scholarly journals Quantifying the effects of multiple land management practices, land cover change, and wildfire on the California landscape carbon budget with an empirical model

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251346
Author(s):  
Alan V. Di Vittorio ◽  
Maegen B. Simmonds ◽  
Peter Nico
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Data Uncertainty ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Intensive Forest Management

The effectiveness of land-based climate mitigation strategies is generally estimated on a case-by-case basis without considering interactions with other strategies or influencing factors. Here we evaluate a new, comprehensive approach that incorporates interactions among multiple management strategies, land use/cover change, wildfire, and climate, although the potential effects of climate change are not evaluated in this study. The California natural and working lands carbon and greenhouse gas model (CALAND) indicates that summing individual practice estimates of greenhouse gas impacts may underestimate emission reduction benefits in comparison with an integrated estimate. Annual per-area estimates of the potential impact of specific management practices on landscape emissions can vary based on the estimation period, which can be problematic for extrapolating such estimates over space and time. Furthermore, the actual area of implementation is a primary factor in determining potential impacts of management on landscape emissions. Nonetheless, less intensive forest management, avoided conversion to urban land, and urban forest expansion generally create the largest annual per-area reductions, while meadow restoration and forest fuel reduction and harvest practices generally create the largest increases with respect to no management. CALAND also shows that data uncertainty is too high to determine whether California land is a source or a sink of carbon emissions, but that estimating effects of management with respect to a baseline provides valid results. Important sources of this uncertainty are initial carbon density, net ecosystem carbon accumulation rates, and land use/cover change data. The appropriate choice of baseline is critical for generating valid results.

scholarly journals Rural Roads Are Paving the Way for Land-Use Intensification in the Uplands of Laos

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 330
Author(s):  
Jean-Christophe Castella ◽  
Sonnasack Phaipasith
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Rural Roads ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Hybrid Maize ◽  
The Impact

Road expansion has played a prominent role in the agrarian transition that marked the integration of swidden-based farming systems into the market economy in Southeast Asia. Rural roads deeply altered the landscape and livelihood structures by allowing the penetration of boom crops such as hybrid maize in remote territories. In this article, we investigate the impact of rural road developments on livelihoods in northern Laos through a longitudinal study conducted over a period of 15 years in a forest frontier. We studied adaptive management strategies of local stakeholders through the combination of individual surveys, focus group discussions, participatory mapping and remote-sensing approaches. The study revealed the short-term benefits of the maize feeder roads on poverty alleviation and rural development, but also the negative long-term effects on agroecosystem health and agricultural productivity related to unsustainable land use. Lessons learnt about the mechanisms of agricultural intensification helped understanding the constraints faced by external interventions promoting sustainable land management practices. When negotiated by local communities for their own interest, roads may provide livelihood-enhancing opportunities through access to external resources, rather than undermining them.

LUU CHECKER: A Web-based Tool to Incorporate Emerging LUs in the SWAT Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 723-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurdeep Singh ◽  
Dharmendra Saraswat ◽  
Naresh Pai ◽  
Benjamin Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Hydrologic Response Unit ◽  
User Friendly

Abstract. Standard practice of setting up Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) involves use of a single land use (LU) layer under the assumption that no change takes place in LU condition irrespective of the length of simulation period. This assumption leads to erroneous conclusions about efficacy of management practices in those watersheds where land use changes (LUCs) (e.g. agriculture to urban, forest to agriculture etc.) occur during the simulation period. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a user-friendly, web-based tool named LUU Checker that helps create a composite LU layer by integrating multiple years of LU layers available in watersheds of interest. The results show that the use of composite LU layer for hydrologic response unit (HRU) delineation in 2474-km2 L’Anguile River Watershed in Arkansas was able to capture changed LU at subbasin level by using LU data available in the year 1999 and 2006, respectively. The web-based tool is applicable for large size watersheds and is accessible to multiple users from anywhere in the world. Keywords: Land use, Web-based tool, SWAT, LUU Checker.

scholarly journals Rainforest-to-pasture conversion stimulates soil methanogenesis across the Brazilian Amazon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie E. Kroeger ◽  
Laura K. Meredith ◽  
Kyle M. Meyer ◽  
Kevin D. Webster ◽  
Plinio Barbosa de Camargo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Methane Cycling ◽  
Agricultural Conversion ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Pasture Conversion

