Management Of Agricultural Landscapes Research Articles

Design of intelligent agricultural landscape planning and ecological balance control system based on remote sensing images

Abstract With the modernization of agricultural production and the acceleration of urbanization, agricultural landscape planning and ecological balance control have become important issues in promoting sustainable development. Traditional agricultural production methods have problems such as resource waste, environmental pollution, and ecological damage. This article aimed to achieve scientific planning and management of agricultural landscapes, and promote the efficiency of agricultural production, rational utilization of resources, and protection of the ecological environment, thereby promoting sustainable agricultural development. This study first focused on denoising and feature extraction of agricultural remote sensing data images, using remote sensing technology to obtain agricultural landscape information. After that, artificial intelligence was adopted to achieve intelligent agricultural landscape planning, with the goal of maintaining ecological balance and promoting efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable agricultural production. This study took the landscape of a certain city as an example to test the processing effect of remote sensing images, and it was proved that the effect was good. We tested the performance of an intelligent agricultural landscape planning and ecological balance control system based on remote sensing images. According to the experimental results, it can be concluded that the resource utilization efficiency of farmland A monitored by the intelligent agricultural landscape planning system using remote sensing image technology was 82%, while the traditional one was only 60%. This indicated that the collection effect of remote sensing image technology was much better than that of traditional technology. This article comprehensively and timely monitored and evaluated farmland through remote sensing image technology, including crop growth status, soil moisture, nutritional status, etc. The system can provide precise planting and management suggestions for farmers based on this information, and help them optimize farmland layout, crop selection, and irrigation management, thereby improving the production efficiency of farmland and crop yield.

Управление устойчивостью аграрного землепользования на локальном уровне с использованием ГИС-технологий и специального картографического материала

The purpose of the study: analysis of geoecological factors and conditions affecting the sustainability of agricultural land use in the forest-steppe zone of the Altai Krai and its assessment. Research methods: The main scientific method of this study was system analysis, which was used to study the agricultural landscape management system. Methods of analysis and synthesis were used to identify structural units of land management, structuring the land information system (LIS) and special cartographic material, as well as studying the structure of agricultural landscapes. We also used the cartographic method in the design of unique map diagrams and information analysis in modeling agricultural land use. Research results. Based on the results of a long-term assessment of the sustainability of three agricultural land uses located in different natural and climatic zones, the conditions and factors that form the basis of the agricultural land use management system using GIS technologies were established. We found out that in order to manage the sustainability of agricultural landscapes, the mandatory information layers included in the data bank of a geographic information system (land information system) must include the following special cartographic materials: maps (scale 1:10000 or 1:25000) – landscape, soil, slope steepness, erosion, types of areas, tracts, lands, as well as the geomorphological profile of the surface. By processing materials with an information system, it is possible to implement at least 10 models for managing the sustainability of agricultural land use, which involve varying the structure of lands, lands, crop rotations, a set of crops, farming systems, a list of agro-, phyto-, reclamation techniques and measures aimed at achieving ecological and economic balance and, as a consequence, the efficiency of use of land resources. Conclusions. 1. Based on long-term spatio-temporal studies of agricultural landscapes of agricultural enterprises, a mandatory set of special cartographic materials of the geographic information system data bank has been determined, aimed at managing the sustainability of agricultural land use. 2. Using unique cartographic materials as an example, the possibility of modeling management scenarios in different natural conditions, characterized by different stability and efficiency, is shown. Modeling of agricultural land use makes it possible to determine capital investments and economic costs (economic and agronomic sustainability) when implementing the selected model, created on the basis of an analysis of the limiting factors of the territory. 3. The results of scientific research can be used in managing the sustainability of agricultural land use at the level of a municipal district and agricultural organization.

