Agro(Eco)System Services—Supply and Demand from Fields to Society

Abstract

Land use—with a special focus on agriculture—is increasingly influenced by globalization and external driving forces, causing farmers to seek opportunities to develop efficient, large-scale production systems.[...]

Assessment of the relationships between agroecosystem condition and the ecosystem service soil erosion regulation in Northern Germany

“…In Germany, more than half of the surface area is used for agriculture [ 14 ]. Agricultural land provides, on the one hand, multiple ecosystem services, especially biomass-related services such as food, fibre, fodder or energy, which are essential for human well-being [ 15 , 16 ]. On the other hand, agriculture itself is strongly dependent on ecosystem services such as nutrient regulation, water supply, pollination (for selected crop species) or soil erosion regulation [ 17 , 18 ].…”

“…Due to the often long-term human interference in these systems, there are difficulties in defining a (natural) reference condition of agroecosystems. Agroecosystem condition cannot only be based on the physical and ecological properties of plants and soils but must take human interventions of agroecosystems into account [ 16 ]. An agroecosystems is in good condition when it supports biodiversity and supplies multiple provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services, and there is no depletion of abiotic resources such as water, soil and air [ 12 ].…”

Mapping and valuation of ecosystem services for informed decision making in spatial planning

“…Continuing, high social demand for a specific ES could eventually lead to changes in land use (Wei et al, 2018), which, in most cases, means intensification or abandonment. In addition, agricultural producers tend to either enhance production efficiency through land intensification or shift their activities to other economic sectors leading to land abandonment, with both actions often resulting in the creation of homogeneous landscapes with low potential to support multiple ESs (Burkhard et al, 2016;Lorilla et al, 2018), as previously discussed. The Ionian Islands are characterized by different crop types mixed with significant amounts of natural vegetation, creating the high agricultural value detected throughout the study area (Chapter 3).…”

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“…In Germany, more than half of the surface area is used for agriculture [14]. Agricultural land provides, on the one hand, multiple ecosystem services, especially biomass-related services such as food, fibre, fodder or energy, which are essential for human well-being [15,16]. On the other hand,…”