| 51. |
- Cong, Ronggang, et al.
(författare)
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Optimizing intermediate ecosystem services in agriculture using rules based on landscape composition and configuration indices
- 2016
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Ingår i: Ecological Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-8009 .- 1873-6106. ; 128, s. 214-223
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Important intermediate ecosystem services (ES) such as crop pollination and biological control of pests, which underpin the final ES agricultural yields, are mediated by mobile organisms that depend on availability of habitat and its arrangement in the landscape. It has been suggested that landscape-scale management (LSM) of habitat in a multi-farm setting results in higher provisioning of such ES compared to farm-scale management (FSM). However, to achieve the LSM solution, farmers' land-use decisions need to be coordinated. To this end, we develop rules based on novel landscape composition and configuration indices. We model farmers' interdependencies through ES in an agent-based model (ABM) and optimize land use at both the farm and landscape scales for comparison. Our analysis is based on a simple artificial landscape with homogeneous soil quality and uses crop pollination as an illustrative ecosystem service. We consider habitat configuration at the field scale. Our rules demonstrate that the coordinated solution is characterized by a higher degree of habitat availability and a configuration of habitat that is dispersed rather than agglomerated. We tested these rules over a range of assumptions about ecological parameter values and suggest that such rules could be used to improve governance of ES in agricultural landscapes.
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| 52. |
- Cong, Ronggang, et al.
(författare)
-
The Interdependence between Rainfall and Temperature: Copula Analyses
- 2012
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Ingår i: The Scientific World Journal. - : Hindawi Limited. - 2356-6140 .- 1537-744X.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rainfall and temperature are important climatic inputs for agricultural production, especially in the context of climate change. However, accurate analysis and simulation of the joint distribution of rainfall and temperature are difficult due to possible interdependence between them. As one possible approach to this problem, five families of copula models are employed to model the interdependence between rainfall and temperature. Scania is a leading agricultural province in Sweden and is affected by a maritime climate. Historical climatic data for Scania is used to demonstrate the modeling process. Heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation of sample data are also considered to eliminate the possibility of observation error. The results indicate that for Scania there are negative correlations between rainfall and temperature for the months from April to July and September. The student copula is found to be most suitable to model the bivariate distribution of rainfall and temperature based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Using the student copula, we simulate temperature and rainfall simultaneously. The resulting models can be integrated with research on agricultural production and planning to study the effects of changing climate on crop yields.
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| 53. |
- de Vries, Franciska T., et al.
(författare)
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Soil food web properties explain ecosystem services across European land use systems
- 2013
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - Washington, DC : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490 .- 0027-8424. ; 110:35, s. 14296-14301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Intensive land use reduces the diversity and abundance of many soil biota, with consequences for the processes that they govern and the ecosystem services that these processes underpin. Relationships between soil biota and ecosystem processes have mostly been found in laboratory experiments and rarely are found in the field. Here, we quantified, across four countries of contrasting climatic and soil conditions in Europe, how differences in soil food web composition resulting from land use systems (intensive wheat rotation, extensive rotation, and permanent grassland) influence the functioning of soils and the ecosystem services that they deliver. Intensive wheat rotation consistently reduced the biomass of all components of the soil food web across all countries. Soil food web properties strongly and consistently predicted processes of C and N cycling across land use systems and geographic locations, and they were a better predictor of these processes than land use. Processes of carbon loss increased with soil food web properties that correlated with soil C content, such as earthworm biomass and fungal/bacterial energy channel ratio, and were greatest in permanent grassland. In contrast, processes of N cycling were explained by soil food web properties independent of land use, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and bacterial channel biomass. Our quantification of the contribution of soil organisms to processes of C and N cycling across land use systems and geographic locations shows that soil biota need to be included in C and N cycling models and highlights the need to map and conserve soil biodiversity across the world.
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| 54. |
- Di Corato, Luca, et al.
(författare)
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Passive farming and land development: a real option approach
- 2016
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We examine the impact that subsidies paid to passive farmers have on the lease of land and on the speed of land development. First, we find that, even if delaying land development, paying passive farmers increases the value of the land. Second, when bargaining for the lease of land, we show that the agreement between the parties is conditional on an underlying development project passing a threshold level in terms of profitability. Third, we identify the conditions leading to a Pareto improvement. Last, we illustrate our findings by considering the establishment of an energy crop on leased land.
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| 55. |
- Di Corato, Luca, et al.
