Abstract
ABSTRACT Understanding how drivers of change affect ecosystem services (ES) is of great importance. Indicators of ES can be developed based on biophysical measures and be used to investigate the service flow from ecosystems to socio-ecological systems. However, the ES concept is multivariate and the use of normalized composite indicators reduces complexity and facilitates communication between science and policy. The aim of this study is to analyze how land use change affects ES and species richness and how the effects are modified by environmental factors by using composite indicators based on biophysical indicators. Using multivariate and regression analyses, we analyze the effect of grazing management abandonment in semi-natural grasslands in Norway on six ES: nutrient cycling, pollination, forage quality, aesthetics and global and regional climate regulation in addition to species richness along soil and climate gradients. Nutrient cycling, forage quality, regional climate regulation, aesthetics and species richness are larger in managed compared to abandoned grasslands. There are trade-offs among ES as different management strategies provide various ES and these trade-offs vary along environmental gradients. Management policies that aim to conserve ES need to have conservation goals that are context dependent, should recognize ES trade-offs and be adapted to local conditions.
Highlights
Semi-natural grasslands are influenced by a long history of extensive agricultural management and are associated with high biodiversity and provides ecosystem service (ES) such as forage for livestock, pollination, biological control, climate regulation and soil conservation (Bullock et al 2011; Holland et al 2017; Wehn et al 2018b)
There was a positive relationship with climate PC1 while there was a negative relationship in managed plots
Based on a case study where soil and botanical data were extracted from the model semi-natural grassland ecosystem, we have shown that abandonment of semi-natural grasslands can alter the delivery of multiple ecosystem services (ES) in addition to species richness
Summary
Semi-natural grasslands are influenced by a long history of extensive agricultural management and are associated with high biodiversity and provides ecosystem service (ES) such as forage for livestock, pollination, biological control, climate regulation and soil conservation (Bullock et al 2011; Holland et al 2017; Wehn et al 2018b). Due to farmland abandonment and other land use changes, areas of seminatural grasslands are declining and are threatened in Europe (Bullock et al 2011; Norderhaug and Johansen 2011) but the consequences of these land use changes for ecosystem functioning and ES delivery are not well known. The framework of ES provides a link between biodiversity, ecosystem functioning/conditions and human society (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005; Maes et al 2018). Land use change is a major threat to biodiversity per se (Sala et al 2000; Pereira et al 2012) with further consequences for the capacity of ecosystems to deliver ecosystem services and, human wellbeing (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Understanding the linkages and processes between drivers of land use change and the delivery of ecosystem services is of high importance
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