Grassland Ecosystem Services Research Articles

Topo-edaphic environment and forestry plantation disturbance affect the distribution of grassland forage and non-forage resources, Maputaland, South Africa

Grasslands are integral to rural livelihoods in southern Africa, because they provide hydrological regulation services and a variety of plant resources, including livestock fodder, medicines, and food products. To ensure ongoing provision of these resources in rapidly developing rural landscapes, an understanding of the relationships between grassland species composition and ecosystem services is required. This study examines the provision of grassland forage and non-forage resources across five grassland types in relation to environmental determinants of site topography, soil conditions, and plantation-forestry disturbance. Grasslands characteristic of low-lying and fertile landscape positions were dominated by nutritious lawn grasses and therefore tended to complement rangeland practices, whereas grasslands associated with elevated areas or infertile conditions were diverse in species composition and consequently provided the majority of plant medicines, spiritual resources, fruit-beverage resources, oils, and craft materials. Secondary grassland, resulting from forestry plantation abandonment, had moderate forage potential and limited non-forage resources. Our results provide a simple framework for approaching grassland resource classification, grassland conservation and land use management on the Maputaland coastal plain.

Direct and indirect effects of land-use intensity on plant communities across elevation in semi-natural grasslands.

Grassland biodiversity is vulnerable to land use change. How to best manage semi-natural grasslands for maintaining biodiversity is still unclear in many cases because land-use processes may depend on environmental conditions and the indirect effects of land-use on biodiversity mediated by altered abiotic and biotic factors are rarely considered. Here we evaluate the relative importance of the direct and indirect effects of grazing intensity on plant communities along an elevational gradient on a large topographic scale in the Eastern Carpathians in Ukraine. We sampled for two years 31 semi-natural grasslands exposed to cattle grazing. Within each grassland site we measured plant community properties such as the number of species, functional groups, and the proportion of species undesirable for grazing. In addition, we recorded cattle density (as a proxy for grazing intensity), soil properties (bare soil exposure, soil organic carbon, and soil pH) and densities of soil decomposers (earthworms and soil microorganisms). We used structural equation modelling to explore the direct and indirect effects of grazing intensity on plant communities along the elevation gradient. We found that cattle density decreased plant species and functional diversity but increased the proportion of undesirable species. Some of these effects were directly linked to grazing intensity (i.e., species richness), while others (i.e., functional diversity and proportion of undesirable species) were mediated via bare soil exposure. Although grazing intensity decreased with elevation, the effects of grazing on the plant community did not change along the elevation gradient. Generally, elevation had a strong positive direct effect on plant species richness as well as a negative indirect effect, mediated via altered soil acidity and decreased decomposer density. Our results indicate that plant diversity and composition are controlled by the complex interplay among grazing intensity and changing environmental conditions along an elevation gradient. Furthermore, we found lower soil pH, organic carbon and decomposer density with elevation, indicating that the effects of grazing on soil and related ecosystem functions and services in semi-natural grasslands may be more pronounced with elevation. This demonstrates that we need to account for environmental gradients when attempting to generalize effects of land-use intensity on biodiversity.

Human perceptions of cultural ecosystem services of semi-natural grasslands: The influence of plant communities

Grasslands provide numerous cultural ecosystem services (CES). Although research on CES is increasing, the role of plant communities in human perception is less studied. Hence, the aim of our study was to determine the relationship between the type of grassland community and the perception of CES. The research was based on the survey conducted among tourists in the Pieniny Mountains, Southern Poland. It included six photographs of the grassland communities and a set of questions concerning the perception of CES. The results showed that different types of analysed grassland communities vary significantly in terms of CES provision. Thus, when researching CES, they should not be classified as the land use type with only one common value. Inspiration and joy are highly dependent on plant community, whereas spiritual values and strengthening social bonds are provided on a similar level regardless of the plant community. Furthermore, all analysed plant communities (with exception of grazed pasture) provide analysed CES to a certain extent which confirms the available research on bundles of CES. Our study also revealed the influence of biological, and socio-demographic factors (gender, age and place of residence) on perception. Hence, the management of grasslands for CES requires consideration of all these aspects.

