Targeting Land Use Change to Enhance Multiple Environmental Benefits - A Mini Review

Abstract

With the emergence of agriculture, human influence on natural ecosystems has accelerated and intense unsustainable land use is now one of the main factors causing eutrophication of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Using a holistic approach in agricultural management, as the term "Agroecology" implies, could potentially increase resilience and sustainability of a farming system. With a starting point in a previous published conceptual framework, describing how site-specific modulators can modulate the effect of drivers on human land use, we call attention to a targeted approach in land use change. The targeted approach describes a simple method to achieve multiple environmental benefits when selecting areas to initiate a certain land use change (exemplified with results from two previous studies). We review two main national goals: 1) To lower nitrogen loads by 13,000 t nitrogen/year and 2) achieve five mill ton dry-matter protein from grassland. Results indicate a potential to reach the main goals while simultaneously boosting nature areas and strengthening local environments. In conclusion, applying the targeted approach, or diversions of it, could potentially create multiple environmental benefits while reaching a main national goal.