivers of biological and population responses, respectively. The results revealed that higher tree height (m) and larger canopy coverage (%) could increase FIDs for bush squirrels. The nest group sizes of bush squirrels could also increase with canopy coverage (%) and presence of termite mounds. By focusing on the two different squirrels' responses, the results of this study highlight the most important environmental factors to consider in minimizing the impacts of human activities on bush squirrels, especially in conservation planning and management by taking into consideration the bush squirrels’ natural history, habitat protection and safe distance between humans and bush squirrels.
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23
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Xu J, Renaud FG, Barrett B. Modelling land system evolution and dynamics of terrestrial carbon stocks in the Luanhe River Basin, China: a scenario analysis of trade-offs and synergies between sustainable development goals. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE 2021; 17:1323-1345. [PMID: 34306239 PMCID: PMC8282888 DOI: 10.1007/s11625-021-01004-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED A more holistic understanding of land use and land cover (LULC) will help minimise trade-offs and maximise synergies, and lead to improved future land use management strategies for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, current assessments of future LULC changes rarely focus on the multiple demands for goods and services, which are related to the synergies and trade-offs between SDGs and their targets. In this study, the land system (combinations of land cover and land use intensity) evolution trajectories of the Luanhe River Basin (LRB), China, and major challenges that the LRB may face in 2030, were explored by applying the CLUMondo and InVEST models. The results indicate that the LRB is likely to experience agricultural intensification and urban growth under all four scenarios that were explored. The cropland intensity and the urban growth rate were much higher under the historical trend (Trend) scenario compared to those with more planning interventions (Expansion, Sustainability, and Conservation scenarios). Unless the forest area and biodiversity conservation targets are implemented (Conservation scenario), the forest areas are projected to decrease by 2030. The results indicate that water scarcity in the LRB is likely to increase under all scenarios, and the carbon storage will increase under the Conservation scenario but decrease under all other scenarios by 2030. Our methodological framework and findings can guide regional sustainable development in the LRB and other large river basins in China, and will be valuable for policy and planning purposes to the pursuance of SDGs at the sub-national scale. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-021-01004-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiren Xu
- School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Glasgow, Dumfries, UK
| | - Fabrice G. Renaud
- School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Glasgow, Dumfries, UK
| | - Brian Barrett
- School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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24
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To What Extent Are Cattle Ranching Landholders Willing to Restore Ecosystem Services? Constructing a Micro-Scale PES Scheme in Southern Costa Rica. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land10070709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Deforestation and the unsustainable management of agricultural and livestock production systems in tropical mountain areas have caused fragmented and degraded landscapes. Payment for ecosystem services (PES) could be an effective policy instrument with which to reduce deforestation and restore disturbed ecosystems. The national-scale PES program in Costa Rica is recognized as being successful; however, its financial resources have been mostly dedicated to forest protection, and much less to reforestation projects. This paper aims to construct a micro-scale PES scheme by using primary data generated through spatial modeling and socio-economic and stated preference surveys (choice experiment) in southern Costa Rica. The results suggest that, on average, landholders would agree to implement restoration projects on their own private pasturelands if an appropriate holistic place-based approach was applied encompassing biophysical, social, economic, and institutional aspects. Willingness-to-accept values allow payments to be linked to cattle farmers’ estimates of specific ecosystem services (ES) and land opportunity costs. The economic valuation of three ESs (erosion control, water availability, and biodiversity) allows construction of a layered payment scheme, which could encourage the development of a potential partnership between national and local institutions and NGOs as alternative buyers of ESs, reduce transaction costs, and improve household well-being.