Influence of landscape position and climatic seasonality on soil water and gas conductivity properties in agricultural soils

Agricultural landscape management and climate seasonality can influence soil structure, hydraulic conductivity, and air permeability within the context of soil water and soil gas mobility. To investigate this, in situ and laboratory-based data were collected from three agricultural landscape positions within a watershed in eastern Ontario, Canada during a growing season. Macropore classification, water infiltration tests, and air permeability measurements were conducted in situ and standard soil characterizations were carried out on soil samples. Hydraulic conductivity of the soil matrix, based on grain size data, indicated that the highest values were consistently measured in the B horizon at each landscape setting. Macropores were found to be more abundant within uncultivated drainage ditch bank soils, compared to the adjacent cropped fields. Macropores in the ditch bank soils were exclusively consisted of circular biopores, while both circular and linear macropores were observed in the cultivated field soils. Air permeability, vertical hydraulic conductivity, and horizontal hydraulic conductivity were also greater in the uncultivated soils, relative to the cultivated soils. Field saturated hydraulic conductivity measurements offered evidence of anisotropy, likely due to the vertical nature of the macropore features. Macropore disposition and extent varied over the growing season, especially in the cultivated field soils where tillage and field trafficking are physically disruptive. Seasonality of macropore development will influence temporal changes in advection-based mass exchange of gas and water in the vadose zone. Modeling of mass exchange in agricultural soils should consider time variability in macroporosity to more realistically characterize infiltration and soil gas emissions.

Сохранение земли, плодородия почв и многолетних трав для рационального природопользования в сельском хозяйстве (к 160-летию со дня рождения Василия Робертовича Вильямса)

Vasily Robertovich Williams is an outstanding Russian scientist of global scale and responsible state approach to his work. He devoted his life to solving the most important problem of ensuring food and environmental security of the country. To achieve this goal, he set and solved the following tasks: scientific support of sustainable development and stability of domestic agriculture, agricultural lands and agricultural landscapes; balance of agriculture, crop production and animal husbandry; increasing soil fertility. His priority was the need to develop soil science in close connection with solving practical problems of obtaining high and sustainable yields of agricultural crops. V.R. Williams introduced many important elements into the Dokuchaev doctrine of soil and soil formation. He discovered new sides in understanding the soil, the importance of perennial grasses in the formation of soil fertility, created a new science about meadows, improved the basics of agricultural landscape management. His scientific works covered a wide range of issues of soil science, biology, geography, agriculture, meadow science, agricultural science. V.R. Williams founded the biological direction in the study of soils, developed the doctrine of the biological cycle of substances, about the essence of a single soil-forming process, about the organic matter of the soil. A significant contribution to the management and rational use of agricultural lands and agricultural landscapes is made by the grass-field farming system of V.R. Williams, which he named after his teachers — "Dokuchaev – Kostychev – Williams".

Century-old experience of land management and formation of new agricultural landscapes in the Central Chernozem Region

To the 100th anniversary of the Land Management and Landscape Design Department of the Voronezh State Agrarian University/ The anniversary article is devoted to the history of the formation and development of the Department of Land Management and Landscape Design of the Faculty of Land Management and Cadastre of the Voronezh State Agrarian University. The analysis of 100-years experience in land management and the formation of new agricultural landscapes in the Central Black Earth region is presented in this paper. The authors also propose the measures to improve land management at the present stage.

Do Land Use and Land Cover Scenarios Support More Integrated Land Use Management?

In agricultural landscape management, the conventional top-down approaches that primarily focus on market-led responses struggle to preserve the landscape elements essential for environmental sustainability. To address this deficiency, land use and land cover change (LUCC) scenarios promote an integrated understanding of landscape dynamics and highlight the inconsistency between the compartmentalisation of the public sector (“siloisation”) and the necessity for management that reflects the interdependencies of socio-ecological systems. This study investigates the extent to which the creation and dissemination of LUCC scenarios lead to modifications in the values, attitudes, and behaviours of local actors engaged in land management, giving particular emphasis to the role of these scenarios in encouraging integrated management. To accomplish this objective, we interviewed local actors who actively participated in the co-construction of the scenario narratives or learned about the scenarios during dissemination workshops. We then analysed the data via a thematic and lexicometric analysis. The findings highlighted the dual function of these scenarios as a catalyst for pre-existing political will to promote integrated management and as a tool for raising awareness about major environmental challenges. At the group level, the outcomes encompassed aspects such as basing political decisions on the results of scenarios and fostering collaboration between institutions. These outcomes were observed among the actors involved in co-constructing scenarios or those with pre-existing motivations to pursue integrated management initiatives. Additional personal outcomes included an increased awareness of environmental challenges and the consolidation of non-formalised knowledge. We argue that combining co-construction and dissemination enhances the outcomes of scenarios considerably.

