Climate change impacts on the Alpine, Continental and Mediterranean grassland systems of Italy: a review

The ongoing climate change, which is threatening grassland agroecosystems throughout Europe, is also evident in the Italian grasslands. These systems, often located in marginal areas, are species-rich ecosystems characterized by variable, and often unreliable, grass and forage production and strongly dependent on interactions between climate, soil and agricultural management practices (e.g. land abandonment, lack of investments on innovation, stocking rates reduction, etc.), making them very sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. This review draws from the scientific literature the impacts of current and expected climatic changes on grassland and forage crop systems framed in three different bio-climatic zones of Italy, namely the Alpine, Continental and Mediterranean, and focussing on i) grassland biodiversity and vegetation and ii) forage production and quality. The main aims of this review are to i) revise the existing literature in the domain, highlighting different or common trends among different Italian biogeographical regions, ii) provide information on the main climatic impacts analysed and drivers involved in the studied evolutions, and iii) point out the knowledge gaps currently pending in order to hypothesize the future scenarios of research in this sector. Even if this review has pointed out differences in approaches, adopted methodologies and purposes of conducted researches, some common trends can be highlighted, though located in three different environments. Expected warming and modification on rainfall pattern will produce deep changes in vegetation of grassland types, with reduction or the disappearance of cold tolerant species and a spread of xeric/termophilous ones and shrubby vegetation and with a general upward shift of vegetation types in mountain areas. Moreover, a general reduction of aboveground biomass is expected, as summer droughts is considered a main driver able to force grassland productivity. Finally, warming and rainfall reduction are considered the main factors able to reduce forage quality and palatability of grasslands, as a consequence of reduction of nitrogen content in the available biomass and of the higher spread of less unpalatable species and shrubs. The hypothesis is that the information gained from this review can provide insights on the current level of knowledge on the expected impacts of climate change on Italian grassland systems, and support the development of policy strategies for adaptation at national level.

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Droughts, floods and freshwater ecosystems: evaluating climate change impacts and developing adaptation strategies

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf09285 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 223 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Allison Aldous ◽

James Fitzsimons ◽

Brian Richter ◽

Leslie Bach

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Case Studies ◽

Management Practices ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

South Eastern ◽

Eastern Australia

Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on hydrologic regimes and freshwater ecosystems, and yet few basins have adequate numerical models to guide the development of freshwater climate adaptation strategies. Such strategies can build on existing freshwater conservation activities, and incorporate predicted climate change impacts. We illustrate this concept with three case studies. In the Upper Klamath Basin of the western USA, a shift in land management practices would buffer this landscape from a declining snowpack. In the Murray–Darling Basin of south-eastern Australia, identifying the requirements of flood-dependent natural values would better inform the delivery of environmental water in response to reduced runoff and less water. In the Savannah Basin of the south-eastern USA, dam managers are considering technological and engineering upgrades in response to more severe floods and droughts, which would also improve the implementation of recommended environmental flows. Even though the three case studies are in different landscapes, they all contain significant freshwater biodiversity values. These values are threatened by water allocation problems that will be exacerbated by climate change, and yet all provide opportunities for the development of effective climate adaptation strategies.

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Nature-Based Solutions to face climate change adaptation and mitigation in Mediterranean watersheds

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-2035 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Itxaso Ruiz ◽

María José Sanz

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Land Management ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Management Practices ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Watershed Scale ◽

Sustainable Rural Development ◽

Adaptation And Mitigation

Rural areas of the Mediterranean watersheds face great environmental challenges, where climate change impacts the water cycle, the soil, and biodiversity, which are often priority issues for adaptation. These, have been aggravated by historical land management practices trends. In this context, we propose Nature Based Solutions (NBS) in the form of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) actions at the watershed scale to achieve climate change adaptation and mitigation while promoting other ecosystem services.SLM actions are local adaptation practices that promote sustainable rural development. Thus, we seek the combination of several actions to achieve regional (watershed scale) more integrated approaches. With this study, we aim at proving that NBS, and thus SLM, is a successful tool for alleviating climate change impacts (i.e. water scarcity, enhanced erosion, biodiversity decline) while promoting the role of land in mitigation and enhancing biodiversity in the rural Mediterranean areas.For this, we propose a novel conceptualization of SLM actions that moves from their local application and evaluation to the regional more systemic approaches through their combination. Results show synergies in the atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere, allow for the upscaling of SLM through systemic approaches and point at direct contributions to several Sustainable Development Goals.