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25
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Moreno-Opo R, Pina M, Mogena A. Sowing enriched pastures for extensive livestock enhances the abundance of birds and arthropods in Mediterranean grasslands. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-021-01486-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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26
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Parkhurst T, Prober SM, Hobbs RJ, Standish RJ. Global meta‐analysis reveals incomplete recovery of soil conditions and invertebrate assemblages after ecological restoration in agricultural landscapes. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tina Parkhurst
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch Western Australia Australia
- CSIRO Land and Water Wembley Western Australia Australia
| | - Suzanne M. Prober
- CSIRO Land and Water Wembley Western Australia Australia
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia
| | - Richard J. Hobbs
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia
| | - Rachel J. Standish
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch Western Australia Australia
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Martín‐Forés I, Magro S, Bravo‐Oviedo A, Alfaro‐Sánchez R, Espelta JM, Frei T, Valdés‐Correcher E, Rodríguez Fernández‐Blanco C, Winkel G, Gerzabek G, González‐Martínez SC, Hampe A, Valladares F. Spontaneous forest regrowth in South‐West Europe: Consequences for nature's contributions to people. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Martín‐Forés
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change National Museum of Natural SciencesMNCN‐CSIC Madrid Spain
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Adelaide Adelaide SA Australia
| | | | - Andrés Bravo‐Oviedo
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change National Museum of Natural SciencesMNCN‐CSIC Madrid Spain
| | - Raquel Alfaro‐Sánchez
- CREAFCentre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals Bellaterra Catalonia Spain
- Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo ON Canada
| | - Josep M. Espelta
- CREAFCentre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals Bellaterra Catalonia Spain
| | - Theresa Frei
- European Forest Institute. Governance Programme Bonn Germany
| | | | - Carmen Rodríguez Fernández‐Blanco
- European Forest Institute. Governance Programme Bonn Germany
- EFIMED. European Forest Institute – Mediterranean Facility Barcelona Spain
| | - Georg Winkel
- European Forest Institute. Governance Programme Bonn Germany
| | - Gabriel Gerzabek
- INRAEUniv. BordeauxBIOGECO Cestas France
- Institue of Landscape and Plant Ecology University of Hohenheim Stuttgart Germany
| | | | | | - Fernando Valladares
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change National Museum of Natural SciencesMNCN‐CSIC Madrid Spain
- Departamento de Biología y Geología Física y Química Inorgánica Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Madrid Spain
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Mohd Jamil NN, Ibrahim H, Mohd Zain HH, Che Musa NH. Species diversity and feeding guilds of birds in Malaysian agarwood plantations. JOURNAL OF THREATENED TAXA 2020. [DOI: 10.11609/jott.5213.12.14.16954-16961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In Malaysia, the current status of birds inhabiting agarwood Aquilaria malaccensis plantations has not been specifically studied, and little research has been conducted to investigate birds in other agricultural areas (e.g., rubber, acacia, and oil palm plantations) and disturbed areas. This study was conducted to assess bird species richness and relative abundance, as well as feeding guilds, in two agarwood plantation sites: Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjong Malim (UPSI), and Slim River (SR). The presence of birds was recorded using a combination of techniques (mist-nets and point count), while various sources were used to compile feeding information. This study recorded 364 birds from 36 species in 24 families. Shannon diversity index (H’) values for the UPSI and SR sites were 2.896 and 2.492 respectively, indicating high bird diversity. The Bray-Curtis index was 0.29, indicating these sites share few species. Insectivorous and omnivorous birds were dominant in UPSI (31%), and omnivores at SR (32%). The commonest insect order at both sites was Orthoptera (UPSI 48%, SR 25%). While agarwood plantations are relatively homogeneous, they provide a variety of food sources and shelter for a wide range of birds.
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Unsupervised Parameterization for Optimal Segmentation of Agricultural Parcels from Satellite Images in Different Agricultural Landscapes. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12183096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Image segmentation is a cost-effective way to obtain information about the sizes and structural composition of agricultural parcels in an area. To accurately obtain such information, the parameters of the segmentation algorithm ought to be optimized using supervised or unsupervised methods. The difficulty in obtaining reference data makes unsupervised methods indispensable. In this study, we evaluated an existing unsupervised evaluation metric that minimizes a global score (GS), which is computed by summing up the intra-segment uniformity and inter-segment dissimilarity within a segmentation output. We modified this metric and proposed a new metric that uses absolute difference to compute the GS. We compared this proposed metric with the existing metric in two optimization approaches based on the Multiresolution Segmentation (MRS) algorithm to optimally delineate agricultural parcels from Sentinel-2 images in Lower Saxony, Germany. The first approach searches for optimal scale while keeping shape and compactness constant, while the second approach uses Bayesian optimization to optimize the three main parameters of the MRS algorithm. Based on a reference data of agricultural parcels, the optimal segmentation result of each optimization approach was evaluated by calculating the quality rate, over-segmentation, and under-segmentation. For both approaches, our proposed metric outperformed the existing metric in different agricultural landscapes. The proposed metric identified optimal segmentations that were less under-segmented compared to the existing metric. A comparison of the optimal segmentation results obtained in this study to existing benchmark results generated via supervised optimization showed that the unsupervised Bayesian optimization approach based on our proposed metric can potentially be used as an alternative to supervised optimization, particularly in geographic regions where reference data is unavailable or an automated evaluation system is sought.
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Abstract
One of humanity’s most significant challenges in the process of attaining the established sustainability goals is balancing the growing human demand for food and the need to conserve biodiversity. This challenge requires appropriate land uses that are able to conserve biodiversity while ensuring ample food supply. This study compares bird species diversity and abundance in areas undergoing land sharing and land sparing in northeastern Bangladesh (West Bhanugach Reserved Forest). Birds serve as useful biologic indicators because of their presence within different trophic levels and their well-studied ecology. To survey birds, we selected a total of 66 sampling sites within land-sharing (33) and land-sparing (33) land-use areas. Between May and June 2017, we observed and recorded bird calls within a 50-m radius around each sampling site. We counted 541 individuals from 46 species of birds. The Shannon bird diversity was higher in the land-sparing sites (1.52) than in the land-sharing sites (1.23). We found approximately 30% more bird species (39 vs. 30) and 40% more individuals (318 vs. 223) in the land-sparing areas than land-sharing areas. Three bird species, Arachnothera longirostra, Micropternus brachyurus and Copsychus malabaricus, were significantly associated with the land-sparing sites. This study shows that land sharing negatively affects bird diversity, richness and abundance compared to land-sparing. The use of chemical fertilizers and the lack of food, such as insects, for birds can explain the lower diversity, richness and abundance of birds in the land-sharing areas. Although land sharing is an effective means of producing food, land sparing is the most effective land-use practice for preserving bird diversity in northeastern Bangladesh.