An Integrated Approach to Sub-Surface Water Pathways for the Sustainable Development of the Architectural Landscape of Agro-Urban Areas

This paper presents the results of multidisciplinary research which addresses the issue of sustainability within the design of urban agricultural landscapes through the joint solution of architecture and hydro-geomorphology for the management, accessibility and use of urban agricultural landscapes. If the traditional separation between urban and productive land has now been overcome by the inclusion of agricultural areas within the cities, what is still under discussion is how to make its planning sustainable, especially in densely urbanized contexts. This research was developed with a methodology able to combine different types of data in order to satisfy needs relating to the availability of water for land supply and to make this landscape—both rural and urban—accessible to the city. Historical traces, interpretative insights, and hydro-geomorphological reading models of the territory were analysed. Their interweaving has made it possible to develop a prototype of a water and landscape infrastructure that combines a system for subsurface water, cycle–pedestrian paths and small-scale architecture features around the water tanks. The research has been tested in the city of Pozzuoli (NA) in Southern Italy, within the Monteruscello neighbourhood. The result led to a design solution of an integrated system which contributes to implementing the green transition within cities.

Agricultural activities lead to sediment infilling of wetlandscapes in the Canadian Prairies: Assessment of soil erosion and sedimentation fluxes

Wetlandscapes are vulnerable to land conversion and sediment infilling from upland agriculture, causing them to act as sinks for sediment deposition and putting at risk their ecosystem services. Wetlandscapes in the Canadian Prairies agroecosystems are particularly susceptible to sediment infilling because of the intensification of human activities and agricultural practices. The rising risk of soil erosion in cultivated landscapes has generated a need to estimate soil redistribution rates and soil loss monitoring tools and techniques. This research examines the effects of agricultural activities on soil loss and sedimentation rates within agricultural landscapes in the Canadian Prairies. Land and atmospheric fluxes of sediment into wetlands are quantified over the past 60 years using catchment-scale tracing (137Cs) and budgeting techniques. Findings indicate that the pattern of 137Cs erosion/deposition varies along catchment toposequences, with erosion near the top of the toposequences (the average annual soil erosion rates were found to be 1.1 kg m−2 yr−1 for Manitoba and 0.3 kg m−2 yr−1 for Alberta) and deposition within the wetland ecosystem (total deposition rates were estimated at about −3.6 kg m−2 yr-1for Manitoba and −0.9 kg m−2 yr−1 for Alberta). The sediment delivery ratios were approximately 57% and 35% in Manitoba and Alberta, respectively, indicating that a noticeable amount of the mobilized sediment exits the field. These transfers from cultivated fields into wetlands reveal that wetlandscapes in Canadian Prairies are vulnerable to sediment infilling, and soil erosion control practices are needed to achieve sustainable management of agricultural landscapes.

Linking social-ecological management and ecosystem service bundles: Lessons from a peri-urban agriculture landscape

Peri-urban ecosystems especially peri-urban agriculture play an important part in multiple dimensions of both rural and urban sustainability and resilience. Yet such ecosystems on which diverse services depend are not given the commensurate concerns like city themes, and thus the lack of understanding about the interdependence characteristic within ES variation and the driving mechanism of socio-environmental factors limits effective ecological policymaking and urban-rural planning. In this study, we provided a framework revealing the complicated relationship of ecosystem services in a peri-urban area in southern Shanghai, China which is dominated by agricultural landscapes. Our findings stem from a combination of mapping quantification, statistical approaches and GIS-based techniques. The results showed that the provisioning services show trade-offs to some extent with regulating and cultural services. Six distinct ecosystem service bundles are identified and they are shaped by numerous site-specific characteristics which foster the orientation of ecosystem service management toward multifunctionality. We concluded that the spatially explicit information with GIS-based trade-off analysis is an efficient way to uncover the complicated relationships among various ecosystem services. The optimization of land cover forms and landscape characteristics is required for the sustainable management of agricultural landscapes. Ecosystem service bundles incorporating landscape features and differentiated perceptions of local residents provide rich evidence for the formulation of sustainable cultural land management strategies. They should be regarded as an indispensable element in developing both city and rural planning and multifunctional management.