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Exposure to Floods, Climate Change, and Poverty in Vietnam

10.5194/nhess-2017-100 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Mook Bangalore ◽

Andrew Smith ◽

Ted Veldkamp

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Flood Hazard ◽

National Level ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Ho Chi Minh City ◽

Poor People ◽

Socioeconomic Conditions ◽

Socioeconomic Data ◽

The City ◽

Level Analysis

Abstract. With 70 percent of its population living in coastal areas and low-lying deltas, Vietnam is highly exposed to riverine and coastal flooding. This paper examines the exposure of the population and poor people in particular to current and future flooding in Vietnam and specifically in Ho Chi Minh City, using new high-resolution flood hazard maps and spatial socioeconomic data. The national-level analysis finds that a third of today’s population is already exposed to a flood, which occurs once every 25 years, assuming no protection. For the same return period flood under current socioeconomic conditions, climate change may increase the number exposed to 38 to 46 percent of the population. Climate change impacts can make frequent events as important as rare ones: the estimates suggest a 25-year flood under future conditions can expose more people than a 200-year flood under current conditions. Although poor districts are not found to be more exposed to floods at the national level, the city-level analysis of Ho Chi Minh City provides evidence that slum areas are highly exposed. The results of this paper show the benefits of investing today in flood risk management, and can provide guidance as to where future investments may be targeted.

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BOVISOL Project: Breeding and Management Practices of Indigenous Bovine Breeds: Solutions towards a Sustainable Future

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12239891 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (23) ◽

pp. 9891

Author(s):

Sofiane Boudalia ◽

Samia Ben Said ◽

Dimitrios Tsiokos ◽

Aissam Bousbia ◽

Yassine Gueroui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Management Practices ◽

National Level ◽

Farming Systems ◽

World Population ◽

Livestock Farming ◽

Slow Food ◽

Sustainable Future ◽

Mediterranean Countries

In order to deal with the effects of globalization, urbanization, increase in world population, global warming, and climate change; and according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 targets, which aim to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, it is urgently needed to transform our agriculture and livestock farming systems by taking into account the environmental considerations. The Breeding and management practices of indigenous bovine breeds: Solutions towards a sustainable future (BOVISOL) project is a scientific cooperation between three Mediterranean countries (Greece, Tunisia and Algeria) supported and funded by the European Commission under the European Research Area Networks (ERA-NET) scheme of the 7th Framework Programme. This project has been formed around the hypothesis that the local bovine breeds must be preserved since they possess a valuable genetic pool, and they are a part of the landscape and the biodiversity of rural areas. Moreover, their products (milk, cheese, meat, etc.) could contribute significantly to the local economies as they could easily be associated with recent food trends like “local” and “slow food”, which are considered today, as, not only a mean of nutrition, but also a way of living and a part of people’s identity. BOVISOL project aims to: (i) identify the local breeds and populations in a national level, (ii) describe the existing farm and breeding practices, (iii) analyze the quality of the main local animal products, (iv) propose solutions that will promote the sustainability of the traditional farming systems, especially nowadays that climate change proposes new challenges on animal production, and (v) disseminate the solutions on all the levels of the sector (farmers, scientists, local communities, governmental agencies).

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Climate change impacts on northern Australian rangeland livestock carrying capacity: a review of issues

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj08068 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 99

Author(s):

G. M. McKeon ◽

G. S. Stone ◽

J. I. Syktus ◽

J. O. Carter ◽

N. R. Flood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carrying Capacity ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Systems Science ◽