Research on grassland ecosystem service value in China under climate change based on meta-analysis: a case study of Qinghai province

Purpose Grassland in Qinghai as the main type of ecosystem in this region is located in arid and semi-arid areas. The ecosystem is fragile and sensitive to climate change. Grassland ecosystem not only provides essential ecological and life functions for human society but also plays a vital role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. The empirical literature on grassland ecosystem services value (ESV) does not consider the impact of climate change and regional economic development level factors, which prevents policymakers from making appropriate decisions. This paper aims to analyze the influencing factors of grassland ESV assessment, and, based on the meta-prediction model, account the grassland ESV in Qinghai province. Design/methodology/approach To understand the value of grassland ecosystem services in China under climate change, this paper used 61 research literature on the evaluation of grassland ESV in China, including a total of 564 value observations to establish a value transfer database. Based on the meta-analysis method, this study has constructed a value transfer model, to evaluate the grassland ESV in Qinghai province, and an interpretation model, which can analyze if the independent variables affect the grassland ESV significantly. Findings The study finds that the evaluation methods, types of ecosystem service functions, climate change and grassland types can affect the grassland ESV significantly. Based on the meta-regression prediction model to evaluate the grassland ESV in Qinghai is US$1,542.67/ha/year. It indicates several targeted approaches to increase the grassland ESV, and climate change also has a specific impact on the value of grassland ecosystem services. Research limitations/implications This study provides a scientific basis for grassland management related to the development of grasslands and ecological compensation, as well as promote the sustainable development of grassland ecosystems. Originality/value This paper contributes to the field of grassland ESV assessment in at least three aspects; first, it innovatively introduces the meta-analysis to carry out an integrated analysis of previous research results; second, it includes a broader set of influence variables in the analysis, including meteorological and economic factors; and third, it establishes a methodological basis for the field of grassland ESV accounting.

Pollinators of the Great Plains: Disturbances, Stressors, Management, and Research Needs

Recent global declines of pollinator populations have highlighted the importance of pollinators, which are undervalued despite essential contributions to ecosystem services. To identify critical knowledge gaps about pollinators, we describe the state of knowledge about responses of pollinators and their foraging and nesting resources to historical natural disturbances and new stressors in Great Plains grasslands and riparian ecosystems. In addition, we also provide information about pollinator management and research needs to guide efforts to sustain pollinators and by extension, flowering vegetation, and other ecosystem services of grasslands. Although pollinator responses varied, pollinator specialists of disturbance-sensitive plants tended to decline in response to disturbance. Management with grazing and fire overall may benefit pollinators of grasslands, depending on many factors; however, we recommend habitat and population monitoring to assess outcomes of these disturbances on small, isolated pollinator populations. The influences and interactions of drought and increasingly variable weather patterns, pesticides, and domesticated bees on pollinators are complex and understudied. Nonetheless, habitat management and restoration can reduce effects of stressors and augment floral and nesting resources for pollinators. Research needs include expanding information about 1) the distribution, abundance, trends, and intraregional variability of most pollinator species; 2) floral and nesting resources critical to support pollinators; 3) implications of different rangeland management approaches; 4) effects of missing and reestablished resources in altered and restored vegetation; and 5) disentangling the relative influence of interacting disturbances and stressors on pollinator declines. Despite limited research in the Great Plains on many of these topics, consideration of pollinator populations and their habitat needs in management plans is critical now to reduce future pollinator declines and promote recovery.

Towards a better understanding of shallow erosion resistance of subalpine grasslands

Shallow erosion is caused by processes such as landsliding, snow gliding, avalanches, animal trampling, or human activities and frequently occurs on high mountain grasslands. It can lead to significant long-term losses of grassland and related ecosystem services, e.g. fodder production, or water retention. Since restoration of subalpine and alpine ecosystems is difficult, prevention of shallow erosion is of vital importance for damage control. However, current knowledge on relationships between grassland ecology, management and shallow erosion resistance is very limited. In this study, we assessed relationships between the surface-mat stability of the topsoil (0–10 cm depth), vegetation cover, species diversity, growth patterns, indicator plant species for high and low tensile strength, soil texture, total nitrogen, and soil organic carbon.Vegetation composition significantly influenced the surface-mat stability of subalpine grasslands. Some key species were associated with higher reinforcement than other species. However, surface-mat stability neither depended on the vegetation type (grass or forb), nor on the root type, but rather on individual species characteristics such as roots and clonal structures as well as a certain plant and structural diversity. A balanced nutrient supply was associated with higher surface-mat stability, while soil texture had no effect. We hypothesized that stabilizing effects of plant-plant connections in tightly interwoven, dense root and clonal structure systems dominate over effects of root-soil connections. Thus, effects of soil texture may be negligible for the surface-mat stability. In general, our results show that adapted grassland management can be used as preventive erosion control measure on subalpine grasslands.