Direct and indirect effects of agricultural expansion and landscape fragmentation processes on natural habitats

Agricultural expansion has led to a large-scale loss of natural vegetation and landscape fragmentation, seriously threatening biodiversity. In addition to directly encroaching on natural habitats, agricultural expansion can indirectly affect surrounding natural habitats. However, the indirect effects of agricultural expansion on natural habitats and their responses to landscape fragmentation processes are poorly understood. Taking Lishui city, China, as an example, changes in land use/land cover and habitat quality during 2000–2020 were assessed. Then, an agricultural expansion scenario was designed to separate the direct and indirect effects of agricultural expansion on natural habitats. Regression analysis and geographical detector methods were used to explore the relationships among the four landscape fragmentation processes (area, edge, shape, and isolation) and the direct/indirect impacts. The results showed that agricultural expansion resulted in a forest loss area of 376.04 km2. Agricultural expansion led to a 6.08 % decrease in natural habitats, of which 43.84 % were direct effects and 56.16 % were indirect effects. Agricultural expansion indirectly impacted 14,209.06 km2 of natural habitats, and this value was approximately 32 times larger than the area that was directly impacted (449.51 km2). Different landscape fragmentation processes had linear/nonlinear effects on natural habitats. The interaction effects of landscape fragmentation showed duality and nonlinear enhancement. Changes in area and edge contributed the most to the direct effects, but indirect effects were also affected by the shape of agricultural land and the isolation of forest. The agricultural land system balance policy was the main driver of agricultural expansion and landscape fragmentation. Sustainable agricultural landscape management is necessary to mitigate the impact of agricultural expansion on biodiversity. This study provides new insights for agricultural landscape planning and biodiversity conservation.

Mapping linkages between ecosystem services and agricultural and landscape management using structural topic modeling of scientific literature

This paper provides a systematic overview of existing literature on the interdependence between terrestrial Ecosystem Services (ES) and agricultural landscape management. To this end, we constructed a structured methodological approach that future researchers and other stakeholders may use to explore potential gaps for potential avenues for research. The framework starts with a constructed bibliometric dataset comprising 2478 paper abstracts (and associated metadata) published between 2010 and 2019 that contain references to specific ES classes and case study location references worldwide. Next, the dataset was used to construct a Structural Topic Model (STM), which features marginal effect estimation of metadata covariates on topic prevalence and topic prevalence correlation. The estimated topic graph structure is then used for community detection of interconnected topics via cluster identification, which allowed us to determine the current structure of the academic discourse on the interaction between terrestrial ES and agricultural landscape management. We expect this novel approach to enable identification of research priorities, prioritization of project portfolios for our field of interest, and reusable methodological guidelines that can be employed to target other fields of knowledge similarly.

Digital Mapping of Soil Properties Using Ensemble Machine Learning Approaches in an Agricultural Lowland Area of Lombardy, Italy

Sustainable agricultural landscape management needs reliable and accurate soil maps and updated geospatial soil information. Recently, machine learning (ML) models have commonly been used in digital soil mapping, together with limited data, for various types of landscapes. In this study, we tested linear and nonlinear ML models in predicting and mapping soil properties in an agricultural lowland landscape of Lombardy region, Italy. We further evaluated the ability of an ensemble learning model, based on a stacking approach, to predict the spatial variation of soil properties, such as sand, silt, and clay contents, soil organic carbon content, pH, and topsoil depth. Therefore, we combined the predictions of the base learners (ML models) with two meta-learners. Prediction accuracies were assessed using a nested cross-validation procedure. Nonetheless, the nonlinear single models generally performed well, with RF having the best results; the stacking models did not outperform all the individual base learners. The most important topographic predictors of the soil properties were vertical distance to channel network and channel network base level. The results yield valuable information for sustainable land use in an area with a particular soil water cycle, as well as for future climate and socioeconomic changes influencing water content, soil pollution dynamics, and food security.