Forage Production ◽

Climate Change Projections ◽

Current Trends ◽

Best Estimate ◽

Climate Systems

Grazing is a major land use in Australia’s rangelands. The ‘safe’ livestock carrying capacity (LCC) required to maintain resource condition is strongly dependent on climate. We reviewed: the approaches for quantifying LCC; current trends in climate and their effect on components of the grazing system; implications of the ‘best estimates’ of climate change projections for LCC; the agreement and disagreement between the current trends and projections; and the adequacy of current models of forage production in simulating the impact of climate change. We report the results of a sensitivity study of climate change impacts on forage production across the rangelands, and we discuss the more general issues facing grazing enterprises associated with climate change, such as ‘known uncertainties’ and adaptation responses (e.g. use of climate risk assessment). We found that the method of quantifying LCC from a combination of estimates (simulations) of long-term (>30 years) forage production and successful grazier experience has been well tested across northern Australian rangelands with different climatic regions. This methodology provides a sound base for the assessment of climate change impacts, even though there are many identified gaps in knowledge. The evaluation of current trends indicated substantial differences in the trends of annual rainfall (and simulated forage production) across Australian rangelands with general increases in most of western Australian rangelands (including northern regions of the Northern Territory) and decreases in eastern Australian rangelands and south-western Western Australia. Some of the projected changes in rainfall and temperature appear small compared with year-to-year variability. Nevertheless, the impacts on rangeland production systems are expected to be important in terms of required managerial and enterprise adaptations. Some important aspects of climate systems science remain unresolved, and we suggest that a risk-averse approach to rangeland management, based on the ‘best estimate’ projections, in combination with appropriate responses to short-term (1–5 years) climate variability, would reduce the risk of resource degradation. Climate change projections – including changes in rainfall, temperature, carbon dioxide and other climatic variables – if realised, are likely to affect forage and animal production, and ecosystem functioning. The major known uncertainties in quantifying climate change impacts are: (i) carbon dioxide effects on forage production, quality, nutrient cycling and competition between life forms (e.g. grass, shrubs and trees); and (ii) the future role of woody plants including effects of fire, climatic extremes and management for carbon storage. In a simple example of simulating climate change impacts on forage production, we found that increased temperature (3°C) was likely to result in a decrease in forage production for most rangeland locations (e.g. –21% calculated as an unweighted average across 90 locations). The increase in temperature exacerbated or reduced the effects of a 10% decrease/increase in rainfall respectively (–33% or –9%). Estimates of the beneficial effects of increased CO2 (from 350 to 650 ppm) on forage production and water use efficiency indicated enhanced forage production (+26%). The increase was approximately equivalent to the decline in forage production associated with a 3°C temperature increase. The large magnitude of these opposing effects emphasised the importance of the uncertainties in quantifying the impacts of these components of climate change. We anticipate decreases in LCC given that the ‘best estimate’ of climate change across the rangelands is for a decline (or little change) in rainfall and an increase in temperature. As a consequence, we suggest that public policy have regard for: the implications for livestock enterprises, regional communities, potential resource damage, animal welfare and human distress. However, the capability to quantify these warnings is yet to be developed and this important task remains as a challenge for rangeland and climate systems science.

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Climate change impacts on the terrestrial biodiversity and carbon stocks of Oceania.

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc110220 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 220 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Grant W Wardell-Johnson ◽

Gunnar Keppel ◽

Julianne Sander

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Energy Use ◽

Management Practices ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Fire Frequency ◽

Carbon Stocks ◽

Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Area Network ◽

Terrestrial Biodiversity

We review the threats from anthropogenic climate change to the terrestrial biodiversity of Oceania, and quantify decline in carbon stocks. Oceania’s rich terrestrial biodiversity is facing unprecedented threats through the interaction of pervasive environmental threats (deforestation and degradation; introduced and invasive species; fragmentation) and the effects of anthropogenic climate change (sea level rise; altered rainfall patterns and increased fire frequency; temperature rises and increased storm severity, extreme weather events and abrupt system changes). All nine of Oceania’s terrestrial biomes harbour ecosystems and habitat types that are highly vulnerable under climate change, posing an immense conservation challenge. Current policies and management practices are inadequate and the need for new legislation and economic mechanisms is clear, despite powerful interests committed to limiting progress. Mitigation can be achieved by increasing the effectiveness of the protected area network, by maintaining and effectively managing existing carbon stocks and biodiversity, and by reforestation to sequester atmospheric carbon. A price on carbon emissions may encourage less carbon-intensive energy use while simultaneously encouraging reforestation on long-cleared land, and reducing degradation of native forests. However, realizing these changes will require societal change, and depend on input and collaboration from multiple stakeholders to devise and engage in shared, responsible management.