ABSTRACTThe Amazon rainforest is a biodiversity hotspot and large terrestrial carbon sink that is threatened by agricultural conversion. Rainforest-to-pasture conversion leads to the release of a potent greenhouse gas by converting soil from a methane sink into a source. The biotic methane cycle is driven by microorganisms; therefore, this study focused on active methane-cycling microorganisms and their functions across land-use types. We collected intact soil cores from three land use types (primary rainforest, pasture, and secondary rainforest) of two geographically distinct areas of the Brazilian Amazon (Santarém, Pará and Ariquemes, Rondônia) and performed DNA stable-isotope probing coupled with metagenomics to identify the active methanotrophs and methanogens. At both locations, we observed a significant change in the composition of the isotope-labeled methane-cycling microbial community across land use types, specifically an increase in the abundance and diversity of active methanogens in pastures. We conclude that a significant increase in the abundance and activity of methanogens in pasture soils could explain the greater methane flux. Furthermore, we found that secondary rainforests recovered as methane sinks, indicating the potential for reforestation to offset greenhouse gas emissions in the tropics. These findings are critical for informing land management practices and global tropical rainforest conservation.

scholarly journals Meta-Analysis of Strategies to Reduce NH3 Emissions from Slurries in European Agriculture and Consequences for Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1633
Author(s):  
Christoph Emmerling ◽  
Andreas Krein ◽  
Jürgen Junk
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ammonia Emission ◽  
Ammonia Emissions ◽  
The Impact

The intensification of livestock production, to accommodate rising human population, has led to a higher emission of ammonia into the environment. For the reduction of ammonia emissions, different management steps have been reported in most EU countries. Some authors, however, have criticized such individual measures, because attempts to abate the emission of ammonia may lead to significant increases in either methane, nitrous oxide, or carbon dioxide. In this study, we carried out a meta-analysis of experimental European data published in peer-reviewed journals to evaluate the impact of major agricultural management practices on ammonia emissions, including the pollution swapping effect. The result of our meta-analysis showed that for the treatment, storage, and application stages, only slurry acidification was effective for the reduction of ammonia emissions (−69%), and had no pollution swapping effect with other greenhouse gases, like nitrous oxide (−21%), methane (−86%), and carbon dioxide (−15%). All other management strategies, like biological treatment, separation strategies, different storage types, the concealing of the liquid slurry with different materials, and variable field applications were effective to varying degrees for the abatement of ammonia emission, but also resulted in the increased emission of at least one other greenhouse gas. The strategies focusing on the decrease of ammonia emissions neglected the consequences of the emissions of other greenhouse gases. We recommend a combination of treatment technologies, like acidification and soil incorporation, and/or embracing emerging technologies, such as microbial inhibitors and slow release fertilizers.

scholarly journals Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions under Different Land-Use Types in Savanna Ecosystems of Kenya

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Wachiye ◽  
Lutz Merbold ◽  
Timo Vesala ◽  
Janne Rinne ◽  
Matti Räsänen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
P Value ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Abstract. For effective climate change mitigation strategies, adequate data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a wide range of land-use and land cover types area prerequisite. However, GHG field measurement data are still scarce for many land-use types in Africa, causing a high uncertainty in GHG budgets. To address this knowledge gap, we present in situ measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) emissions in the lowland part of southern Kenya. We conducted chamber measurements on gas exchange from four dominant land-use types (LUTs) and included (1) cropland, (2) grazed savanna, (3) bushland, and (4) conservation land. Between 29 November 2017 to 3 November 2018, eight measurement campaigns were conducted accounting for regional seasonality (including wet and dry seasons and transitions periods) in each LUT. Mean CO2 emissions for the whole observation period were significantly higher (p-value 

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Impacts of Land Use in Water Quality and the Role of Nature-Based Solutions: A Citizen Science-Based Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10519
Author(s):  
Julia Calderón Cendejas ◽  
Lucía Madrid Ramírez ◽  
Jorge Ramírez Zierold ◽  
Julio Díaz Valenzuela ◽  
Martín Merino Ibarra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Reference Levels ◽  
The Impact

