peer-reviewed ; Sustainable food production has re-emerged at the top of the global policy agenda, driven by two challenges: (1) the challenge to produce enough food to feed a growing world population and (2) the challenge to make more efficient and prudent use of the world's natural resources. These challenges have led to a societal expectation that the agricultural sector increase productivity, and at the same time provide environmental 'ecosystem services' such as the provision of clean water, air, habitats for biodiversity, recycling of nutrients and mitigation against climate change. Whilst the degree to which agriculture can provide individual ecosystem services has been well researched, it is unclear how and to what extent agriculture can meet all expectations relating to environmental sustainability simultaneously, whilst increasing the quantity of food outputs. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework for the quantification of the 'supply of' and 'demand for' agricultural, soil-based ecosystem services or 'soil functions'. We use Irish agriculture as a case-study for this framework, using proxy-indicators to determine the demand for individual soil functions, as set by agri-environmental policies, as well as the supply of soil functions, as defined by land use and soil type. We subsequently discuss how this functionality of soils can be managed or incentivised through policy measures, with a view to minimising the divergence between agronomic policies designed to promote increased agricultural production and environmental policy objectives. Finally, we discuss the applicability of this conceptual framework to agriculture and agri-environmental policies at EU level, and the implications for policy makers.
The EU Water Framework Directive aims to ensure restoration of Europe's water bodies to "good ecological status" by 2027. Many Member States will struggle to meet this target, with around half of EU river catchments currently reporting below standard water quality. Diffuse pollution from agriculture represents a major pressure, affecting over 90% of river basins. Accumulating evidence shows that recent improvements to agricultural practices are benefiting water quality but in many cases will be insufficient to achieve WFD objectives. There is growing support for land use change to help bridge the gap, with a particular focus on targeted tree planting to intercept and reduce the delivery of diffuse pollutants to water. This form of integrated catchment management offers multiple benefits to society but a significant cost to landowners and managers. New economic instruments, in combination with spatial targeting, need to be developed to ensure cost effective solutions – including tree planting for water benefits - are realised. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are flexible, incentive-based mechanisms that could play an important role in promoting land use change to deliver water quality targets. The PESFOR-W COST Action will consolidate learning from existing woodlands for water PES schemes in Europe and help standardize approaches to evaluating the environmental effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of woodland measures. It will also create a European network through which PES schemes can be facilitated, extended and improved, for example by incorporating other ecosystem services linking with aims of the wider forests-carbon policy nexus.
In: Valatin , G , Abildtrup , J , Accastello , C , Said Al-Tawaha , A R M , Andreucci , M-B , Atanasova , S , Avdibegović , M , Baksic , N , Banasik , K , Barquin , J , Barstad , J , Bastakova , V , Becirovic , D , Begueria , S , Bethers , U , Bihunova , M , Blagojevic , B , Bösch , M , Bournaris , T , Cao , Y , Carvalho-Santos , C , Chikalanov , A , A. Cunha e Sá , M , Czyżyk , K , Daly , H , Davies , H , Del Campo , A , de Groot , R , De Vreese , R , Dostál , T , El Mokaddem , A , Finér , L , Evans , R , Fiquepron , J , Frac , M , Futter , M , Garcia , S , Gatto , P , Geneletti , D , Gezik , V , Giupponi , C , González-Sanchís , M , Gordillo , F , Gorriz , E , Grigorova , Y , Heinsoo , K , Hochbichler , E , Högbom , L , Image , M , Jacobsen , J B , Japelj , A , Jelic , S , Junk , J , Juhasz , C , Kagalou , I , Kelly-Quinn , M , Klamerus-Iwan , A , Kluvankova , T , Koeck , R , Konovska , I , Krajter Ostoic , S , Krc , J , Lavnyy , V , Leonardi , A , Libiete , Z , Little , D , Lo Porto , A , Loukas , A , Lyubenova , M I , Maric , B , Martínez-López , J , Martinez , I , Maxim , A , Metslaid , M , Melvin , A , Costică , M , Mincev , I , Morkvenas , Z , Nevenic , R , Nisbet , T , O'hUallachain , D , Olschewski , R , Östberg , J , Oszust , K , Ovando , P , Paletto , A , Parpan , T , Pettenella , D , Pezdevšek Malovrh , Š , Planinšek , Š , Podlipná , R , Posavec , S , Potočki , K , Prokofieva , I , Quinteiro , P , Radocz , L , Ristic , R , Robert , N , Rugani , B , Sabanovic , J , Sarvasova , Z , Savoska , S , Schleppi , P , Schueler , G , Shannon , M , Silgram , M , Srdjevic , B , Stefan , G , Stijovic , A , Strange , N , Tattari , S , Teofilovski , A , Termansen , M , Thorsen , B J , Toth , A , Trebs , I , Tmušić , N , Vasiliades , L , Vedel , S E , Ventrubová , K , Vuletic , D , Winkel , G , Yao , R , Young , S , Yousefpour , R , Zahvoyska , L , Zhang , D , Zhou , J & Žižková , E 2017 , ' PESFOR-W : improving the design and environmental effectiveness of woodlands for water payments for ecosystem services ' , Research Ideas and Outcomes , vol. 3 , e13828 . https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.3.e13828
The EU Water Framework Directive aims to ensure restoration of Europe's water bodies to "good ecological status" by 2027. Many Member States will struggle to meet this target, with around half of EU river catchments currently reporting below standard water quality. Diffuse pollution from agriculture represents a major pressure, affecting over 90% of river basins. Accumulating evidence shows that recent improvements to agricultural practices are benefiting water quality but in many cases will be insufficient to achieve WFD objectives. There is growing support for land use change to help bridge the gap, with a particular focus on targeted tree planting to intercept and reduce the delivery of diffuse pollutants to water. This form of integrated catchment management offers multiple benefits to society but a significant cost to landowners and managers. New economic instruments, in combination with spatial targeting, need to be developed to ensure cost effective solutions – including tree planting for water benefits - are realised. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are flexible, incentive-based mechanisms that could play an important role in promoting land use change to deliver water quality targets. The PESFOR-W COST Action will consolidate learning from existing woodlands for water PES schemes in Europe and help standardize approaches to evaluating the environmental effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of woodland measures. It will also create a European network through which PES schemes can be facilitated, extended and improved, for example by incorporating other ecosystem services linking with aims of the wider forests-carbon policy nexus. ; The EU Water Framework Directive aims to ensure restoration of Europe's water bodies to "good ecological status" by 2027. Many Member States will struggle to meet this target, with around half of EU river catchments currently reporting below standard water quality. Diffuse pollution from agriculture represents a major pressure, affecting over 90% of river basins. Accumulating evidence shows that recent improvements to agricultural practices are benefiting water quality but in many cases will be insufficient to achieve WFD objectives. There is growing support for land use change to help bridge the gap, with a particular focus on targeted tree planting to intercept and reduce the delivery of diffuse pollutants to water. This form of integrated catchment management offers multiple benefits to society but a significant cost to landowners and managers. New economic instruments, in combination with spatial targeting, need to be developed to ensure cost effective solutions – including tree planting for water benefits - are realised. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are flexible, incentive-based mechanisms that could play an important role in promoting land use change to deliver water quality targets. The PESFOR-W COST Action will consolidate learning from existing woodlands for water PES schemes in Europe and help standardize approaches to evaluating the environmental effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of woodland measures. It will also create a European network through which PES schemes can be facilitated, extended and improved, for example by incorporating other ecosystem services linking with aims of the wider forests-carbon policy nexus.