Linking Cork to Cork Oak Landscapes: Mapping the Value Chain of Cork Production in Portugal

Traditional farming landscapes in South and Central Portugal, known as montados, are affected by global socio-economic and biophysical pressures, putting the sustainability of the systems in jeopardy. Cork oak trees (Quercus suber L.) are characteristic features of these complex agro-silvo-pastoral agroforestry systems, delivering a globally important product, cork. The increasingly distant, global scale of decision making and trade can consequently be observed on the local, landscape, scale. In this study, we use a value chain approach to test the concept that landscape products can ensure sustainable management of the landscape of origin. We interviewed agents—cork producers, intermediaries, industrial transformers, and winemakers—about the challenges they perceived in the business and how these were connected to the landscape of origin. We illustrate the network of agents and sub-actors involved in the sector and highlight the most prominent concerns. We conclude that this approach can reveal the major points for determining the future of the montado, and we suggest that collaboration amongst value chain agents can be a pathway to landscape sustainability.

The State of Migratory Landbirds in the East Asian Flyway: Distributions, Threats, and Conservation Needs

With nearly 400 migratory landbird species, the East Asian Flyway is the most diverse of the world’s flyways. This diversity is a consequence of the varied ecological niches provided by biomes ranging from broadleaf forests to arctic tundra and accentuated by complex biogeographic processes. The distribution and migration ecology of East Asian landbirds is still inadequately known, but a recent explosion in the number of studies tracking the migration of raptors, cuckoos, kingfishers and passerines has greatly increased our knowledge about the stopover and wintering ecology of many species, and the migratory routes that link northeast Eurasia and the Asian tropics. Yet the East Asian Flyway also supports the highest number of threatened species among flyways. Strong declines have been detected in buntings (Emberizidae) and other long-distance migrants. While the conservation of migratory landbirds in this region has largely focused on unsustainable hunting, there are other threats, such as habitat loss and increased agro-chemical use driven directly by land cover change and climate-related processes. Important knowledge gaps to be addressed include (1) threats affecting species in different parts of their annual cycle, (2) range-wide population trends, (3) ecological requirements and habitat use during the non-breeding season, and (4) the conservation status of critical wintering sites (including understudied farming landscapes, such as rice fields) and migration bottlenecks along the flyway.

Crop transitions can drive economic and ecological shifts in an established farming landscape: a case study from California

<p>Meeting growing challenges to maintain food production and rural livelihoods while minimizing land degradation will require significant changes in the way existing farming landscapes are managed. A systemic understanding of the agroecological impacts of land-use change in established farming landscapes, and the identification of significant trade-offs or synergies, are crucial to inform farm management and land-use governance solutions. Here, we focus on land-use change impacts in an already established farming landscape. We investigate spatial and temporal dynamics of agricultural land-use change from 2002 to 2018, in Kern County, California. Our study region is one of the major agricultural production hotspots in the United States, and has undergone a recent agricultural land-use transition from annual to perennial cropping systems. In this study we analyzed parcel-level data documenting changes in the land-use footprint for individual crops, ranging from annual crops like wheat and cotton to perennial tree crops like almonds and pistachios. We assess how land-use change impacted ecosystem pressures and service indicators selected for their relevance in an agricultural context, including water-use, soil erosion, profit and carbon sequestration. Our results indicate no salient trade-offs or synergies among individual crops, and illustrate the possibility of limited economic-ecological trade-offs associated with a shift from annual to perennial crops in a well-established agricultural landscape. We further discuss the relevance of our findings in the context of land-ownership consolidation and changing export dynamics in the study area.</p>

Achieving Sustainable Nitrogen Management in Mixed Farming Landscapes Based on Collaborative Planning

Regulation of nitrogen (N) loss from the agri-environment is a global challenge with dire consequences for food production and environmental management. This is also the case in Denmark where regulation largely relies on general measures for reducing N inputs. These measures have significantly reduced nitrogen emissions, but further reduction is needed to achieve sustainable low levels of N transport to freshwater and marine ecosystems in compliance with standards set by the EU Water Framework Directive. As an alternative to general regulation, we tested a watershed-based, collaborative planning approach, engaging stakeholders in solution identification. Six watersheds with substantial agricultural production were used as test areas. A collaborative planning process of two stakeholder workshops embedded within a scenario formulation process was executed. Stakeholder inputs about possible, desirable and sustainable futures were used to formulate scenarios, for which N reduction effects were calculated. Upon conclusion of this process, results were assessed using a structured evaluation method. Results indicate that the process we tested was successful in terms of (1) engaging relevant stakeholders, (2) providing relevant data, (3) achieving processual flexibility, (4) including local knowledge and (5) facilitating a creative and explorative process. On this basis, suggestions for improving collaborative planning processes are provided.

Key Roles for Landscape Ecology in Transformative Agriculture Using Aotearoa—New Zealand as a Case Example

Aotearoa—New Zealand (NZ) is internationally renowned for picturesque landscapes and agricultural products. Agricultural intensification has been economically beneficial to NZ but has implications for its clean green image. Contaminated waterways, high carbon emissions, and extensive soil erosion demonstrate the downside of high stocking rates and land clearing. Transformative farming systems are required to address the challenge of balancing production with the environment. Whilst navigating through the process of change, farmers need to be supported to make informed decisions at the farm and landscape scale. Landscape ecology (LE) is ideally positioned to inform the development of future farming landscapes and provide a scientific context to the criteria against which land-related information can be evaluated. However, to do this effectively, LE needs to demonstrate that it can link theory with practice. Using NZ as a case example, this paper discusses the key roles for LE in future farming systems. It looks at the way LE can help quantify the state of the landscape, provide support towards the co-creation of alternative futures, and assist with the inclusion of land-related information into design and planning to ensure mitigation and adaption responses assist in the transformation of farming systems for sustainable outcomes.

Temporary pond loss as a result of pasture abandonment: exploring the social-ecological drivers and consequences on amphibians

Amphibian conservation in farming landscapes should address two challenges. First, to understand the relationship between landuse and amphibian habitat quality and second, to understand and support of the capacity of the local communities to continue those farming practices which supports amphibian friendly habitats. While the first challenge is addressed by several studies, there is virtually no study addressing the socio-economic drivers of landuse change. The major aim of this study to fill this knowledge gap by (i) documenting the temporary pond loss in 10 years in a traditionally managed pasture as a result of land abandonment and (ii) exploring the socio-economic and environmental drivers of abandonment. The results show a dramatic increase of scrub cover in the study area as a result of land abandonment. The formation of temporary ponds was negatively influenced by the increase of scrub cover in the vicinity of ponds. There were no differences between the amphibian species assemblages nor the species richness between the lost- and persisting ponds. The social component of the research highlights possible maladaptive paths in pasture management reinforced by the village depopulation, wrong interpretation of nature protection law by officials, scrub encroachment caused decrease in pasture quality and the demotivation of locals to restart traditional grazing. Conservation efforts in traditional farming landscapes facing land abandonment should (i) target the maximization of the quality of the remaining ponds for amphibians and (ii) should support reviving traditional farming practices within the local community.