The present study explores the impact of different land uses on water quality in a Mexican basin and addresses key mitigation measures, with key measurements made by citizen scientists. The Amanalco-Valle de Bravo Basin reservoir is the major freshwater supply for Mexico City. By measuring physical-chemical and bacteriological parameters in creeks over 21 months and correlating them to land use areas, it was possible to understand the impacts of different land uses (urban, forest, riparian forests, and different agricultural systems) in water quality. The results show that the concentration of E. coli, nitrates, nitrites, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and total suspended solids were higher than the recommended reference levels, and that average oxygen saturation and alkalinity were lower than the recommended reference levels in most sites. The analysis of the Pearson correlation coefficient showed a strong relationship between water pollution and urban and agricultural land uses, specifically a higher impact of potato cultivation, due to its intensive use of agrochemicals and downhill tilling. There was a clear positive relationship between total forest area and riparian vegetation cover with improved water quality, validating their potential as nature-based solutions for the regulation of water quality. The results of the present study indicate the opportunities that better land management practices generate to ensure communities’ and water ecosystems’ health. This study also highlights the benefits of citizen science as a tool for raising awareness with regard to water quality and nature-based solutions, and as an appropriate tool for participative watershed management.

scholarly journals Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and mitigation options in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 328-342
Author(s):  
M. A Adeyemi ◽  
E. O. Akinfala
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Enteric Fermentation ◽  
Changement Climatique

Greenhouse gases are becoming devastating on agriculture and environment because of its effect on climate and global warming. The aim of this review is to provide update on livestock greenhouse gases emission and rekindle available mitigation strategies. Recently, global warming and climate change have become one of the most discussed issues globally because of their negative effect on ecosystem worldwide. The livestock sub-sector as a major source of greenhouse gas emission, has been identified to contribute substantially to the recent rise in global warming and climate change. Livestock, most importantly ruminants plays a major role in the emission of methane, one of the potent greenhouse gases. This methane is usually released through enteric fermentation in animals and manure management system, though the latter account for smaller quantity. Estimate of methane emission inventory from livestock in Nigeria showed that 96.15 % of methane produced by livestock was by ruminants with cattle alone accounting for 74.06 %. With this background, strategies to date for reducing methane emissions should centre on ruminant. Efforts to reduce methane emissions from enteric fermentation generally focus on options for improving production efficiency. This has been demonstrated with intensive animal production systems. However, in Nigeria, this system has been successful only for non-ruminants while the extensive and semi extensive systems are being practiced for ruminants. In view of this, options for reducing emissions must be selected to be consistent with country-specific circumstances. Those circumstances should include animal management practices (including cultural traditions), nutrition and economic development priorities.     Les gaz à effet de serre deviennent dévastateurs de l'agriculture et de l'environnement en raison de son effet sur le climat et le réchauffement de la planète. L'objectif de cet examen est de fournir une mise à jour sur les stratégies d'atténuation disponibles des gaz à effet de serre de bétail. Récemment, le réchauffement climatique et le changement climatique sont devenus l'une des questions les plus discutées à l'échelle mondiale en raison de leur effet négatif sur l'écosystème mondial. Le sous-secteur de l'élevage en tant que source majeure d'émissions de gaz à effet de serre, a été identifié pour contribuer de manière substantielle à la hausse récente du réchauffement de la planète et du changement climatique. Le bétail, plus important encore, les ruminants jouent un rôle majeur dans l'émission de méthane, l'un des gaz à effet de serre puissants. Ce méthane est généralement libéré par la fermentation entérique chez les animaux et le système de gestion de fumier, bien que ces derniers représentent une plus petite quantité. L'estimation des stocks d'émissions de méthane provenant du bétail au Nigéria a montré que 96,15% de méthane produites par le bétail étaient par des ruminants avec des bovins à eux-mêmes représentant 74,06%. Avec ce contexte, des stratégies à ce jour pour réduire les émissions de méthane doivent être centrées sur le ruminant. Les efforts visant à réduire les émissions de méthane de la fermentation entérique se concentrent généralement sur les options d'amélioration de l'efficacité de la production. Cela a été démontré avec des systèmes de production d'animaux intensifs. Cependant, au Nigéria, ce système n'a abouti que pour les non-ruminants tandis que les systèmes étendus et semi-étendus sont pratiqués pour les ruminants. Compte tenu de cela, les options de réduction des émissions doivent être sélectionnées pour être cohérentes avec des circonstances spécifiques à chaque pays. Ces circonstances devraient inclure des pratiques de gestion des animaux (y compris des traditions culturelles), des priorités de nutrition et de développement économique

Mitigation strategies to reduce enteric methane emissions from dairy cows: Update review

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Boadi ◽  
C. Benchaar ◽  
J. Chiquette ◽  
D. Massé
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Ruminal Fermentation ◽  
Enteric Methane ◽  
Dietary Strategies