(författare)
-
Passive farming and land development : A real options approach
- 2019
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Ingår i: Land Use Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-8377 .- 1873-5754. ; 80, s. 32-46
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The EU's farmers are no longer required to produce commodities to receive direct payments as long as they keep their land in good condition. Some believe this is bad for development because it encourages passive farming. We evaluate, using a real options approach, the implications of decoupled payments for the desirability and optimal timing of agricultural land development when considering sunk investment costs and uncertain future returns. We find that decoupled payments accelerate development while passive farming increases, by adding managerial flexibility, the value associated with land. We then use the Nash bargaining solution to identify the rental share to be paid for leasing land. We show that a deal for the lease of land can always be reached, but that the facility to use passive farming as an outside option allows landowners to extract policy rents, thereby undermining the potential for the Basic Payment Scheme to support tenant farmers’ incomes.
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| 56. |
- Drielsma, Johannes A., et al.
(författare)
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Mineral resources in life cycle impact assessment—defining the path forward
- 2016
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Ingår i: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0948-3349 .- 1614-7502. ; 21:1, s. 85-105
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Despite 20 years of research, there remains no robust, globally agreed upon method—or even problem statement—for assessing mineral resource inputs in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). As a result, inclusion of commonly used methods such as abiotic depletion potential (ADP) in life cycle assessment (LCA)-related evaluation schemes could lead to incorrect decisions being made in many applications. In this paper, we explore in detail how to improve the way that life cycle thinking is applied to the acquisition of mineral resources and their metal counterparts. Methods: This paper evaluates the current body of work in LCIA with regard to “depletion potential” of mineral resources. Viewpoints from which models are developed are described and analyzed. The assumptions, data sources, and calculations that underlie currently used methods are examined. A generic metal-containing product is analyzed to demonstrate the vulnerability of results to the denominator utilized in calculating ADP. The adherence to the concept of the area of protection (AOP) is evaluated for current models. The use of ore grades, prices, and economic availability in LCIA is reviewed. Results and discussion: Results demonstrate that any work on resource depletion in a life cycle context needs to have a very clear objective or LCIA will not accurately characterize mineral resource use from any perspective and decision-making will continue to suffer. New, harmonized terminology is proposed so that LCA practitioners can build better mutual understanding with the mineral industry and recommendations regarding more promising tools for use in life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) are given. Conclusions: The economic issue of resource availability should be evaluated in parallel with traditional LCA, not within. LCIA developers should look to economists, the market, and society in general, for broader assessments that consider shorter-time horizons than the traditional LCIA methods. To do so, the concept of the AOP in LCA needs to be redefined for LCSA to ensure that models estimate what is intended. Finally, recommendations regarding mineral resource assessment are provided to ensure that future research has a sound basis and practitioners can incorporate the appropriate tools in their work.
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| 57. |
- Droste, Nils, et al.
(författare)
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Soil carbon insures arable crop production against increasing adverse weather due to climate change
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 15:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Intensification of arable crop production degrades soil health and production potential through loss of soil organic carbon. This, potentially, reduces agriculture's resilience to climate change and thus food security. Furthermore, the expected increase in frequency of adverse and extreme weather events due to climate change are likely to affect crop yields differently, depending on when in the growing season they occur. We show that soil carbon provides farmers with a natural insurance against climate change through a gain in yield stability and more resilient production. To do this, we combined yield observations from 12 sites and 54 years of Swedish long-term agricultural experiments with historical weather data. To account for heterogenous climate effects, we partitioned the growing season into four representative phases for two major cereal crops. Thereby, we provide evidence that higher soil carbon increases yield gains from favourable conditions and reduces yield losses due to adverse weather events and how this occurs over different stages of the growing season. However, agricultural management practices that restore the soil carbon stock, thus contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, usually come at the cost of foregone yield for the farmer in the short term. To halt soil degradation and make arable crop production more resilient to climate change, we need agricultural policies that address the public benefits of soil conservation and restoration.
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| 58. |
- Dänhardt, Juliana, et al.
(författare)
-
Collective Implementation of Ecological Focus Areas : Evaluation of the effects on ecosystem services, agriculture and administration
- 2018
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ecosystem services are fundamental to the welfare of mankind, yet these services are often invisible in many social decisions. This report evaluates the effects on the ecosystem services pollination and biological pest control if Sweden were to introduce collective implementation of EFAs as part of the single payment scheme, including quality improvement measures such as establishing flowering plants.The potential environmental effects are seen in relation to the impacts on the economies of farmers and their acceptance of collective implementation, as well as the administrative costs for the authorities. This study is a step towards integrating the value of ecosystem services into decisions in society, something that is to be achieved by 2018 under the milestone targets in Sweden's environmental objectives system.The study that formed the basis of this report was carried out by the Centre for Environmental and Climate Research at Lund University. The work was carried out within the government commission Environmental effects of the CAP. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is the primary authority responsible for this report. The Swedish Board of Agriculture, the Swedish National Heritage Board, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and the County administrative boards also participated in this project.
