Suchergebnisse

MultiSward aimed to conceive, evaluate and promote sustainable ruminant production systemsbased on the use of grass lands with a high leve! of multi-functionality by the concerted use ofdiverse multi-species swards, diverse plant communities at farm and landscape levels, anddiverse production systems. It was demonstrated that the use of sown multi-species swardscombining legumes and grasses as weil as shallow and deep-rooting species are as productiveas fertilized grasses; they allow high levels of animal performance and these results are notconflicting with the delivery of a range of services. For permanent grassland, differentiatedgrassland management and climate variables influencing functional diversity criteria linked toecosystem services were identified. Severa! innovations in grazing management were proposedto enhance the benefits of grassland-based systems. Different operational indicators sets easilyimplemented at farm and at landscape levels were developed and demonstrate the contributionof grassland-based systems and effects of management on the provision of food andenvironmental services including the maintenance of farmland biodivers ity. Modelling ofsevera! policy options and priee hypothesis showed that extensive grassland abandonment maybe prevented by area payment supporting grassland use, whereas lower Common AgriculturalPo licy support payments and higher commodity priees may cause less control of land use. Inconclusion, MultiSward provided a detailed EU-wide and multifunctional-orientated overviewof grassland-based ruminant production systems thus opening the opportunity to define, on anew basis, the contribution of ruminant production on grassland to economie returns forfarmers, biodiversity conservation and provision of ecosystem services. This willlead to a betterconsideration and acceptance ofthese ruminant production systems by EU citizens and farmers,and will contribute to secure optimal European grassland acreage.

MultiSward aimed to conceive, evaluate and promote sustainable ruminant production systems based on the use of grass lands with a high leve! of multi-functionality by the concerted use of diverse multi-species swards, diverse plant communities at farm and landscape levels, and diverse production systems. It was demonstrated that the use of sown multi-species swards combining legumes and grasses as weil as shallow and deep-rooting species are as productive as fertilized grasses; they allow high levels of animal performance and these results are not conflicting with the delivery of a range of services. For permanent grassland, differentiated grassland management and climate variables influencing functional diversity criteria linked to ecosystem services were identified. Severa! innovations in grazing management were proposed to enhance the benefits of grassland-based systems. Different operational indicators sets easily implemented at farm and at landscape levels were developed and demonstrate the contribution of grassland-based systems and effects of management on the provision of food and environmental services including the maintenance of farmland biodivers ity. Modelling of severa! policy options and priee hypothesis showed that extensive grassland abandonment may be prevented by area payment supporting grassland use, whereas lower Common Agricultural Po licy support payments and higher commodity priees may cause less control of land use. In conclusion, MultiSward provided a detailed EU-wide and multifunctional-orientated overview of grassland-based ruminant production systems thus opening the opportunity to define, on a new basis, the contribution of ruminant production on grassland to economie returns for farmers, biodiversity conservation and provision of ecosystem services. This willlead to a better consideration and acceptance ofthese ruminant production systems by EU citizens and farmers, and will contribute to secure optimal European grassland acreage.

International audience ; Since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the concept of ecosystem service (ES) has been increasingly used by scientists and policy makers. For example, the European Union launched an extensive mapping program of ES mapping in all Member countries. The objective of this paper is i) to examine the relevance and feasibility of the assessment of ES delivered by grasslands using indicators, and 2) to question whether it is necessary or not to adapt them to ecoclimatic regions and landuse systems. Firstly, we show that the concept of ecosystem service has not achieved consensus, which complicates its implementation. Based on case studies in different European regions (Continental, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Nordic), and on results from European research projects which have referred to the development of ES indicators, we show the diversity of possible approaches. This diversity concerns various aspects: the objectives of the indicators, the beneficiaries of the ES, spatial and temporal scales, organization levels. In conclusion, we think that it is necessary to develop ES indicators adapted to ecoclimatic and land-use conditions. The issue of ES is a global issue, and thus it appeared desirable to find common indicators in order to compare the systems, but to adapt the calculation to specific conditions.

International audience ; Since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the concept of ecosystem service (ES) has been increasingly used by scientists and policy makers. For example, the European Union launched an extensive mapping program of ES mapping in all Member countries. The objective of this paper is i) to examine the relevance and feasibility of the assessment of ES delivered by grasslands using indicators, and 2) to question whether it is necessary or not to adapt them to ecoclimatic regions and landuse systems. Firstly, we show that the concept of ecosystem service has not achieved consensus, which complicates its implementation. Based on case studies in different European regions (Continental, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Nordic), and on results from European research projects which have referred to the development of ES indicators, we show the diversity of possible approaches. This diversity concerns various aspects: the objectives of the indicators, the beneficiaries of the ES, spatial and temporal scales, organization levels. In conclusion, we think that it is necessary to develop ES indicators adapted to ecoclimatic and land-use conditions. The issue of ES is a global issue, and thus it appeared desirable to find common indicators in order to compare the systems, but to adapt the calculation to specific conditions.

This work was conducted by the Models4Pastures consortium project under the auspices of FACCE-JPI. Funding was provided by: the New Zealand Government to support the objectives of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases; AgResearch's Strategic Science Investment Fund as a contribution to the Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) research programme; the input of UK partners was funded by DEFRA and also contributes to the RCUK-funded projects: N-Circle (BB/N013484/1), UGRASS (NE/M016900/1) and GREENHOUSE (NE/K002589/1). R.M. Rees and C.F.E. Topp also received funding from the Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme. Lutz Merbold and Kathrin Fuchs acknowledge funding received for the Swiss contribution to Models4Pastures (FACCE-JPI project, SNSF funded contract: 40FA40_154245/1) and for the Doc.Mobility fellowship (SNSF funded project: P1EZP2_172121). Lorenzo Brilli, Camilla Dibari and Marco Bindi acknowledge funding received from the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF). ; Peer reviewed ; Publisher PDF

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