Quantifying Regulating Ecosystem Services with Increased Tree Densities on European Farmland

Josep Crous-Duran, Anil R. Graves, Silvestre García de Jalón, Sonja Kay, Margarida Tomé, Paul J. Burgess, Michail Giannitsopoulos and João H.N. Palma
Additional contact information
Josep Crous-Duran: Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda s/n, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
Anil R. Graves: School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
Silvestre García de Jalón: Basque Center for Climate Change, 48940 Leioa, Spain
Sonja Kay: Agroscope, CH-8046 Zurich, Switzerland
Margarida Tomé: Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda s/n, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
Paul J. Burgess: School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
Michail Giannitsopoulos: School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
João H.N. Palma: Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda s/n, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: Agroforestry systems have been compared to agricultural and forestry alternatives, providing a land-use solution for additional environmental benefits while maintaining similar levels of productivity. However, there is scarce research assessing such patterns across a pan-European scale using a common methodology. This study aims to improve our understanding of the role of trees in three different regulating ecosystem services—(1) soil erosion, (2) nitrate leaching and (3) carbon sequestration—in traditional and innovative agroforestry systems in Europe through a consistent modeling approach. The systems’ assessment spans environmentally from the Mediterranean environmental region in Portugal to the Continental environmental region in Switzerland and Germany to the Atlantic environmental region in the United Kingdom. Modeled tree densities were compared in the different land-use alternatives, ranging from zero (agriculture with only crops or pasture) to forestry (only trees). The methodology included the use of a biophysical model (Yield-SAFE) where the quantification of the environmental benefits was integrated. Results show a consistent improvement of regulating ecosystem services can be expected when introducing trees in the farming landscapes in different environmental regions in Europe. For all the systems, the forestry alternatives presented the best results in terms of a decrease in soil erosion of 51% (±29), a decrease of nearly all the nitrate leaching (98% ± 1) and an increase in the carbon sequestration of up to 238 Mg C ha −1 (±140). However, these alternatives are limited in the variety of food, energy and/or materials provided. On the other hand, from an arable or pure-pasture alternative starting point, an increase in agroforestry tree density could also be associated with a decrease in soil erosion of up to 25% (±17), a decrease in nitrates leached of up to 52% (±34) and an increase in the carbon sequestered of 163 Mg C ha −1 (±128) while at the same time ensuring the same levels of biomass growth and an increase in product diversification.

Keywords: Yield-SAFE; process-based model; agroforestry; carbon sequestration; soil erosion; nitrate leaching; montado; short rotation coppice; silvoarable; fruit orchards; tree density (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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