Ecology and sustainability of the Inner Mongolian Grassland: Looking back and moving forward

Understanding the ecology and sustainability of the Inner Mongolian Grassland is crucial for improving land management policies in the Mongolian Plateau and beyond. However, a systematic and comprehensive review of the relevant literature is still lacking. This review was intended to: (1) assess the current state of the ecological and sustainability research of the Inner Mongolian Grassland region, and (2) identify critical research topics and challenges for understanding pathways to sustainability of the region. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 2571 English articles indexed in the Web of Science during 1998–2019. Multiple methods, including descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, change point detection, theme mining, and association strength analysis, were combined to analyze the sampled literature. All reviewed studies can be grouped into four types: description of ecological and biogeochemical characteristics of degraded grasslands (type I), the impacts of climate change and human activities on aboveground (type II) and belowground grassland ecosystem functioning (type III), and the impacts of different management strategies on grassland ecosystem services and human well-being (type IV). The number of publications in all four themes has rapidly increased after 2007–2009. The four types of articles were related to each other in terms of the interannual publication consistency. Keyword co-occurrence network analysis showed that climate change and grazing were the major research topics, which are closely related to all other topics. Three perspectives have persisted in the ecology and sustainability research of the Inner Mongolian Grassland: Ecology in the Grassland, Ecology of the Grassland, and Sustainability of the Grassland. Based on the emerging landscape sustainability science framework, the transdisciplinary approach to landscape sustainability diagnostics and landscape planning and design should become a priority in advancing sustainability research of the region.

Assessing restoration benefit of grassland ecosystem incorporating preference heterogeneity empirical data from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

The evaluation of grassland ecosystem restoration benefit considering herdsmen's preference is an important reference for the formulation of grassland protection policy. This study aims to evaluate the marginal benefits of grassland ecosystem services by using choice experiment and mixed logit (ML) model, and a latent class model (LCM) is estimated to identify and explain the heterogeneity of herdsmen's preference for the various functions of the grassland ecosystem, so as to estimate the benefits of grassland ecosystem restoration in Siziwang Banner and Damao Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The results reveal that the restoration benefit of the grassland ecosystem in the two banners is nearly 341.1 million RMB per year. The application of latent class model highlights three potential segments of the herdsmen with different preferences. The social, economic and environmental attitudinal characteristics of herdsmen have significant impacts on their preferences. Thus, to improve the universality of grassland ecological restoration policy, herdsmen's preferences should be thoroughly investigated before policy formulation and implementation. Meanwhile, it is important to publicize the grassland ecosystem services, to popularize the role of wildlife in the ecosystem, and to realize the benign interaction between wildlife protection and animal husbandry development.

Do biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments inform stakeholders how to simultaneously conserve biodiversity and increase ecosystem service provisioning in grasslands?

Two key stakeholders primarily important for nature conservation are farmers (and their lobby groups) and conservationists. Both have substantial inputs into environmental strategies and policies calling for biodiversity conservation aimed to directly increase ecosystem services. The scientific literature concurs that as biological diversity increases so do ecosystem functions and services in grasslands. While the evidence for this is strong, the majority comes from controlled small-scale biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments. Thus, it is unclear whether the scientific basis for implementing BEF relationships into practice is sufficiently evidenced. Here we explore the applicability of findings from BEF experiments to the conservation and management of temperate grassland, a widespread and potentially highly biodiverse habitat. While we acknowledge that BEF research can reveal insights into fundamental mechanisms, the saturation of biodiversity effects at low levels and unrealistic (management) treatments widely impede the applicability of these experimental results to permanent grasslands. Additionally, the integration of BEF research results into practice is considerably hampered by experimental studies not answering stakeholders' crucial questions, e.g. is there evidence of biodiversity conservation potentials? Thus, stakeholders do not have a strong evidence base for taking decisions for the addressed management goals, except intensive production in (species-poor) temporary grasslands. If BEF work is to inform stakeholders future research needs to overcome unrealistic management, missing stakeholder involvement and ineffective communication. A new generation of applied BEF experiments employing applied, multi-actor approaches is needed to facilitate the relevance of BEF research for nature conservation, agriculture and land management.