Native forest conversion alters soil macroinvertebrate diversity and soil quality in tropical mountain landscapes of northern Ecuador

Land use changes cause soil degradation and loss of biodiversity, thereby affecting ecological processes and soil-associated ecosystem services. However, land use change impacts on soil health have received little attention in the highland landscapes of the tropics. In this research, using the soil health framework, we assessed the impact of native forest conversion to anthropic systems (planted forests, pastures, and monocultures) on two ecosystem services: biodiversity conservation and soil fertility in the highlands of northern Ecuador. The biological dimension of our assessment focused on the diversity, abundance, and biomass of soil macroinvertebrate communities as proxies to soil functions, whereas soil chemical parameters were used to describe the soil fertility. The soil invertebrate communities and soil chemical parameters were studied in topsoil samples using 25 × 25 × 10 cm monoliths, obtained from 10 sampling sites randomly selected in each land use category. We hypothesized that native forests would present more diverse and even soil macroinvertebrate communities, and together with their soil chemical properties would indicate better soil quality than anthropic environments. Our results showed that the structure and composition of the edaphic macroinvertebrate communities significantly differed among the studied land use categories. As predicted, native forests presented greater values for richness, evenness and diversity of soil biota than did the other categories, demonstrating a significant loss of taxonomic biodiversity at order and genus levels. We also found a significant reduction of trophic diversity in native forests converted to anthropic environments. More trophic groups with greater abundances were found in native forests, where predators and detritivores stood out as dominant groups, indicating the good quality of the soil. The results from the soil chemical parameters also confirmed the distinction in soil health between native forests and anthropic environments. Our results highlight the risk associated with current trends of native forest loss and conversion to anthropic systems in high mountain ecosystems in the tropics, illustrating how these alterations could cause biodiversity loss and degradation of the chemical attributes of soil health. The findings of this research could contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of mountain agricultural landscapes in the study region.

Developing a new water–energy–food‐greenhouse gases nexus tool for sustainable agricultural landscape management

AbstractA new comprehensive water, energy, food, greenhouse gas (WEFG) nexus index was developed to capture the interrelationships between them. A total of 11 indicators were applied to consider the interplay of resources consumption, productivity, economic issues, and carbon emission as one of the most critical issues regarding sustainable agricultural development. The proposed WEFG index was evaluated for crop pattern optimization. The results showed that the WEFG ranged from 0.162 to 0.658, which were calculated respectively for almonds and rice due to their energy consumption and carbon emission levels. The optimal cultivation pattern based on WEFG leads to 11% and 15.8% reductions in water and energy consumption, even with a 2.3% increase in cultivation area. The estimated profit for optimal pattern based on WEFG decreased by 13.67% due to lower cultivation levels of high‐yield crops such as onion and potatoes. However, the optimal cultivation pattern based on the WEFG index has decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 2%, leading to sustainable agricultural management. Therefore, the presented WEFG nexus index can be a practical metric for sustainable planning and management in the agriculture sector.

Sexual segregation occurs in bats within fragmented remnant woodlands in an agricultural landscape.