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31
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Comparison of Sentinel-2 and High-Resolution Imagery for Mapping Land Abandonment in Fragmented Areas. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12122062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Agricultural land abandonment is an important environmental issue in Europe. The proper management of agricultural areas has important implications for ecosystem services (food production, biodiversity, climate regulation and the landscape). In the coming years, an increase of abandoned areas is expected due to socio-economic changes. The identification and quantification of abandoned agricultural plots is key for monitoring this process and for applying management measures. The Valencian Region (Spain) is an important fruit and vegetable producing area in Europe, and it has the most important citrus industry. However, this agricultural sector is highly threatened by diverse factors, which have accelerated land abandonment. Landsat and MODIS satellite images have been used to map land abandonment. However, these images do not give good results in areas with high spatial fragmentation and small-sized agricultural plots. Sentinel-2 and airborne imagery shows unexplored potential to overcome this thanks to higher spatial resolutions. In this work, three models were compared for mapping abandoned plots using Sentinel-2 with 10 m bands, Sentinel-2 with 10 m and 20 m bands, and airborne imagery with 1 m visible and near-infrared bands. A pixel-based classification approach was used, applying the Random Forests algorithm. The algorithm was trained with 144 plots and 100 decision trees. The results were validated using the hold-out method with 96 independent plots. The most accurate map was obtained using airborne images, the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Thiam’s Transformed Vegetation Index (TTVI), with an overall accuracy of 88.5%. The map generated from Sentinel-2 images (10 m bands and the EVI and TTVI spectral indices) had an overall accuracy of 77.1%. Adding 20 m Sentinel-2 bands and the Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) did not improve the classification accuracy. According to the most accurate map, 4310 abandoned plots were detected in our study area, representing 32.5% of its agricultural surface. The proposed methodology proved to be useful for mapping citrus in highly fragmented areas, and it can be adapted to other crops.
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Predominant regional biophysical cooling from recent land cover changes in Europe. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1066. [PMID: 32103013 PMCID: PMC7044322 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14890-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Around 70 Mha of land cover changes (LCCs) occurred in Europe from 1992 to 2015. Despite LCCs being an important driver of regional climate variations, their temperature effects at a continental scale have not yet been assessed. Here, we integrate maps of historical LCCs with a regional climate model to investigate air temperature and humidity effects. We find an average temperature change of −0.12 ± 0.20 °C, with widespread cooling (up to −1.0 °C) in western and central Europe in summer and spring. At continental scale, the mean cooling is mainly correlated with agriculture abandonment (cropland-to-forest transitions), but a new approach based on ridge-regression decomposing the temperature change to the individual land transitions shows opposite responses to cropland losses and gains between western and eastern Europe. Effects of historical LCCs on European climate are non-negligible and region-specific, and ignoring land-climate biophysical interactions may lead to sub-optimal climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Land cover change contributes to regional climate trends. Here, the authors use high-resolution land cover maps and state-of-the-art climate modelling to assess land cover change effects across Europe over 1992-2015, showing widespread cooling after agricultural abandonment but also different, region-specific effects.
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A Bibliometric Analysis on Land Degradation: Current Status, Development, and Future Directions. LAND 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/land9010028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Land degradation is a global issue receiving much attention currently. In order to objectively reveal the research situation of land degradation, bibliometrix and biblioshiny software packages have been used to conduct data mining and quantitative analysis on research papers in the fields of land degradation during 1990–2019 (data update time was 8 April 2019) in the Web of Science core collection database. The results show that: (1) during the past 20 years, the number of papers on land degradation has increased. According to the number of articles, it is divided into four stages: a low-production exploration period, a developmental sprout period, expansion of the promotion period, and a high-yield active period. (2) Land-degradation research covers 93 countries or regions. The top five countries in terms of research volume are China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. China, the United States, and the United Kingdom are the most important countries for international cooperation in the field of land degradation. However, cooperation between countries is not very close overall. (3) Land degradation, degradation, desertification, remote sensing, soil erosion, and soil degradation are high-frequency keywords in the field of land degradation in recent years. (4) The research hotspots in the field of land degradation mainly focus on research directions such as restoration and reconstruction of land degradation, and sustainable management of land resources. (5) The themes of various periods in the field of land degradation are diversified, and the evolutionary relationship is complex. There are 15 evolutionary paths with regard to dynamic monitoring of land degradation, environmental governance of land degradation, and responses of land degradation to land-use change. Finally, the paper concludes that the research directions on land degradation in future include the process, mechanism, and effect of land degradation, the application of new technologies, new monitoring methods for land degradation, theory enhancement, methods and models of ecological restoration, reconstruction of degraded land, multidisciplinary integrated system research, constructing a policy guarantee system for the reconstruction of degraded land, and strengthening research on land resource engineering.