A survey of invasive plants on grassland soil microbial communities and ecosystem services

Invasive plants can cause changes in the structure and function of the ecosystem being invaded. Any changes in ecosystem diversity and community composition will likely alter ecosystem services provided by that ecosystem. However, how these ecosystem services may change is poorly understood. To elucidate how these ecosystem services will change with invasion, we sampled 561 plots undergoing invasion by smooth brome (Bromus inermis) and four other invasive species at a native Rough Fescue prairie located near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Soil and plant surveys were undertaken weekly for 26 weeks between May of 2014 and November of 2014, or the growing season. We measured a suite of ecosystem services, including greenhouse gasses, extracellular enzyme function, forage production, glyphosate degradation and decomposition. Furthermore, soil physical and chemical properties were measured, and soil bacterial and fungal communities were sequenced. This is a large and multifaceted dataset with complex temporal and spatial attributes which can be used to answer numerous questions regarding the functioning of prairie ecosystems and how invasive species will impact that functioning.

Emergy-based ecosystem services valuation and classification management applied to China’s grasslands

Though grasslands cover one fifth area of global land and provide vital services for humans, half of them are degraded due to human interference and climate change. In this paper we perform evaluations of the delivery of ecosystem services (ES) of grasslands using a systems approach and the technique of emergy accounting. Firstly, we address the issue of anthropocentricity of ES through discussion and analysis using the concept of emergy as contrasted to economic value, i.e. willingness-to-pay. Secondly, we explore from a systems classification of provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. Thirdly, we provide quantitative analysis of the value added (surplus value) to economies by ecosystems. An emergy-based index of classification management of grassland (ICG), is also implemented, together with a non-monetary benefit-cost analysis of grassland ES. It is established that emergy provides an approach to evaluating the contributions ecosystems make to the economy using the idea of net benefit ratio, computed as the emergy cost of providing a service through technology (aka replacement cost) divided by emergy required to sustain ecosystem functions. This study can provide a systematic biophysical accounting method for grassland ESV to implement future sustainable management practices.

Grassland ecosystem services: a systematic review of research advances and future directions

Grasslands provide a variety of ecosystem services (ESs) for humans. While much ES research has focused on forests and wetlands, synthesizing the currently somewhat sporadic studies of grassland ecosystem services (GESs) is much needed. We aimed to review the scope, major methods, and key findings of GESs, and identify knowledge gaps and future directions. We conducted a systematic review of articles published during 1970–2018 (including 380 peer-reviewed articles from Web of Science and 32 book chapters from Google Scholar). The number of GES studies has accelerated in recent decades, with China (31%) and the United States (18%) together accounting for almost half of them. A total of 33 GESs were mentioned in the searched articles, of which carbon sequestration, forage production, and water erosion control had the highest frequencies. Methods for evaluating GESs include field survey, field experiments, and statistical and process-based modeling. Grasslands are the primary source of meat and dairy products, account for about one-third of the total carbon of all terrestrial ecosystems, and provide numerous other ESs, such as night cooling, soil erosion control, and flood mitigation. This review presents the state-of-the-science of GESs, and identifies several future research directions. To move forward, we propose a framework with a 3-M methodology: (1) “Multi-scales”—understanding GESs from various spatiotemporal scales; (2) “Multi-methods”—evaluating GESs with multiple statistical and modeling techniques using multiple data sources; and (3) “Multi-perspectives”—assessing GESs from ecological, social, and economic perspectives for sustainability.

Different Household Livelihood Strategies and Influencing Factors in the Inner Mongolian Grassland

Household livelihood strategies affect grassland ecosystem services and the herder’s well-being. Understanding different household livelihood strategies and influencing factors is crucial for sustainable development in pastoral areas. We surveyed 241 households in the typical grassland region of Inner Mongolia to classify the different types of household livelihood strategies using income-based cluster analysis and to identify the major influencing factors of household livelihood strategies with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our study has several findings. First, according to household income sources, there are five types of household livelihood strategies in this region, including breeding only small livestock (S), breeding mainly small livestock (SL), breeding mainly large livestock (LS), breeding only large livestock (L), and not breeding livestock (N), with the S strategy as the most dominant household livelihood strategy in this region. Second, among the five types of household livelihood strategies, the LS strategy had the highest household income (323,200 Chinese yuans) while the N strategy had the lowest household income (68,540 Chinese yuans). Third, among the five types of livelihood capitals, manufactured capital and natural capital had more substantial influences on household livelihood strategies. Manufactured capital directly influenced household livelihood strategies, while natural capital affected household livelihood strategies either directly or indirectly through manufactured capital. Our results suggest that the LS strategy would be the most economically profitable among the five household livelihood strategies in the typical grassland region of Inner Mongolia.