Enteric methane (CH4) emission is a major contributor to Canadian greenhouse gas emissions, and also a loss of feed energy during production. The objective of this paper is to provide an update on current management practices and new dietary strategies recently proposed to reduce CH4 emissions from ruminants. Existing mitigation strategies for dairy, e.g., the addition of ionophores, fats, use of high-quality forages, and increased use of grains, have been well researched and applied. These nutritional changes reduce CH4 emissions by manipulating ruminal fermentation, directly inhibiting methanogens and protozoa, or by diverting hydrogen ions away from methanogens. Current literature has identified new CH4 mitigation options. These include the addition of probiotics, acetogens, bacteriocins, archaeal viruses, organic acids, plant extracts (e.g., essential oils) to the diet, as well as immunization, and genetic selection of cows. These new strategies are promising, but more research is needed to validate these approaches and to assess in vivo their effectiveness in reducing CH4 production by dairy cows. It is also important to evaluate CH4 mitigation strategies in terms of the total greenhouse gas budget and to consider the cost associated with the various strategies. More basic understanding of the natural differences in digestion efficiencies among animals as well as a better knowledge of methanogens and their interaction with other organisms in the rumen would enable us to exploit the potential of some of the new CH4 mitigation strategies for dairy cattle production. Key words: Enteric methane, dairy cattle, mitigation

scholarly journals Rainforest-to-pasture conversion stimulates soil methanogenesis across the Brazilian Amazon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie E. Kroeger ◽  
Laura K. Meredith ◽  
Kyle M. Meyer ◽  
Kevin D. Webster ◽  
Plinio Barbosa de Camargo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Methane Cycling ◽  
Agricultural Conversion ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Pasture Conversion

Abstract The Amazon rainforest is a biodiversity hotspot and large terrestrial carbon sink threatened by agricultural conversion. Rainforest-to-pasture conversion stimulates the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The biotic methane cycle is driven by microorganisms; therefore, this study focused on active methane-cycling microorganisms and their functions across land-use types. We collected intact soil cores from three land use types (primary rainforest, pasture, and secondary rainforest) of two geographically distinct areas of the Brazilian Amazon (Santarém, Pará and Ariquemes, Rondônia) and performed DNA stable-isotope probing coupled with metagenomics to identify the active methanotrophs and methanogens. At both locations, we observed a significant change in the composition of the isotope-labeled methane-cycling microbial community across land use types, specifically an increase in the abundance and diversity of active methanogens in pastures. We conclude that a significant increase in the abundance and activity of methanogens in pasture soils could drive increased soil methane emissions. Furthermore, we found that secondary rainforests had decreased methanogenic activity similar to primary rainforests, and thus a potential to recover as methane sinks, making it conceivable for forest restoration to offset greenhouse gas emissions in the tropics. These findings are critical for informing land management practices and global tropical rainforest conservation.

scholarly journals UK emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1593) ◽  
pp. 1175-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Skiba ◽  
S. K. Jones ◽  
U. Dragosits ◽  
J. Drewer ◽  
D. Fowler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Emission Factor ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Emission Factors ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Anthropogenic Source ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Tier 1

Signatories of the Kyoto Protocol are obliged to submit annual accounts of their anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which include nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Emissions from the sectors industry (3.8 Gg), energy (14.4 Gg), agriculture (86.8 Gg), wastewater (4.4 Gg), land use, land-use change and forestry (2.1 Gg) can be calculated by multiplying activity data (i.e. amount of fertilizer applied, animal numbers) with simple emission factors (Tier 1 approach), which are generally applied across wide geographical regions. The agricultural sector is the largest anthropogenic source of N 2 O in many countries and responsible for 75 per cent of UK N 2 O emissions. Microbial N 2 O production in nitrogen-fertilized soils (27.6 Gg), nitrogen-enriched waters (24.2 Gg) and manure storage systems (6.4 Gg) dominate agricultural emission budgets. For the agricultural sector, the Tier 1 emission factor approach is too simplistic to reflect local variations in climate, ecosystems and management, and is unable to take into account some of the mitigation strategies applied. This paper reviews deviations of observed emissions from those calculated using the simple emission factor approach for all anthropogenic sectors, briefly discusses the need to adopt specific emission factors that reflect regional variability in climate, soil type and management, and explains how bottom-up emission inventories can be verified by top-down modelling.

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