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Rey Benayas JM, Altamirano A, Miranda A, Catalán G, Prado M, Lisón F, Bullock JM. Landscape restoration in a mixed agricultural-forest catchment: Planning a buffer strip and hedgerow network in a Chilean biodiversity hotspot. AMBIO 2020; 49:310-323. [PMID: 30771208 PMCID: PMC6889244 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-019-01149-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Guidance for large-scale restoration of natural or semi-natural linear vegetation elements that takes into account the need to maintain human livelihoods such as farming is often lacking. Focusing on a Chilean biodiversity hotspot, we assessed the landscape in terms of existing woody vegetation elements and proposed a buffer strip and hedgerow network. We used spatial analysis based on Google Earth imagery and QGIS, field surveys, seven guidelines linked to prioritization criteria and seedling availability in the region's nurseries, and estimated the budget for implementing the proposed network. The target landscapes require restoring 0.89 ha km-2 of woody buffer strips to meet Chilean law; 1.4 ha km-2 of new hedgerows is also proposed. The cost of restoration in this landscape is estimated in ca. USD 6900 per planted ha of buffer strips and hedgerows. Financial incentives, education, and professional training of farmers are identified as key issues to implement the suggested restoration actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M. Rey Benayas
- Forest Ecology and Conservation Group, Life Sciences Department, University of Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adison Altamirano
- International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration, Madrid, Spain
- Forest Landscape Ecology Lab, Forest Science Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Alejandro Miranda
- International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration, Madrid, Spain
- Forest Landscape Ecology Lab, Forest Science Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile
- Escuela de Graduados, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR2), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Germán Catalán
- International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration, Madrid, Spain
- Forest Landscape Ecology Lab, Forest Science Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Marco Prado
- Forest Landscape Ecology Lab, Forest Science Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Fulgencio Lisón
- International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration, Madrid, Spain
- Forest Landscape Ecology Lab, Forest Science Department, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile
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Meli P, Rey-Benayas JM, Brancalion PH. Balancing land sharing and sparing approaches to promote forest and landscape restoration in agricultural landscapes: Land approaches for forest landscape restoration. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2019.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Ashwood F, Watts K, Park K, Fuentes‐Montemayor E, Benham S, Vanguelova EI. Woodland restoration on agricultural land: long‐term impacts on soil quality. Restor Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Ashwood
- Forest ResearchAlice Holt Lodge, Farnham Surrey GU10 4LH UK
| | - Kevin Watts
- Forest ResearchAlice Holt Lodge, Farnham Surrey GU10 4LH UK
- Biological & Environmental SciencesCottrell Building, University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK
| | - Kirsty Park
- Biological & Environmental SciencesCottrell Building, University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK
| | - Elisa Fuentes‐Montemayor
- Biological & Environmental SciencesCottrell Building, University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK
| | - Sue Benham
- Forest ResearchAlice Holt Lodge, Farnham Surrey GU10 4LH UK
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Kaletová T, Loures L, Castanho RA, Aydin E, Gama JTD, Loures A, Truchy A. Relevance of Intermittent Rivers and Streams in Agricultural Landscape and Their Impact on Provided Ecosystem Services-A Mediterranean Case Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16152693. [PMID: 31357719 PMCID: PMC6696347 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16152693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ecosystem services (ES), as an interconnection of the landscape mosaic pieces, along with temporal rivers (IRES) are an object of research for environmental planners and ecological economists, among other specialists. This study presents (i) a review on the importance of IRES and the services they can provide to agricultural landscapes; (ii) a classification tool to assess the impact of IRES to provide ES by agricultural landscapes; (iii) the application of the proposed classification to the Caia River in order to identify the importance of this intermittent river for its surrounding agricultural landscape. The classification of the ES follows the Common International Classification of Ecosystem (CICES) classification that was adapted for the purposes of this study. Firstly, the list of ES provided by agricultural landscape was elaborated. In the next step, we assessed the potential of IRES to provide ES. Next, IRES impacts to ES within the agricultural landscape were evaluated according to observations from the conducted field monitoring in the study area. This study focuses on the relevance of the intermittent Caia River-a transboundary river in Spain and Portugal-and its ephemeral tributaries in the agricultural landscape. Our study estimates that each hydrological phase of IRES increases the ES provided by the agricultural landscape. However, the dry phase can potentially have negative impacts on several services. The intensification of the agricultural sector is the main provision of the water resource within the Caia River basin, but we were able to identify several other ES that were positively impacted. The present study is in line with the conclusions of other authors who state that IRES constitute a valuable resource which should not be underestimated by society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Kaletová
- Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Luis Loures
- Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre (IPP), 7300 Portalegre, Portugal.
