scholarly journals Hotspots of Agricultural Ecosystem Services and Farmland Biodiversity Overlap with Areas at Risk of Land Abandonment in Japan

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1031
Author(s):  
Keiko Sasaki ◽  
Stefan Hotes ◽  
Tomohiro Ichinose ◽  
Tomoko Doko ◽  
Volkmar Wolters
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Rural Tourism ◽  
Forest Edges ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystem ◽  
Farmland Biodiversity ◽  
Farmland Abandonment ◽  
Biological Communities

Agriculture provides a wide range of ecosystem services and has the potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation. In Japan, many of the resources associated with agroecosystems are threatened by farmland abandonment. Identifying where and to what extent agricultural ecosystem services and farmland biodiversity are affected by farmland abandonment is essential for developing effective strategies to counter the potential loss of these services and the biological communities that support them. Our study aimed to examine how a set of indicators for ecosystem services and biodiversity linked to agroecosystems (proportions of land dedicated to rice production and other agricultural production, proportion of agricultural land on slopes potentially providing landscape aesthetics, proportion of villages promoting rural tourism, and densities of forest edges and irrigation ponds in agricultural land) are distributed at the municipal level across the Japanese Archipelago, and to analyze their spatial patterns in relation to the distribution of farmland abandonment. It was hypothesized that hotspots of agricultural ecosystem services and farmland biodiversity occur in areas at risk of farmland abandonment owing to shared drivers. The cluster analysis identified four distinct ecosystem service bundle types, two of them representing areas specializing in agricultural production, while the other two provided high levels of cultural services and habitats for diverse biological communities. The latter two bundles were located in hilly and mountainous areas and accounted for 58% of rice production, 27% of other agricultural production, 77% of landscape aesthetics, 77% of rural tourism, 64% of forest edges, and 87% of irrigation ponds in Japan. In support of the hypothesis, farmland abandonment was pronounced in these areas, with 64% of recently abandoned fields located where 44% of agricultural land was found. This spatial overlap suggests that substantial losses of ecosystem services and biodiversity may occur if current patterns of farmland abandonment continue. In order to prevent large-scale losses of agricultural ecosystem services and farmland biodiversity, measures to counteract the ongoing abandonment trends should prioritize hilly and mountainous areas, and future studies should further evaluate the multiple functions of agricultural areas to improve policies that aim to ensure sustainable development of rural areas in Japan.

Ecosystem Valuation of Agricultural Land Use Change

2022 ◽  
pp. 90-126
Author(s):  
Dimple Behal
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystem ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Rapid Pace

With the rapid pace of urbanization, land-use change is essential for economic and social progress; however, it does not come without costs. With such rapid urbanization, there comes pressure on the land and its resources, like that of food and timber production with a significant impact on the livelihood of millions of people. With the loss of agricultural land due to developmental activities, future agriculture would be very intensive. Therefore, it is likely with the existing pattern of allocating land uses for future development that we may lose the ecosystem services and highly productive agricultural lands. The value of these ecosystem services to agriculture is enormous and often underappreciated. The study focuses on identifying underlying causes of the land-use change, ecosystem services affected due to land-use change in peri-urban areas of Chandigarh using spatial mapping of affected ecosystem services and suggesting proposals for promoting agricultural ecosystem values using economically-informed policy instruments.

scholarly journals CONVERSION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND TO NON-AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES IN SELECTED POLISH METROPOLITAN AREAS

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Sroka
Keyword(s):  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Land Conversion ◽  
Farmland Abandonment ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Core

The aim of the paper is to determine the scale of agricultural land conversion in gmina (municipalities) located in selected metropolitan areas of Poland. Analyses were conducted taking into account the location of agricultural land in relation to the core of metropolitan area and its suitability for agricultural production. The research has shown that in the metropolitan areas selected for analysis, agricultural land conversion in the period 1996–2014 was over twice as fast as the average for Poland, with the most land converted in the core of a metropolitan area, little less in the first zone of gmina around the core, and the least in gmina located on the outskirts of a metropolitan area. The hypothesis saying that the distance of a gmina from the core of the metropolitan area is a significant factor in the differences in conversion processes, and high quality of environmental conditions of agricultural production does not limit (in a significant way) the process of farmland abandonment has been positively verified.

scholarly journals MODELING THE EFFECTS OF LAND USE TRANSFORMATION USING ECOSYSTEM SERVICE ASSESSMENT

2021 ◽  
pp. 173-186
Author(s):  
Anton Ev. Nazarenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Land Productivity ◽  
The West ◽  
Fallow Lands ◽  
Land Use Transformation ◽  
Effects Of Land Use