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| 59. |
- Dänhardt, Juliana, et al.
(författare)
-
Ekologiska fokusarealer i samverkan : Utvärdering av effekter på ekosystemtjänster, jordbruk och administration
- 2017
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I den här studien utvärderar vi konsekvenserna av så kallat gemensamt genomförande av ekologiska fokusarealer enlig artikel 46:5 och 46:6 i EU:s direktstödsförordning. Genom bredare analyser beaktar vi även andra former av samverkan och justerade skötselvillkor. Att främja sammanhängande områden med ekologiskt fokus är en del av EU:s satsning på grön infrastruktur. Sverige tillämpar inte gemensamt genomförande i dagsläget. Ekologisk-ekonomisk modellering, workshop med jordbrukare och intervjuer med tjänstemän ligger till grund för studiens resultat. Fokus i våra analyser är effekter på pollinering och biologisk skadedjursbekämpning, båda ekosystemtjänster till nytta för jordbruket.Jordbrukare positiva till samverkan, tjänstemän befarar högre kostnaderGenerellt är de medverkande jordbrukarna positiva till samverkan. Tydligare och mer konkret koppling mellan godkända fokusarealer, skötselvillkor och miljönytta behövs dock för att skapa acceptans hos jordbrukarna. Tjänstemän med erfarenhet av samverkan är generellt positiva, medan personer utan erfarenhet är mer tveksamma. På svenska myndigheter befaras ökade transaktionskostnader, trots att fungerande exempel på samverkan i Europa finns. Vi rekommenderar att inspiration och kunskap hämtas från dessa lyckade exempel.Små miljöeffekter med dagens fokusarealerAtt med dagens regelverk införa gemensamt genomförande av ekologiska fokusarealer ger små miljöeffekter. Miljöeffekten förblir svag eftersom möjligheten att välja fokusarealer med låg miljöeffekt kvarstår, och eftersom generösa viktningsfaktorer minskar den faktiskt avsatta arealen av fokusarealer med högre miljönytta. Dessutom finns incitament att placera fokusarealerna på lågproduktiv mark, där behovet av fokusarealer som gynnar ekosystemtjänster är lägre. I dag godkänns också fokusarealer som ingår i det normala brukandet, vilket skapar dödvikt. Våra modeller visar att möjligheten till samverkan inte löser dessa problem.Bättre miljöeffekt med rätt fokusarealer och krav på kvalitetFör att uppnå en bättre miljöeffekt behövs en utformning av reglerna som premierar de mest miljöeffektiva fokusarealerna. Först och främst bör menyn av fokusarealer innehålla miljöeffektiva åtgärder. Dessutom bör viktningssystemet omvärderas så att den mest effektiva fokusarealen används som referens. Slutligen bör placeringen av ekologiska fokusarealer göras i ett landskapsperspektiv för att säkerställa fokusarealernas bidrag till grön infrastruktur. På gårdsnivå bör fokusarealerna genom information och rådgivning styras till platser där potentialen för miljönytta är störst, exempelvis intill grödor som gynnas av pollinering och biologisk skadedjursbekämpning. Ett effektivt sätt att gynna just dessa ekosystemtjänster vore att begränsa menyn av valbara fokusarealer till träda och obrukade fältkanter och samtidigt ha krav på att så in blommande växter.
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| 60. |
- Dänhardt, Juliana, et al.
(författare)
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Ekosystemtjänster i det skånska jordbrukslandskapet
- 2013
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Rapport (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Jordbrukslandskapet tillhandahåller ekosystemtjänster som utgör förutsättningen för en uthållig jordbruksproduktion och är till nytta för samhället i stort. Bakom dessa finns ekologiska processer som beror av samspel mellan en mångfald av organismer. Skånes jordbruk har genomgått betydande förändringar som förändrat landskapet och livsmiljön för många av dessa. För att bevara och förvalta ekosystemtjänsterna krävs en förståelse för sambanden mellan jordbruk, landskap och ekosystemprocesser. Rapporten beskriver ekologiska processer som ligger till grund för några viktiga ekosystemtjänster i Skånes jordbrukslandskap och visar betydelsen av biologisk mångfald för deras funktion. Där så är möjligt beskrivs hur de kan värderas. Slutligen redovisas praktiska åtgärder som gynnar dem. Rapporten visar att ekosystemtjänster inte enkelt går att ersätta med teknologiska lösningar, utan att förvaltning av dessa tjänster lönar sig. Detta kräver ökad ekologisk kunskap och anpassade styrmedel vilket kräver ökat samråd och regelbunden återkoppling mellan lantbrukare, myndigheter och forskare. Förhoppningen är att rapporten, framtagen av Lunds universitet och Region Skåne, inspirerar till detta!
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