Consumption of products of livestock resources in Kazakhstan: Characteristics and influencing factors

The deterioration of the global ecological environment has accelerated the degradation of grassland resources, which directly affects the production of livestock resources and the lives of residents in countries or regions that treat products of livestock resources as the main food source. In Kazakhstan, one of the countries facing a serious grass-livestock conflict, maintaining its residents' demand for products of livestock resources is becoming increasingly important. To explore the characteristics of consumption of products of livestock resources in Kazakhstan and the factors that influence the consumption of these products, this paper considers data on products of livestock resources in Kazakhstan and factors such as the economic development of a region, grassland resources utilization, grassland degradation, livestock husbandry, trade balance volumes of product of livestock resources, and population distribution to obtain the following conclusions and implications. First, the most consumed product of livestock resources in Kazakhstan is milk, followed by meat and eggs; beef, in particular, accounted for the highest proportion of all meat. Second, except milk, which showed a continuous increase in consumption, other products of livestock resources showed an upward trend only after 2000, which represented a turning point. Third, the total consumption of products of livestock resources increased progressively from north to south: it is lowest in the typical grasslands, then higher in the semi-desert grasslands, and is greatest in the desert grasslands. Changes in per capita consumption were consistent with the variations in the regional livestock inventories. Fourth, the conflict between consumption and supply in desert grasslands is becoming increasingly severe. To guarantee the dynamic demand of its residents for consumption of products of livestock resources, the Kazakhstan government can make better use of grassland ecosystem resources by adjusting the structure of livestock husbandry, rotating different grasses, and introducing improved grazing animal species in a bid to maintain grassland ecosystem services and improve local residents’ well-being.

Monitoring and analysing grassland ecosystem service values in response to grassland area changes – an example from northwest China

Using remote sensing technology, this study evaluates changes in mountain grassland ecosystem service values (ESVs) and the factors driving them. Degraded grasslands in Urumqi city, northwest China, reached 1.22×105 ha in 2000. However, the grassland degradation rate decreased by 387ha annually from 2000 to 2015. Total grassland ESVs decreased unpredictably with an annual reduction of USD$1.64×107. Ecological losses were mainly caused by degradation of mountain desert grassland, mountain desert steppe-type rangeland, and mountain meadow and mountain steppe-type rangeland. Among individual ESVs, grasslands contributed more to regulating and supporting services, while grassland provisioning and cultural services were relatively low, comprising 0. 7 and 0.5% of the total ESV respectively. The mean Moran’s I value was 0.869 for grassland ESVs (from 1994 to 2015), and exhibited high spatial autocorrelation. A driving factor analysis indicated that grassland degradation is continuing as a consequence of meteorological factors and overgrazing. Controlling grazing intensity has a positive impact on growth of grassland ESVs.

乌鲁木齐山地草地生态系统服务价值变化评估——基于遥感与GIS

乌鲁木齐山地草地生态系统服务价值变化评估——基于遥感与GIS

Species turnover drives grassland community to phylogenetic clustering over long-term grazing disturbance

Abstract Aims Grazing exerts profound effects on grassland ecosystem service and functions by regulating species composition and diversity, and structuring community assembly worldwide. However, adaptions of phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic community structure to long-term grazing disturbance remain poorly studied, especially for ecosystems distributed in extreme environments. Methods Here, we conducted an experiment with multigrazing intensities to explore the impacts of grazing disturbance on plant phylogenetic diversity and community structure in an alpine grassland of the Tibetan Plateau. Important Findings Grazing disturbance enriched plant species richness (SR), and stimulated species turnover from regional species pool, consequently changing community species composition. Under low intensities, grazing exerted no obvious effects on phylogenetic diversity and community structure, whereas communities changed from overdispersion to clustering under high grazing intensity. High grazing intensity resulted in stronger environmental filtering, which consequently selected those species with high resilience to grazing disturbance. The observed clustering structure was associated with the colonizing species which were closely related to resident species, and locally extinct species, and distantly related to residents. At the plant functional trait level, high grazing intensity increased species colonization largely by altering the effect of root depth on species colonization compared to light grazing. Our results highlight that solely utilization of SR and diversity cannot fully represent grassland communities responses to grazing. The effects of species turnover on community phylogenetic diversity and structure are entailed to be explored in the future grazing studies.