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Perceived Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategy of Indigenous Community (Chepangs) in Rural Mid-hills of Nepal

Forestry: Journal of Institute of Forestry, Nepal ◽

10.3126/forestry.v16i0.28353 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 48-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pragya Khanal ◽

Bishnu H. Wagle ◽

Suraj Upadhaya ◽

Prayash Ghimire ◽

Suman Acharya

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Local Level ◽

National Level ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Adaptation Strategy ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Marginalized Communities ◽

Indigenous Group ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

Climate change is projected to increase in vulnerable areas of the world, and marginalized communities residing in rural areas are more vulnerable to the change. The perceptions of climate change and adaptation strategies made by such communities are important considerations in the design of adaptation strategies by policy-makers. We examined the most marginalized indigenous group "Chepang" communities' perceptions towards this change, variability, and their attitudes to adaptations and adapted coping measures in mid-hills of Nepal. We interviewed 155 individuals from two Chepang communities, namely, Shaktikhor and Siddhi in Chitwan district of Nepal. We also analyzed biophysical data to assess the variability. The findings showed that the Chepang community has experienced significant impacts of climate change and variability. They attributed crop disease, insect infestation, human health problem, and weather-related disaster as the impacts of climate change. Strategies they have adopted in response to the change are the use of intense fertilizers in farmland, hybrid seeds cultivation, crop diversification, etc. Local level and national level adaptation policies need to be designed and implemented as soon as possible to help climate vulnerable communities like Chepangs to cope against the impacts of climate change.

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Agreement and uncertainty among climate change impact models: A synthesis of sagebrush steppe vegetation projections

10.1101/2020.06.16.154989 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Scott N. Zimmer ◽

Guenchik J. Grosklos ◽

Patrick Belmont ◽

Peter B. Adler

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Management ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

The United States ◽

Sagebrush Steppe ◽

Forage Production ◽

Bureau Of Land Management ◽

Management Planning ◽

High Consistency ◽

Single Response

AbstractEcologists have built numerous models to project how climate change will impact rangeland vegetation, but these projections are difficult to validate, making their utility for land management planning unclear. In the absence of direct validation, researchers can ask whether projections from different models are consistent. High consistency across models based on different assumptions and emission scenarios would increase confidence in using projections for planning. Here, we analyzed 42 models of climate change impacts on sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.), cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), pinyon-juniper (Pinus L. spp. and Juniperus L. spp.), and forage production on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the United States Intermountain West. These models consistently projected the potential for pinyon-juniper declines and forage production increases. In contrast, cheatgrass models mainly projected no climate change impacts, while sagebrush models projected no change in most areas and declines in southern extremes. In most instances, vegetation projections from high and low emissions scenarios differed only slightly.The projected vegetation impacts have important management implications for agencies such as the BLM. Pinyon-juniper declines would reduce the need to control pinyon-juniper encroachment, and increases in forage production could benefit livestock and wildlife populations in some regions. Sagebrush conservation and restoration projects may be challenged in areas projected to experience sagebrush declines. However, projected vegetation impacts may also interact with increasing future wildfire risk in ways single-response models do not anticipate. In particular, forage production increases could increase management challenges related to fire.

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Definition of Forest for REDD+: an Unresolved Issue

Annals of Tropical Research ◽

10.32945/atr3312a.2011 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 19-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Medrilzam Medrilzam ◽

Paul Dargusch

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Negative Impact ◽

National Level ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Global Context ◽

Forest Definition ◽

Mitigate Climate Change ◽

Definition Of

Debate over arrangements for REDD+ in a post-Kyoto climate policy framework has been continuing in United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations; however, no review of the applicability of the existing forest definition to future REDD+ implementation has been undertaken. This paper highlights the need to review the definition of forest, and examines proposals to improve existing definitions. The impacts of the current forestry definition are discussed with reference to Indonesia as a case study. It is concluded that careless definition of selected forest-related terms has had a negative impact on Indonesia’s involvement in the implementation of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) afforestation and reforestation (A/R) projects. In the global context, this paper concludes that there should be clear definitions for definition of forest that are flexible enough to accommodate the various interests of UNFCCC parties. At the national level, each country should specify their forest definition carefully, taking into consideration the guidance provided at the global level and its own forest characteristics and management. Failing to do so can limit the involvement of these nations in future REDD+ schemes and reduce their capacity to mitigate climate change impacts.

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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.

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