Assessing Impacts of Soil Management Measures on Ecosystem Services

Gudrun Schwilch, Tatenda Lemann, Örjan Berglund, Carlo Camarotto, Artemi Cerdà, Ioannis N. Daliakopoulos, Silvia Kohnová, Dominika Krzeminska, Teodoro Marañón, René Rietra, Grzegorz Siebielec, Johann Thorsson, Mark Tibbett, Sandra Valente, Hedwig Van Delden, Jan Van den Akker, Simone Verzandvoort, Nicoleta Olimpia Vrînceanu, Christos Zoumides and Rudi Hessel
Additional contact information
Gudrun Schwilch: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 10, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Tatenda Lemann: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 10, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Örjan Berglund: Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7014, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
Carlo Camarotto: Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy
Artemi Cerdà: Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Valencia. Blasco Ibáñez 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Ioannis N. Daliakopoulos: School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Silvia Kohnová: Department of Land and Water Resources Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 11, 810 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
Dominika Krzeminska: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Frederik A. Dahls vei 20, 1430 Aas, Norway
Teodoro Marañón: IRNAS, CSIC, Av. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012 Seville, Spain
René Rietra: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Grzegorz Siebielec: Department of Soil Science Erosion and Land Protection, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation—State Research Institute, Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Johann Thorsson: Soil Conservation Service of Iceland, 851 Hella, Iceland
Mark Tibbett: Centre for Agri-Environmental Research and Soil Research Centre, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, UK
Sandra Valente: Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Hedwig Van Delden: Research Institute for Knowledge Systems (RIKS), Hertogsingel 11B, 6211 NC Maastricht, The Netherlands
Jan Van den Akker: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Simone Verzandvoort: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Nicoleta Olimpia Vrînceanu: National Research and Development Institute for Soil Science, Agrochemistry and Environment, Bd. Marasti 61, Sector 1, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Christos Zoumides: The Cyprus Institute, Energy, Environment and Water Research Center, 20 Konstantinou Kavafi Street, Nicosia 2121, Cyprus
Rudi Hessel: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 12, 1-26

Abstract: Only a few studies have quantified and measured ecosystem services (ES) specifically related to soil. To address this gap, we have developed and applied a methodology to assess changes in ecosystem services, based on measured or estimated soil property changes that were stimulated by soil management measures (e.g., mulching, terracing, no-till). We applied the ES assessment methodology in 16 case study sites across Europe representing a high diversity of soil threats and land use systems. Various prevention and remediation measures were trialled, and the changes in manageable soil and other natural capital properties were measured and quantified. An Excel tool facilitated data collection, calculation of changes in ecosystem services, and visualization of measured short-term changes and estimated long-term changes at plot level and for the wider area. With this methodology, we were able to successfully collect and compare data on the impact of land management on 15 different ecosystem services from 26 different measures. Overall, the results are positive in terms of the impacts of the trialled measures on ecosystem services, with 18 out of 26 measures having no decrease in any service at the plot level. Although methodological challenges remain, the ES assessment was shown to be a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of the trialled measures, and also served as an input to a stakeholder valuation of ecosystem services at local and sub-national levels.

Keywords: soil; ecosystem services; land management; soil remediation; Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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