Towards an enhanced indication of provisioning ecosystemservices in agro-ecosystems

authored by: Claudia Bethwell, Benjamin Burkhard, Katrin Daedlow, Claudia Sattler, Moritz Reckling, Peter Zander
Abstract: Provisioning ecosystem services play a vital role in sustaining humanwell-being. Agro-ecosystems contribute a significant share of these services,besides food and fodder and also fuel and fibre as well as regulating and culturalecosystem services. Until now, the indication of provisioning ecosystem services ofagro-ecosystems has been based almost only on yield numbers of agriculturalproducts. Such an indication is problematic due to several reasons which include adisregard of the role of significant anthropogenic contributions to ecosystemservice co-generation, external environmental effects and strong dependence on siteconditions. We argue for an enhanced indication of provisioning ecosystem servicesthat considers multiple aspects of their delivery. The conceptual base for such anindication has been made by prior publications which have been reviewed. Relevantpoints were taken up in this article and condensed into a conceptual model in orderto develop a more holistic and expanded set of indictors, which was then exemplarilyapplied and tested in three case studies in Germany. The case studies representdifferent natural conditions, and the indicator set application showed thatecosystem services (ES) flow—in terms of output alone—does not characteriseagro-ecosystems sufficiently. The proposed aspects of provisioning ecosystemservices can give a fuller picture, for example, by input-output relationships, asit is possible by just using single indicators. Uncertainties as well as pros andcons of such an approach are elaborated. Finally, recommendations for an enhancedindication of provisioning ecosystem services in agro-ecosystems that can help tointegrate agricultural principles with ideas of sustainability and site-specificland use are derived.
Organisation(s): Institute of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology
Physical Geography Group
External Organisation(s): Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin)
Type: Article
Journal: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Volume: 193
ISSN: 1573-2959
Publication date: 14.05.2021
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General Environmental Science, Pollution, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 15 - Life on Land
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08816-y (Access: Open)