- VALORIZA-Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization, 7300 Portalegre, Portugal.
- Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being (CinTurs), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
- Institute of Research on Territorial Governance and Inter-Organizational Cooperation, 41-300 Katowice, Poland.
| | - Rui Alexandre Castanho
- VALORIZA-Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization, 7300 Portalegre, Portugal
- Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being (CinTurs), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Environmental Resources Analysis Research Group (ARAM), University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Dąbrowa Górnicza, 41-300 Katowice, Poland
| | - Elena Aydin
- Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
| | - José Telo da Gama
- Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre (IPP), 7300 Portalegre, Portugal
- VALORIZA-Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization, 7300 Portalegre, Portugal
- Departamento de Edafologia, UNEX-Universidad da Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
| | - Ana Loures
- Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre (IPP), 7300 Portalegre, Portugal
- VALORIZA-Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization, 7300 Portalegre, Portugal
| | - Amélie Truchy
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
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Semeraro T, Gatto E, Buccolieri R, Vergine M, Gao Z, De Bellis L, Luvisi A. Changes in Olive Urban Forests Infected by Xylella fastidiosa: Impact on Microclimate and Social Health. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16152642. [PMID: 31344898 PMCID: PMC6695699 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16152642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper is devoted to the analysis of the impact of changes in olive urban forests affected by Xylella fastidiosa on ecosystem services. The focus is on microclimate and thermal comfort evaluated by two indices: the temperature of equivalent perception (TEP) and the predicted mean vote (PMV), which take into account both microclimate parameters and personal factors (heat resistance of clothing and human activity). The work has been carried out through (i) a qualitative analysis of the potential ecosystem services changes caused by temporary transition from olive groves to uncultivated soil, (ii) a study of the potential change of land use from monumental olive groves to other types of use, and (iii) a quantitative analysis on microclimate impact due to the loss of ecosystem services in two selected neighborhoods located in the Apulia region and chosen due to their proximity to the urban context. The analysis revealed that (i) direct effects on ecosystem services are principally linked with regulation functions and cultural services, (ii) a critical loss of cultural value of monumental olive groves occurred in the two neighborhoods, (iii) such a loss may lead to an increase of TEP and PMV, indicating a decrease of thermal comfort in the whole neighborhoods. Thus, it is necessary to plan the replanting policies of the use of the areas affected by X. fastidiosa not only in terms of agricultural planning but also in terms of landscape, urban planning, and human well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teodoro Semeraro
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Elisa Gatto
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Riccardo Buccolieri
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Marzia Vergine
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Zhi Gao
- School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Luigi De Bellis
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Andrea Luvisi
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
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Abstract
Declining biodiversity (BD) is aecting food security, agricultural sustainability,and environmental quality. Agroforestry (AF) is recognized as a possible partial solution forBD conservation and improvement. This manuscript uses published peer-reviewed manuscripts,reviews, meta-analysis, and federal and state agency documents to evaluate relationships betweenAF and BD and how AF can be used to conserve BD. The review revealed that floral, faunal, and soilmicrobial diversity were significantly greater in AF as compared to monocropping, adjacent croplands, and within crop alleys and some forests. Among the soil organisms, arbuscular mycorrhizaefungi (AMF), bacteria, and enzyme activities were significantly greater in AF than crop and livestockpractices. Agroforestry also creates spatially concentrated high-density BD near trees due to favorablesoil-plant-water-microclimate conditions. The greater BD was attributed to heterogeneous vegetation,organic carbon, microclimate, soil conditions, and spatial distribution of trees. Dierences in BDbetween AF and other management types diminished with time. Evenly distributed leaves, litter,roots, dead/live biological material, and microclimate improve soil and microclimate in adjacentcrop and pasture areas as the system matures. Results of the study prove that integration of AFcan improve BD in agricultural lands. Selection of site suitable tree/shrub/grass-crop combinationscan be used to help address soil nutrient deficiencies or environmental conditions. Future studieswith standardized management protocols may be needed for all regions to further strengthen thesefindings and to develop AF establishment criteria for BD conservation and agricultural sustainability.
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Krüger AL, Snyman R, Odendaal J. The impact of urban pollution on metal contamination of selected forest pockets in Cape Town, South Africa. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 26:12537-12549. [PMID: 30847819 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-04679-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Urban forests are exposed to metals, such as manganese, copper, and zinc in the atmosphere that originate from anthropogenic activities, that include vehicle-related traffic, industries, construction sites, fossil fuel burning for heating and cooking purposes, and resuspension processes related to urban surfaces. Not only is the rich biodiversity of plant and animal species in forests under threat, but so are the biodiversity of soil, sustaining ecosystem functions, as well as human health. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the concentrations of manganese, copper, and zinc arising from urban, industrial, and traffic-related pollution in the remote and/or untouched urban indigenous forests using soil, leaf litter, and key forest organisms (mosses, lichens, and millipedes) in three forests (Platbos, Orange Kloof, and Newlands) in the Western Cape, South Africa. Elevated concentrations of these metals were found in the forests closest to the city, as well as at sites in close proximity of vehicle traffic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Liese Krüger
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Studies, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, P. O Box 652, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa.
