scholarly journals Ecosystem Services Valuation for the Sustainable Land Use Management by Nature-Based Solution (NbS) in the Common Agricultural Policy Actions: A Case Study on the Foglia River Basin (Marche Region, Italy)

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Elisa Morri ◽  
Riccardo Santolini
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Land Use Management ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Human Wellbeing

Agricultural land is a very important ecosystem that provides a range of services like food, maintenance of soil structure, and hydrological services with high ecological value to human wellbeing Ecosystem Services (ESs). Understanding the contribution of different agricultural practices to supply ESs would help inform choices about the most beneficial land use management. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are defined by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, which address societal challenges (e.g., climate change, food and water security, or natural disasters) effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human wellbeing and biodiversity benefits. Some actions farmers can implement in the new Rural Development Programs (RDP 2021–2022 and 2023–2027) can be considered as NbS and could affect the quantity, quality, and time of some ESs related to water regulation and supply, N adsorption and erosion protection. This study aims to evaluate these ESs in different scenarios in the upper Foglia river basin (Italy) and at a local scale (farming), and to highlight the issue to compensate farmers for the production of public goods which benefit the whole society (ESs) by the implementation of RDP’s actions. These scenarios highlight how actions have positive effects on ecosystem services and their economic value related to land use management, on maintaining agricultural practices by integrating Water Frame Directive (2000/60/EC), Directive 2007/60/EC on the management of flood risks and highlighting the potential role of farmers in a high diversity landscape. This study highlights a new way to evaluate the processes of natural capital in the production of public goods, which benefits the whole society (ESs), by emphasizing the economic and environmental role of farmers in producing them and putting on the table data to trigger a PES (Payment for Ecosystem Services) mechanism. To facilitate decision making, robust decision support tools are needed, underpinned by comprehensive cost-benefit analyses and spatially modeling in which agriculture can be a strategic sector to optimize food production and environmental protection in harmony with the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy.

scholarly journals The potential for land use change to reduce flood risk in mid-sized catchments in the Myjava region of Slovakia

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Rončák ◽  
Evelin Lisovszki ◽  
Ján Szolgay ◽  
Kamila Hlavčová ◽  
Silvia Kohnová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Land Use Management ◽  
Land Use Scenarios ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe effects of land use management practices on surface runoff are evident on a local scale, but evidence of their impact on the scale of a watershed is limited. This study focuses on an analysis of the impact of land use changes on the flood regime in the Myjava River basin, which is located in Western Slovakia. The Myjava River basin has an area of 641.32 km2and is typified by the formation of fast runoff processes, intensive soil erosion, and muddy floods. The main factors responsible for these problems with flooding and soil erosion are the basin’s location, geology, pedology, agricultural land use, and cropping practices. The GIS-based, spatially distributed WetSpa rainfall-runoff model was used to simulate mean daily discharges in the outlet of the basin as well as the individual components of the water balance. The model was calibrated based on the period between 1997 and 2012 with outstanding results (an NS coefficient of 0.702). Various components of runoff (e.g., surface, interflow and groundwater) and several elements of the hydrological balance (evapotranspiration and soil moisture) were simulated under various land use scenarios. Six land use scenarios (‘crop’, ‘grass’, ‘forest’, ‘slope’, ‘elevation’ and ‘optimal’) were developed. The first three scenarios exhibited the ability of the WetSpa model to simulate runoff under changed land use conditions and enabled a better adjustment of the land use parameters of the model. Three other “more realistic” land use scenarios, which were based on the distribution of land use classes (arable land, grass and forest) regarding permissible slopes in the catchment, confirmed the possibility of reducing surface runoff and maximum discharges with applicable changes in land use and land management. These scenarios represent practical, realistic and realizable land use management solutions and they could be economically implemented to mitigate soil erosion processes and enhance the flood protection measures in the Myjava River basin.

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 How Can We Represent Seasonal Land Use Dynamics in SWAT and SWAT+ Models for African Cultivated Catchments?

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1541
Author(s):  
Albert Nkwasa ◽  
Celray James Chawanda ◽  
Anna Msigwa ◽  
Hans C. Komakech ◽  
Boud Verbeiren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Land Use Dynamics ◽  
Cropping Seasons ◽  
Decision Tables ◽  
Land Cover Maps

In SWAT and SWAT+ models, the variations in hydrological processes are represented by Hydrological Response Units (HRUs). In the default models, agricultural land cover is represented by a single growing cycle. However, agricultural land use, especially in African cultivated catchments, typically consists of several cropping seasons, following dry and wet seasonal patterns, and are hence incorrectly represented in SWAT and SWAT+ default models. In this paper, we propose a procedure to incorporate agricultural seasonal land-use dynamics by (1) mapping land-use trajectories instead of static land-cover maps and (2) linking these trajectories to agricultural management settings. This approach was tested in SWAT and SWAT+ models of Usa catchment in Tanzania that is intensively cultivated by implementing dominant dynamic trajectories. Our results were evaluated with remote-sensing observations for Leaf Area Index (LAI), which showed that a single growing cycle did not well represent vegetation dynamics. A better agreement was obtained after implementing seasonal land-use dynamics for cultivated HRUs. It was concluded that the representation of seasonal land-use dynamics through trajectory implementation can lead to improved temporal patterns of LAI in default models. The SWAT+ model had higher flexibility in representing agricultural practices, using decision tables, and by being able to represent mixed cropping cultivations.

Agricultural Land Management Options Following Large-Scale Environmental Contamination: Evaluation for Fukushima Affected Agricultural Land

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hildegarde Vandenhove
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Management Option ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi ◽  
Agricultural Land Management

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has raised questions about the accumulation of radionuclides in soils, the transfer in the foodchain and the possibility of continued restricted future land use. This paper summarizes what is generally understood about the application of agricultural countermeasures as a land management option to reduce the radionuclides transfer in the food chain and to facilitate the return of potentially affected soils to agricultural practices in areas impacted by a nuclear accident.

ANALYSIS OF DYNAMICS OF LAND USE STRUCTURE AND SOIL FERTILITY INDICATORS OVER THE KLYAZMA RIVER BASIN

2021 ◽  
pp. 88-98
Author(s):  
I.N. Kurochkin ◽  
◽  
E.Yu. Kulagina ◽  
N.V. Chugay ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Land Use Structure ◽  
Vladimir Region ◽  
Fallow Lands ◽  
Analysis Of Dynamics

The main trends in changing the land use structure in the territory of the Klyazma River basin were de-scribed in the article. Using GIS technologies and remote sensing data the areas of land with different land use regimes in the studied territory were determined in the period from 2001 to 2019. The indices of LAI and FPAR phytoproductivity for the territory of the Klyazma basin as a whole, and for each basin included in it were determined. The analysis of the dynamics of changes occurring in the structure of land use is carried out. For the territory of Vladimir region, which is a part of the Klyazma River basin, an assessment of soil types distribution over occupied area was carried out. An integral indicator of soil fertility was calcu-lated on the basis of statistical data of agrochemical indicators. The fraction of fallow lands decreased by 2019 and it amounts 33.76% of the total area of the studied territory. The fraction of mixed forests increased from 38.48% in 2001 to 44.50% in 2019 due to the formation of fast-growing tree species shoots on fallow lands. The area of meadow vegetation for the period from 2015 to 2019 decreased by 3.5%, from 4 276 to 3 121 km2, due to agriculture degradation and a significant decrease in livestock grazing. The indicator of soil fertility for the Klyazma basin was 0.74, which is a high indicator. It is established that the most active decrease in the agricultural land area occurs in the central, north-western and western parts of the river basin.

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