Species‐specific responses to landscape configuration and landscape composition have been studied extensively. However, little work has been done to compare intraspecific differences in habitat preferences. Bats have potential as good bioindicator taxa in woodland habitats. Therefore, studying sex differences in responses to woodland and the wider landscape can allow us to gain insight into the relative importance of these habitats for both bats and other taxa. In this study, we aimed to test the predictions that (i) habitat type and connectivity will influence the probability of recording female bats in woodlands and (ii) sex differences in response to habitat type and connectivity will be species‐specific. Bat capture data was collected in 206 woodlands over 3 years in England. The probability of detecting females relative to males was modeled in response to a range of woodland characteristics and landscape metrics for six bat species. We recorded sex differences in responses to landscape features in three species. We found a higher probability of capturing female Myotis nattereri in woodlands that were surrounded by a higher proportion of improved grasslands, whereas female Myotis mystacinus were less likely to be recorded in woodlands surrounded by semi‐natural vegetation. Female Plecotus auritus were more likely to be recorded in isolated woodlands with less connectivity to other woodlands and where agriculture dominated the surrounding landscape. Our findings indicate that sexual segregation occurs across several UK bat species in response to landscape connectivity and composition. Sexual segregation in response to landscape characteristics in bats should therefore be an important consideration in the management of fragmented agricultural landscapes.

Conservation and Management of Agricultural Landscapes through Expert-Supported Participatory Processes: The “Declarations of Public Interest” in an Italian Province

The adoption of the European Landscape Convention by the member states of the Council of Europe emphasized the importance of raising awareness of, promoting and educating local communities in, and fostering the activism of all European citizens in the process of transforming the European landscape. The work carried out by the Landscape Observatory for Montferrat and Astigiano was to raise awareness in local communities regarding landscape protection processes that those communities could steer, as required by the Code of the Cultural and Landscape Heritage of the Italian State (2004). Consequently, for the first time, a participatory model was established in the province of Asti and the Piedmont region in Italy to support the community-driven requests for a special protection decree for some targeted areas. In this paper, the process and novel multisource methodology used for the two pilot cases are reported, where the landscape values to be protected were identified through local community involvement. Supported by the Landscape Observatory and experts, the broad participation allowed their recognition of Public Interest. These recognitions are relevant because they rely on a shared perspective of populations for the self-management of their landscapes. They represent an operational model for other local communities in the Council of Europe countries.

Shifting agriculture is the dominant driver of forest disturbance in threatened forest species’ ranges

Forest disturbance, including deforestation, is a major driver of global biodiversity decline. Identifying the underlying socioeconomic drivers can help guide interventions to halt biodiversity decline. Here, we quantified spatial overlaps between the distributions of 6164 globally threatened terrestrial vertebrate species and five major forest disturbance drivers at the global scale: commodity-driven deforestation, shifting agriculture, forestry, wildfire, and urbanization. We find that each driver has a distinct relative importance among species groups and geographic regions with, for example, the dominant disturbance drivers being forestry in northern regions and shifting agriculture in the tropics. Overall, shifting agriculture was more prevalent within threatened forest species’ ranges in the tropics, and some temperate nations. Our findings suggest that, globally, threatened forest species are exposed to a disproportional decrease in habitat area. Combining forest disturbance maps and species ranges can help evaluate agricultural landscape management and prioritize conservation efforts to reduce further biodiversity loss.

A multi-product landscape life-cycle assessment approach for evaluating local climate mitigation potential

Increasing demand for land-based climate mitigation requires more efficient management of agricultural landscapes for competing objectives. Here we develop methods for assessing trade-offs and synergies between intensification and carbon-sequestering conservation measures in annual crop production landscapes using the DayCent ecosystem model and the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) life-cycle assessment (LCA) model. We compiled county-scaled crop yields, fertilizer application rates, and tillage intensity for a corn–soybean farming case study landscape in the US state of Iowa. Using DayCent, we estimated a baseline soil organic carbon (SOC) accrual rate of 0.29 Mg C ha−1 y−1 driven by historical increases in crop productivity and reductions in tillage intensity. We then simulated the effects of management interventions targeted toward intensification (stover removal) and SOC sequestration (tillage intensity reduction and winter cover crop addition) individually and in combination. We propose a new multi-product landscape–LCA approach that analyzes marginal changes in corn grain, corn stover, and soybean production from the landscape in terms of their value for biofuel production (corn ethanol, soy biodiesel, and cellulosic ethanol from stover) and associated net displacement of conventional fossil-derived fuel use. This enables us to evaluate both intensification and sequestration effects in common CO2-equivalent mitigation units. We also used DayCent-simulated yields under the different land management scenarios to estimate farm-level costs and revenues. Our results show that intensification via collecting 30% of corn stover for biofuel production would increase the total greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential of this landscape by 0.93 Mg CO2e ha−1 y−1 and provide $49 ha−1 y−1 of additional net revenue from biomass sales, but would reduce the baseline SOC accumulation rate by approximately 40%. In contrast, integrated approaches that include co-adoption of winter cover cropping and/or tillage intensity reduction would result in increased rates of SOC accumulation above the baseline, achieving simultaneous improvements in both farm profits and the overall GHG mitigation potential of the landscape.