| | - Reinette Snyman
- Department of Conservation and Marine Science, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, P. O Box 652, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
| | - James Odendaal
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Studies, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, P. O Box 652, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
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Pretorius RJ, Hein GL, Blankenship EE, Purrington FF, Wilson RG, Bradshaw JD. Comparing the Effects of Two Tillage Operations on Beneficial Epigeal Arthropod Communities and Their Associated Ecosystem Services in Sugar Beets. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 111:2617-2631. [PMID: 30265348 PMCID: PMC6294236 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toy285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Beneficial arthropods provide important ecosystem services in terms of arthropod pest and weed management, but these services can be adversely affected by farming practices such as tillage. This study investigated the impact of two tillage operations (zone tillage and moldboard plow) on the activity density of several beneficial, epigeal arthropod taxa, and postdispersal weed seed and prey removal in sugar beet agroecosystems. In addition, four omnivorous ground beetle species were selected for a weed-seed choice feeding assay, whereas a single species was selected for a weed-seed age preference assay. Ground beetles were the most commonly collected taxon (via pitfall sampling), with only a few dominant species. Tillage operation did not affect ground beetle activity density; however, spider, centipede, and rove beetle activity densities were higher in the reduced-tillage treatment. Live prey consumption was similar between tillage practices, with more prey consumed during nocturnal hours. More weed seeds were consumed in the reduced-tillage treatment, whereas weed-seed preference differed between the four weed species tested [Setaria pumila (Poir.) Roem. & Schult., Echinochloa crus-galli (L.), Kochia scoparia (L.), and Chenopodium album (L.)]. In the weed-seed choice feeding assay, significantly more broad-leaf weed seeds (C. album and K. scoparia) were consumed compared with grassy weed seeds (E. crus-galli and S. pumila). No preference for seed age was detected for E. crus-galli, but Harpalus pensylvanicus (De Geer) preferred old C. album seeds over fresh seeds. Zone tillage is compatible with ecosystem services, providing critical habitat within agricultural ecosystems needed to conserve beneficial, edaphic arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudolph J Pretorius
- Department of Agriculture, Central University of Technology, Private Bag, Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa
| | - Gary L Hein
- Doctor of Plant Health Program, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Erin E Blankenship
- Department of Statistics, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Foster F Purrington
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, The Ohio State University, 300 Aronoff Laboratory, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Robert G Wilson
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Scottsbluff, NE, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Bradshaw
- Department of Entomology, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Scottsbluff, NE, USA
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Dynamic trade-off analysis of multiple ecosystem services under land use change scenarios: Towards putting ecosystem services into planning in Iran. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Torres A, Fernández N, Zu Ermgassen S, Helmer W, Revilla E, Saavedra D, Perino A, Mimet A, Rey-Benayas JM, Selva N, Schepers F, Svenning JC, Pereira HM. Measuring rewilding progress. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:rstb.2017.0433. [PMID: 30348877 PMCID: PMC6231071 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rewilding is emerging as a promising restoration strategy to enhance the conservation status of biodiversity and promote self-regulating ecosystems while re-engaging people with nature. Overcoming the challenges in monitoring and reporting rewilding projects would improve its practical implementation and maximize its conservation and restoration outcomes. Here, we present a novel approach for measuring and monitoring progress in rewilding that focuses on the ecological attributes of rewilding. We devised a bi-dimensional framework for assessing the recovery of processes and their natural dynamics through (i) decreasing human forcing on ecological processes and (ii) increasing ecological integrity of ecosystems. The rewilding assessment framework incorporates the reduction of material inputs and outputs associated with human management, as well as the restoration of natural stochasticity and disturbance regimes, landscape connectivity and trophic complexity. Furthermore, we provide a list of potential activities for increasing the ecological integrity after reviewing the evidence for the effectiveness of common restoration actions. For illustration purposes, we apply the framework to three flagship restoration projects in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Argentina. This approach has the potential to broaden the scope of rewilding projects, facilitate sound decision-making and connect the science and practice of rewilding.This article is part of the theme issue 'Trophic rewilding: consequences for ecosystems under global change'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Torres
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany .,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Néstor Fernández
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Sophus Zu Ermgassen
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany.,Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Kent CT2 7NZ, UK
| | - Wouter Helmer
