Exploring Linkages between Supporting, Regulating, and Provisioning Ecosystem Services in Rangelands in a Tropical Agro-Forest Frontier

Rangeland management in former tropical rainforest areas may affect ecosystem services. We hypothesized that management practices like burning and overgrazing reduce supporting (soil quality) and consequently also provisioning (forage productivity and quality) and regulating (nutrient cycling) ecosystem services. We established 31 exclosures in two landscape categories (alluvial soils, low-hills), documented management practices, and assessed 18 soil quality indicators, litter decomposition as a proxy for nutrient cycling, and forage quantity and quality during one year in grasslands of the Lacandon region, southeast Mexico. Path analysis was used to explore direct and indirect effects of livestock management practices on soil-based ecosystem services. Landscape position had direct effects on management practices, and direct and indirect effects on soil properties. Altitude (a proxy for the soil catena, ranging from alluvial soils along the Lacantún river to Cambisols and Acrisols in the low-hills) was the variable showing most significant negative relations with soil quality and forage production. Decomposition rate was site-specific and had no relation with landscape position and management. Our study suggests that position on the landscape, which relates to nutrient and water availability, had stronger effects than management practices on forage productivity and quality and drives farmers management practices.

Download Full-text

Management trade‐offs on ecosystem services in apple orchards across Europe: Direct and indirect effects of organic production

Journal of Applied Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2664.13292 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 56 (4) ◽

pp. 802-811 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Ulrika Samnegård ◽

Georgina Alins ◽

Virginie Boreux ◽

Jordi Bosch ◽

Daniel García ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Organic Production ◽

Direct And Indirect Effects ◽

Apple Orchards ◽

Trade Offs

Download Full-text

Risk Reduction and Productivity Increase Through Integrating Arachis pintoi in Cattle Production Systems in the Colombian Orinoquía

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems ◽

10.3389/fsufs.2021.666604 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Author(s):

Karen Johanna Enciso Valencia ◽

Álvaro Rincón Castillo ◽

Daniel Alejandro Ruden ◽

Stefan Burkart

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Management Practices ◽

Production Systems ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Cattle Production ◽

Forage Production ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Arachis Pintoi ◽

The Impact

In many parts of the foothills of the Orinoquía region of Colombia, cattle production takes place on poorly drained soils. The region is dominated by extensive grazing systems of Brachiaira humidicola cv. Humidicola, a grass with high adaptation potential under temporal waterlogging conditions. Inadequate management practices and low soil fertility result in degradation, however, with important negative effects on pasture productivity and the quality and provision of (soil) ecosystem services–a situation that is likely to worsen in the near future due to climate change. Against this background, AGROSAVIA (Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria) selected Arachis pintoi CIAT 22160 cv. Centauro (Centauro) as a promising alternative for the sustainable intensification of livestock production and rehabilitation of degraded areas. This study assesses dual-purpose milk production in the foothills of the Colombian Orinoquía from an economic perspective. We compare two production systems: the Centauro–Brachiaira humidicola cv. Humidicola association (new system) and Brachiaira humidicola cv. Humidicola as a monoculture (traditional system). We used cashflow and risk assessment models to estimate economic indicators. The projections for economic returns consider changes in forage characteristics under regional climate change scenarios RCP (2.6, 8.5). The LIFE-SIM model was used to simulate dairy production. Results show that the inclusion of Centauro has the potential to increase animal productivity and profitability under different market scenarios. The impact of climatic variables on forage production is considerable in both climate change scenarios. Both total area and potential distribution of Centauro could change, and biomass production could decline. Brachiaira humidicola cv. Humidicola showed better persistence due to higher nitrogen levels in soil when grown in association with Centauro. The legume also provides a number of ecosystem services, such as improving soil structure and composition, and also contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This helps to improve the adaptation and mitigation capacity of the system.

Download Full-text

Plant trait-based models identify direct and indirect effects of climate change on bundles of grassland ecosystem services

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1216051111 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 111 (38) ◽

pp. 13751-13756 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

P. Lamarque ◽

S. Lavorel ◽

M. Mouchet ◽

F. Quetier

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Direct And Indirect Effects ◽

Grassland Ecosystem ◽

Plant Trait

Download Full-text

Understanding direct and indirect effects of Payment for Ecosystem Services on resource use and wildlife

Anthropocene ◽

10.1016/j.ancene.2020.100255 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 100255 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hsiang Ling Chen ◽

Rebecca L. Lewison ◽

Li An ◽

Shuang Yang ◽

Lei Shi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Resource Use ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Direct And Indirect Effects ◽

Payment For Ecosystem Services

Download Full-text

Managing Human Capital

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190650230.013.19 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

David J. Ketchen ◽

T. Russell Crook ◽

Samuel Y. Todd ◽

James G. Combs ◽

David J. Woehr

Keyword(s):

Human Capital ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Management Practices ◽

Direct And Indirect Effects ◽

Impact Performance ◽

Strategic Resources ◽

Hr Management ◽

Strategic Human Capital ◽

And Performance ◽

The Impact

This article explores human resource (HR) management and its interrelationship with strategic human capital and performance. Drawing on data from 158 studies of human capital, the authors consider how synchronized systems of HR management practices affect human capital and how individual practices impact performance. The authors also look at the impact of synchronized systems of practices on performance in relation to human capital and existing resources. The authors describe resource-based theory that explains performance differences and how firms manage their strategic resources to enhance performance. Finally, the work compares the direct and indirect effects of HR practices and systems on performance.

Download Full-text

Direct and indirect effects of climate and fishing on changes in coastal ecosystem services: a historical perspective from the North Sea

Regional Environmental Change ◽

10.1007/s10113-014-0635-7 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 341-351 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Samiya A. Selim ◽

Julia L. Blanchard ◽

Jacob Bedford ◽

Thomas J. Webb

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

North Sea ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Historical Perspective ◽

Coastal Ecosystem ◽

Direct And Indirect Effects ◽

The North ◽

The North Sea

Download Full-text

Supporting evidence varies for rangeland management practices that seek to improve soil properties and forage production in California

California Agriculture ◽

10.3733/ca.2020a0015 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 101-111

Author(s):

Chelsea J. Carey ◽

Kelly Gravuer ◽

Sasha Gennet ◽

Dillon Osleger ◽

Stephen A. Wood

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Management Practices ◽

Evidence Synthesis ◽

Soil Health ◽

Rangeland Management ◽

Published Data ◽

Individual Plant ◽

Supporting Evidence ◽

Riparian Restoration ◽

Forage Production

California is increasingly investing in policies and programs that promote soil stewardship on natural and working lands as a way to help achieve multiple goals, including improved forage production and climate change mitigation. To inform the growing expectations for rangeland management activities to promote such services, we conducted an evidence synthesis assessing how four commonly suggested practices (silvopasture, prescribed grazing, compost application and riparian restoration) affect a suite of soil properties and plant-related metrics throughout the state. We extracted data on soil properties that are potentially responsive to management and relevant to soil health. We also extracted data on aboveground forage production, forage nitrogen content and herbaceous species richness. Our search resulted in 399 individual soil observations and 64 individual plant observations. We found that the presence of oaks had the largest effects on soil properties, with soil organic carbon, microbial biomass and other measures of soil fertility increasing beneath oak canopies. The presence of grazing increased compaction and total nitrogen, and decreased pH. Compost applications did not significantly affect any of the measured soil properties, but did boost forage production. Due to a lack of published data, we were unable to characterize the influence of rangeland riparian restoration on any of the soil or plant metrics in our review.

Download Full-text