The study analyzes the possibilities of using cost estimates of ecosystem services to assess the effects of transformations in land use. The consequences of transformations were assessed by comparing the value of basic ecosystem services for different patterns of the land use structure, taking into account the fact that the volume of ecosystem services provided is limited by the ecosystem sustainability limits. To estimate ecosystem services, the methodology developed by the author was used. It is based on the indicators of agricultural land productivity and their value terms. The assessment was carried out for the Zarinsky district of Altai Krai, located at the junction of the West Siberian and Altai-Sayan physicogeographical countries. The study has revealed that the greatest value of basic ecosystem services in the region with agricultural specialization can be achieved by optimizing the agricultural load – reducing the share of arable land and increasing the share of forage land in the total area. It is proposed to implement this by involving plots of fallow lands in circulation: some of the plots are proposed to be used for reforestation, while others – for haying and grazing. This will balance the need to maximize agricultural production, while not reducing the sustainability of the ecosystems.

scholarly journals Farmland abandonment in Europe: an overview of drivers, consequences, and assessment of the sustainability implications

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 396-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eda Ustaoglu ◽  
Marcus J. Collier
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Land Abandonment ◽  
Farmland Abandonment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

In the last decades, there have been large areas of agricultural land that were abandoned in Europe, producing significant social and environmental impacts. Land abandonment is a dynamic process, which is influenced by a complex range of drivers that vary over time and space. This process is driven by a combination of socio-economic, political, and environmental factors by which formerly cultivated fields are no longer economically viable under existing land-use and socio-economic conditions. The implications of land abandonment on biodiversity and other ecosystem services can be positive or negative depending on the conservation status of the area, agro-climatic conditions, and local factors. Therefore, the scope and extent of environmental impacts vary over time and location. Considering that land abandonment is a contentious issue in Europe, there is still growing need for research on this topic. This paper reviews (i) drivers and consequences of farmland abandonment in Europe, (ii) policy measures and tools developed by the European Union in relation to land abandonment process, (iii) the impacts and indicators that are used to assess ecosystem services that are related to land abandonment, and (iv) the methods by which socio-economic, environmental, and cultural values can be assessed. An overview of key impacts and indicators and the impact assessment methodologies will guide policy-making and planning processes that focus on sustainability impact assessment of land abandonment related to ecosystem services in Europe.

A literature review on evaluation of agricultural ecosystem services

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1045-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng-Yong YANG ◽  
Huai-Yu YANG ◽  
Zong-Xiang GUO
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystem

scholarly journals The Role of Selected Ecosystem Services in Different Farming Systems in Poland Regarding the Differentiation of Agricultural Land Structure

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6673
Author(s):  
Lidia Luty ◽  
Kamila Musiał ◽  
Monika Zioło
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Organic System ◽  
Supporting Soil ◽  
Management Method ◽  
The Impact

The functioning of various agroecosystems is nowadays shaped by different farming systems, which may impair their functions, as well as being beneficial to them. The benefits include ecosystem services, defined as economic and noneconomic values gained by humans from ecosystems, through supporting soil formation and nutrient circulation, and the impact of agriculture on climate and biodiversity. Their mutual flow and various disturbances depend on the agroecosystem’s management method, which is associated with the type of management of agricultural land (AL) in individual farms. This paper raises a problem of transformation in the structure of three main farming systems in Poland, in 2004–2018, in relation to the implementation of 16 selected ecosystem services and their scale. Special attention was given to organic farming, as the most environmentally friendly and sustainable. The analysis demonstrates the increase in ALs in that type of production during the analyzed period of time. Disparities of transformation associated with the type of agricultural system were noticeable at the regional level, which were presented in 16 Polish voivodeships. The results of the analysis confirm that the organic system, which is an important carrier of various ecosystem services, gained a stable position. Moreover, areas with integrated farming still do not exceed 0.5% of total agricultural lands in such voivodeships. The analysis of factors influencing the deterioration or disappearance of selected environmental services characterizing agricultural systems indicates the need to depart from an intensive conventional management system.

scholarly journals Optimal Solutions for the Use of Sewage Sludge on Agricultural Lands

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 585
Author(s):  
Catalina Iticescu ◽  
Puiu-Lucian Georgescu ◽  
Maxim Arseni ◽  
Adrian Rosu ◽  
Mihaela Timofti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Chemical Characteristics ◽  
Optimal Solutions ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Made In

The use of sewage sludge in agriculture decreases the pressure on landfills. In Romania, massive investments have been made in wastewater treatment stations, which have resulted in the accumulation of important quantities of sewage sludge. The presence of these sewage sludges coincides with large areas of degraded agricultural land. The aim of the present article is to identify the best technological combinations meant to solve these problems simultaneously. Adapting the quality and parameters of the sludge to the specificity of the land solves the possible compatibility problems, thus reducing the impact on the environment. The physico-chemical characteristics of the fermented sludge were monitored and optimal solutions for their treatment were suggested so as to allow that the sludge could be used in agriculture according to the characteristics of the soils. The content of heavy metals in the sewage sludge was closely monitored because the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer does not allow for any increases in the concentrations of these in soils. The article identifies those agricultural areas which are suitable for the use of sludge, as well as ways of correcting some parameters (e.g., pH), which allow the improvement of soil quality and obtained higher agricultural production.

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