- Rewilding Europe, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Eloy Revilla
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville 41092, Spain
| | - Deli Saavedra
- Rewilding Europe, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Perino
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Anne Mimet
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Department Computational Landscape Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - José M Rey-Benayas
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences, Av. Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | - Frans Schepers
- Rewilding Europe, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Department of Bioscience, Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Henrique M Pereira
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany.,Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairāo, Portugal
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Van Vooren L, Reubens B, Ampoorter E, Broekx S, Pardon P, Van Waes C, Verheyen K. Monitoring the Impact of Hedgerows and Grass Strips on the Performance of Multiple Ecosystem Service Indicators. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 62:241-259. [PMID: 29855687 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-018-1043-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The importance of semi-natural vegetation elements in the agricultural landscape is increasingly recognized because they have the potential to enhance multiple ecosystem service delivery and biodiversity. However, there is great variability in the observed effects within and between studies. Also, little is known about the simultaneous delivery of multiple ecosystem services and biodiversity because most studies focus on monitoring one service at a time and in conditions specifically suited to observe this one service. In this study, the results are presented of 1 year of monitoring of a set of parcel-level and simplistic ecosystem service and biodiversity indicators on parcels with grass strips or hedgerows. In the grass strips, an increase in soil organic carbon stock, a decrease in soil mineral nitrogen content, a different carabid species composition and a higher spider activity density were found, compared to the adjacent arable parcel. These results indicate a contribution of grass strips to climate regulation, the regulation of water quality, an increase of beta diversity and potential for pest control. Next to hedgerows, crop yield was reduced and winter wheat thousand kernel weight, soil organic carbon stock and spider activity density were increased. These indicators show an effect of the hedgerow on food production, climate regulation and potential for pest control. The study concludes that both grass strips and hedgerows have the potential to increase multiple ecosystem service delivery, but that an increase of every service is not assured and that multifunctionality is affected by management choices. Also, an improved experimental setup in order to enhance ecosystem service monitoring is suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Van Vooren
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, Gontrode, 9090, Belgium.
- Flanders research institute for agriculture, fisheries and food, Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 109, Merelbeke, 9820, Belgium.
- VITO, 2400 Mol, Boeretang 200, Belgium.
| | - Bert Reubens
- Flanders research institute for agriculture, fisheries and food, Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 109, Merelbeke, 9820, Belgium
| | - Evy Ampoorter
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, Gontrode, 9090, Belgium
| | | | - Paul Pardon
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, Gontrode, 9090, Belgium
- Flanders research institute for agriculture, fisheries and food, Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 109, Merelbeke, 9820, Belgium
- Department of Plant Production, Ghent University, Proefhoevestraat 22, Melle 9090, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Chris Van Waes
- Flanders research institute for agriculture, fisheries and food, Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 109, Merelbeke, 9820, Belgium
| | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, Gontrode, 9090, Belgium
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45
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Le Brocque AF, Wagner PM. Passive brigalow ( Acacia harpophylla) woodland regeneration fails to recover floristic composition in an agricultural landscape. AUSTRAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F. Le Brocque
- School of Agricultural; Computational and Environmental Sciences; University of Southern Queensland; Baker St Darling Heights,Toowoomba Queensland 4350 Australia
| | - Peter M. Wagner
- School of Agricultural; Computational and Environmental Sciences; University of Southern Queensland; Baker St Darling Heights,Toowoomba Queensland 4350 Australia
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Abstract
Abstract
Biomass is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, as a source of energy and raw materials for industry. However, this is often criticized, based on an alleged competition with food production due to the presumed scarcity of agricultural land. Data from Brazil and Ethiopia show that the creation and dissemination of new agricultural technology actually allows a significant increase in the production of food as well as energy and raw materials from biomass, bringing economic, social and environmental benefits. Moreover, polymers from biomass display unique features that make them suitable as the basis for making advanced materials, with desirable combinations of chemical and physical properties required for some applications. For instance, natural rubber and cellulose have been used to create new complex nanostructured solids capable of performing new functions. Biomass can thus be exploited as a source of new materials as well as petrochemical-like building blocks.