The Valuation of Grassland Ecosystem Services in Inner Mongolia of China and Its Spatial Differences

Economic valuation of grassland ecosystem services is important for protecting and restoring grassland ecosystems. This study aims to investigate Chinese netizens’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for protecting grassland ecosystem services in Inner Mongolia by using the contingent valuation method. The results indicate that 61.55% of respondents expressed a positive WTP. The mean WTP was estimated to be CNY 170.76 (USD 25.11) per person per year. We found that there is a significant spatial difference in respondent’s WTP. Factors such as respondent age, education, household income and concern about grassland protection significantly affected their WTP. Younger, more educated and wealthier respondents have a higher probability of willingness to pay, and those who are concerned about grassland protection present a higher WTP. The regression results also show that distance from the grassland negatively affects the probability and values of people’s WTP. Findings of this research provide useful policy implications for decision-makers involved in grassland protection and management.

Consumption of Ecosystem Services in Laos

The exponential increase of ecosystem utilization has instigated a serious conflict between ecosystem services and residents' needs. The Belt and Road Initiative has greatly influenced Laotian production and living, and the scientific assessment of the consumption of ecosystem services in Laos is important for exploring residents' influence on the ecosystem. Based on data for the Laotian consumption of agricultural products, fruits and livestock products during 1961–2013, normalized by either harvest index or feed conversion ratio, this study draws three main conclusions. 1) Ecosystem service consumption in Laos is centered on the consumption of farmland, forestry and grassland ecosystem services, which account for over 80%, over 10% and under 2%, showing downward, upward and constant trends, respectively. The consumption of these ecosystem services shows a trend of increasing first, then fluctuating, and finally increasing. 2) The consumption of ecosystem services in Laos was characterized by the mode of “dominance of consumption of the farmland ecosystem services” from 1961 to 2008, and the mode of “balanced development of consumption of farmland, forest and grassland ecosystem services” from 2008 to 2013, with a trend of transformation from the former into the latter. 3) The formation and change in the consumption mode of Laotian ecosystem services have been affected by both supply and trade. Laos developed agriculture mainly during the period from 1961 to 2008, forming the mode of “dominance of consumption of the farmland ecosystem services”. This development benefited from the enriched varieties of imports as well as the increased value of trade and import volume. However, the consumption of ecosystem services in Laos after 2008 changed from the mode of “dominance of consumption of the farmland ecosystem services” to one of “balanced development of consumption of farmland, forest and grassland ecosystem services”. This study provides an empirical reference for research on the consumption of ecosystem services.

Assessment of spatial variability of multiple ecosystem services in grasslands of different intensities

Grasslands provide multiple Ecosystem Services (ES) such as forage provision, carbon sequestration or habitat provision. Knowledge about the trade-offs between these ES is of great importance for grassland management. Yet, the outcome of different management strategies on ES provision is highly uncertain due to spatial variability. We aim to characterize the provision (level and spatial variability) of grassland ES under various management strategies. To do so, we combine empirical data for multiple ES with spatially explicit census data on land use intensities. We analyzed the variations of five ES (forage provision, climate regulation, pollination, biodiversity conservation and outdoor recreation) using data from biodiversity fieldwork, experimental plots for carbon as well as social network data from Flickr. These data were used to calculate the distribution of modelled individual and multiple ES values from different grassland management types in a Swiss case study region using spatial explicit information for 17,383 grassland parcels. Our results show that (1) management regime and intensity levels play an important role in ES provision but their impact depends on the ES. In general, extensive management, especially in pastures, favors all ES but forage provision, whereas intensive management favors only forage provision and outdoor recreation; (2) ES potential provision varies between parcels under the same management due to the influence of environmental drivers, related to topography and landscape structure; (3) there is a trade-offs between forage provision and other ES at the cantonal level but a synergy between forage provision and biodiversity conservation within the grassland categories, due to the negative impact of elevation on both ES. Information about multiple ES provision is key to support effective agri-environmental measures and information about the spatial variability can prevent uncertain outputs of decision-making processes.