To store or to drain — To lose or to gain? Rewetting drained peatlands as a measure for increasing water storage in the transboundary Neman River Basin

Agriculture continues to place unwanted pressure on peatland functionality, despite international recognition calling for their conservation and restoration. Rewetting of peatlands is often the first step of restoration that aims towards improving the delivery of ecosystem services and their benefits for human well-being. Ongoing debates on peatland restoration in agricultural landscapes raise several issues based on the valuation of benefits achieved versus the costs of peatland restoration. Using the transborder Neman River Basin in North-Eastern Europe, this study aimed to quantify and evaluate the gains provided by peatland rewetting. To achieve this, this study estimated i) possible changes in water storage capacity from peatland restoration, ii) the value of expected benefits from restoration and iii) costs of restoration measures at the overarching basin level. Applying multiple assumptions, it was revealed that rewetting drained peatlands in the Neman River Basin could increase water retention by 23.6–118 M m3. This corresponds to 0.14–0.7% of the total annual Neman River discharge into the Baltic Sea. Unit increase of water retention volume due to rewetting ranged between 69 and 344 m3·ha−1. The estimated water retention value ranged between 12 and 60.2 M EUR·year−1. It was also shown that peatland rewetting at the scale of Neman River Basin would cost from 6.8 M and 51.5 M EUR·year−1 depending on the selected scenario. Applying less expensive rewetting measures (non-regulated outflow from ditch blocks), the economic gains (as water storage ecosystem service of rewetted peatlands) from rewetting exceed the costs of rewetting. Thus, rewetting peatlands at a river-basin scale can be considered technically and economically efficient measures towards sustainable management of agricultural landscapes. The novel methodology applied in this study can be used when valuing trade-offs between the rewetting of drained peatlands and leaving them drained for the uncertain future of wetland agriculture.

Effective and feasible mechanisms to support native invertebrate pollinators in agricultural landscapes: A meta‐analysis

AbstractPollinator declines have emerged as a major conservation concern across a wide diversity of systems and taxa worldwide. In response to these concerns, active efforts to conserve pollinators are increasingly considered in agricultural landscape design and management, natural area management, and public land decision‐making. An important conservation challenge is translating these efforts to feasible recommendations that agriculturalists across a diversity of systems and contexts can employ to support pollinator communities. In order to develop such a toolbox for agriculturalists, we conducted a meta‐analysis to examine feasible management practices, tools, or decisions, employed in agricultural landscapes, that directly impact pollinator forage and nest site resources. Our search terms netted a total of 743 unique references; from this, we developed a dataset of 209 unique records, derived from 89 unique references, for inclusion in our meta‐analysis. We found that across all treatments aimed at boosting pollinators, there were significant increases in bee abundance, bee species richness, and overall pollinator abundance and visitation rate. We also found specifically that across all study types, the following practices resulted in positive changes in pollinator community responses: reduced distance to natural areas, reduced regional intensity of human modification, increased quantity and quality of pollinator resources within a focal system, plantings adjacent to agricultural areas, and the use of nonconventional agricultural practices. The most consistent pollinator response to treatments was bee species richness, which was significantly increased by plantings adjacent to agricultural areas, distance from natural areas, and quantity and diversity of pollinator resources. Bee species richness also decreased with intensity of human modification. These findings are presented in a toolbox for agriculturalists, containing evidence‐based actions and outcomes to assist practitioners in decision‐making specific to pollinator habitat improvement that could be actionable in the near term.