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Fu Y, Du X, Ruan B, Liu L, Zhang J. Agro-ecological compensation of watershed based on emergy. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2017; 76:2830-2841. [PMID: 29168723 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2017.455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The paper aims at providing a framework to calculate the agro-eco-compensation standard based on the systems agro-ecological concept of embodied energy as emergy. We have proposed a calculation system of eco-compensation standard for sustainable agricultural development based on the convertibility between emergy and price. According to our calculation, the total energy of agricultural production in Yongding River Basin was 3.45 E + 16 Sej/ha (the unit emergy value, expressed in solar emergy joules per unit) in terms of the renewable resources, nonrenewable resources, material inputs, and service costs. The energy of renewable and nonrenewable resources was 1.59 E + 16 and 1.86E + 16 Sej/ha, respectively. The ESI (environmental sustainability index) of the study area was 0.1056, indicating that its agricultural production was in a seriously unsustainable condition. To realize the sustainable agricultural production in the watershed, the downstream governments should pay $21.81 M (¥135 million) approximately to upstream governments for water and soil conservation. The results of the present study suggested that the emergy-based calculation method of agro-eco-compensation standard is feasible to a certain degree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yicheng Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of River Basin Water Cycle, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, A-1 Fuxing Road Haidian District, Beijing 100038, China E-mail:
| | - Xia Du
- China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
| | - Benqing Ruan
- China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
| | - Laisheng Liu
- China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
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Rey Benayas JM, Meltzer J, de las Heras-Bravo D, Cayuela L. Potential of pest regulation by insectivorous birds in Mediterranean woody crops. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180702. [PMID: 28877166 PMCID: PMC5587304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation of agricultural pests managing their natural enemies represents an alternative to chemical pesticides. We assessed the potential of insectivorous birds as pest regulators in woody crops located in central Spain. A total of 417 nest boxes installed in five field study sites (one vineyard, two fruit orchards, and two olive groves) were monitored for use and breeding of insectivorous birds and other species for four consecutive years (2013–2016). At all field sites except the two olive groves, where birds never occupied the nest boxes, predation experiments were conducted with Greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) sentinel caterpillars, and food consumption by birds was estimated. Nesting of insectivorous birds, chiefly Great tit (Parus major), and sparrows (Passer domesticus and P. montanus) increased over time, averaging 60% per field site in the vineyard and fruit orchards by the fourth year. Use of nest boxes by sparrows and by Garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) was high at the fruit orchards (70%) and the vineyard (30%), respectively. Micro-habitat characteristics (nest box level) and meso-habitat characteristics (patch level) strongly affected use of nest boxes and bird breeding (i.e. number of laid eggs and produced chicks) in different years. Distance to natural or semi-natural vegetation did not consistently affect bird breeding, nor did we see consistent evidence of competition between adjacent breeding birds. Predation rates of sentinel caterpillars were approximately one-third higher near boxes with nesting birds (31.51 ± 43.13%) than at paired distant areas without nest boxes (22.45% ± 38.58%). Food consumption by insectivorous birds per ha and breeding season were conservatively estimated to range from 0.02 kg in one fruit orchard to 0.15 kg in the vineyard. We conclude that installation of nest boxes in Mediterranean woody crops enhances populations of insectivorous birds that regulate pests, but that the effects are moderate and highly context-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M. Rey Benayas
- Life Sciences Department-Ecology Unit, Alcala University, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Jorge Meltzer
- International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Luis Cayuela
- International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Biology, Geology, Physics and Inorganic Chemistry, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Spain
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Morimoto J, Shibata M, Shida Y, Nakamura F. Wetland restoration by natural succession in abandoned pastures with a degraded soil seed bank. Restor Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Junko Morimoto
- Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Management, Graduate School of Agriculture Hokkaido University Kita 9 jo, Nishi 9, Kita ku Sapporo City 060‐8589 Japan
| | - Masatoshi Shibata
- Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Management, Graduate School of Agriculture Hokkaido University Kita 9 jo, Nishi 9, Kita ku Sapporo City 060‐8589 Japan
| | - Yuichiro Shida
- Wildlife Research Institute Co., Ltd. 1‐3 Kita 17 jo, Nishi 4, Kita ku Sapporo City 001‐0017 Japan
| | - Futoshi Nakamura
- Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Management, Graduate School of Agriculture Hokkaido University Kita 9 jo, Nishi 9, Kita ku Sapporo City 060‐8589 Japan
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Moraes MCPD, Mello KD, Toppa RH. Protected areas and agricultural expansion: Biodiversity conservation versus economic growth in the Southeast of Brazil. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2017; 188:73-84. [PMID: 27930958 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.11.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Revised: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural land and urban areas plays a threat to the protected areas and the natural ecosystems conservation. The aim of this paper is to provide an analysis of the agricultural expansion and its impact on the landscape spatial and temporal patterns in a buffer zone of a protected area located in the transition zone between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The land use and land cover were mapped between 1971 and 2008 and landscape metrics were calculated to provide a spatiotemporal analysis of the forest structure and the expansion of the croplands. The results showed that the landscape patterns were affected by the economic cycles. The predominant crop surrounding the protected area is sugar cane, which increased by 39% during this period, followed by citrus. This landscape change is connected to the Brazilian oil crisis in 1973. The rapid expansion of sugar cane was largely driven by Brazil's biofuel program, the "Proálcool" (pro-alcohol), a project in 1975 that mixed ethanol with gas for automotive fuel. The forest loss occurred mainly between 1971 and 1988, decreasing the forest cover from 17% in 1971 to 12.7% in 2008. Most of the forest patches are smaller than 50 ha and has low connectivity. Throughout the years, the fragments in the buffer zone have become smaller and with an elongated shape, and the park has become isolated. This forest fragmentation process and the predominance of monoculture lands in the buffer zone threaten the protected areas, and can represent a barrier for these areas to provide the effective biodiversity conservation. The measures proposed are necessary to ensure the capability of this ecosystem to sustain its original biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaline de Mello
- Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo - (ESALQ-USP), Brazil.
| | - Rogério Hartung Toppa
- Department of Environmental Science, Federal University of São Carlos, Sorocaba (UFSCar-Sorocaba), Brazil.
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