Land Management Decisions Research Articles

Implementing ecosystem service assessments within agribusiness: Challenges and proposed solutions

Abstract Incorporating the assessment of ecosystem services into land management decisions is increasingly recognized as an opportunity to support sustainable development. This, however, can be particularly challenging within the productive sector, a highly technical system often driven by multi‐level private entities. Here we present five key challenges, and suggest their corresponding solutions, when promoting the operationalization of ecosystem services within agribusiness. The challenges we developed are as follows: (a) building a common understanding of ecosystem services; (b) navigating strong power dynamics; (c) a highly technical system with diverse types of expertise; (d) limited understanding of the opportunity costs of alternative practices and (e), dealing with uncertainty. We draw on our experience generated through the Wine, Climate Change and Biodiversity programme, a science‐based initiative promoting the conservation of biodiversity and strategic use of ecosystem services in Chilean vineyards. Synthesis and applications. This perspective piece provides advice to scientists and practitioners on how to navigate technical and practical challenges when promoting the incorporation of ecosystem services into agricultural management. While the assessment of ecosystem services can be a highly technical process, its successful integration into land management decisions relies on active engagement, balancing expectations and an ability to construct a shared understanding among different stakeholders. The approaches suggested here rely on principles of co‐production and are illustrated with examples that are transferable to other crop and geographical contexts.

Impact of climate change on catchment nutrient dynamics: insights from around the world

This study is a meta-analysis of global articles on hydrological nutrient dynamics to determine trends and consensus on: (1) the effects of climate change-induced hydrological and temperature drivers on nutrient dynamics and how these effects vary along the catchment continuum from land to river to lake; (2) the convergence of climate change impacts with other anthropogenic pressures (agriculture, urbanization) in nutrient dynamics; and (3) regional variability in the effects of climate change on nutrient dynamics and water-quality impairment across different climate zones. An innovative web crawler tool was employed to help critically synthesize the information in the literature. The literature suggests that climate change will impact nutrient dynamics around the globe and exacerbate contemporary water-quality challenges. Nutrient leaching and overland flow transport are projected to increase globally, promoted by extreme precipitation. Seasonal variations in streamflow are expected to emulate changing precipitation patterns, but the specific local impacts of climate change on hydrology and nutrient dynamics will vary both seasonally and regionally. Plant activity may reduce some of this load in nonagricultural soils if the expected increase in plant uptake of nutrients prompted by increased temperatures can compensate for greater nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mineralization, N deposition, and leaching rates. High-temperature forest and grass fires may help reduce mineralization and microbial turnover by altering N speciation via the pyrolysis of organic matter. In agricultural areas that are at higher risk of erosion, extreme precipitation will exacerbate existing water-quality issues, and greater plant nutrient uptake may lead to an increase in fertilizer use. Future urban expansion will amplify these effects. Higher ambient temperatures will promote harmful cyanobacterial blooms by enhancing thermal stratification, increasing nutrient load into streams and lakes from extreme precipitation events, decreasing summer flow and thus baseflow dilution capacity, and increasing water and nutrient residence times during increasingly frequent droughts. Land management decisions must consider the nuanced regional and seasonal changes identified in this review (realized and predicted). Such knowledge is critical to increasing international cooperation and accelerating action toward the United Nations’s global sustainability goals and the specific objectives of the Conference of Parties (COP) 26.

The flora of Fair River Farm, Lincoln County, Mississippi, U.S.A.

Southwest Mississippi is a poorly studied, but biologically diverse region, encompassing the broad transition from the East Gulf Coastal Plain longleaf pine-bluestem ecosystem to the rich hardwood forests of the Loess bluffs and hills. A floristic inventory of an approximately 694.7-hectare privately owned natural area in Lincoln County was conducted. The Fair River Farm is situated in a region of highly dissected terrain around the Little Fair River and Kees Creek, near the transition between two major level III ecoregions, and the boundary between the Pearl River and lower Mississippi River drainage basins. 744 vascular plant taxa and 72 bryophytes were documented. 495 taxa are new to Lincoln County, and 3 are new to the state of Mississippi; 27 species are designated special concern by the Mississippi Natural Heritage Program, 13 are on the watch list and 14 are on the tracking list. Photographic records available on iNaturalist are used for some species as an alternative to physical vouchers. Plant communities present on the tract are discussed and briefly and qualitatively compared to General Land Office records, original county soil surveys, and historic descriptions of the region, with emphasis on the distribution of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), now very rare on the tract. The number of county records highlights the need for more survey work and potentially underreported biological diversity and conservation value of the southwest region of Mississippi and other poorly collected areas of the Southeastern U.S.; this inventory may inform land management decisions on the tract and elsewhere in the region.

Fire severity and the post‐fire soil environment affect seedling regeneration success of the threatened Persoonia hirsuta (Proteaceae)

AbstractClimate change and land management decisions have considerably altered fire regimes globally resulting in increased risks of extreme fire seasons. Fire intensity is one characteristic of fire regime which is projected to increase. However, the magnitude and impact of intense fires on plant habitat and life history characteristics (such as the soil environment or seedling recruitment) remain unclear for many species. The widespread 2019–2020 Black Summer fires across Eastern Australia provided the opportunity to examine the impact of these fires on the short‐term regeneration of the Endangered Persoonia hirsuta (Proteaceae), an obligate seeding (reliant on regeneration from seed following fire) shrub presently threatened by population decline and dieback (plant death from branch and root tips backwards) of an unknown cause. In this study, we used a combination of metrics to estimate fire severity in the field at 22 plots across three fire‐affected populations which we used as a proxy to understand the relative impacts of fire intensity on P. hirsuta regeneration post‐fire. We also recorded the recruitment, growth, dieback and mortality of P. hirsuta seedlings at these plots over 21 months following the fires and examined whether the post‐fire soil environment (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) was related to fire severity and seedling responses. Seedling recruitment and growth were variable across sites and showed no relationship to fire severity. However, seedling dieback and mortality were significantly higher among plots exposed to high severity fires. Additionally, characteristics of the post‐fire soil environment varied by fire severity and explained variation in seedling recruitment, growth and dieback. Our work provides important evidence that already vulnerable populations of P. hirsuta may be further threatened by increasing fire severity, highlighting the importance of understanding the effects of fire on habitat and life history characteristics for threatened plants.

Limitations to the soil impacts of tree regrowth in improved cattle pasture

Tree regrowth plots are often utilised to reduce soil erosion and increase soil organic carbon (SOC) as well as providing shade for cattle. However, unfenced tree regrowth plots have been found to make limited improvements in soil health in grazing lands. To better inform land management decisions, the impact of an unfenced tree regrowth on soil erosion rates and soil properties was analysed for an improved (i.e., sown with introduced species) cattle pasture in Eastern Australia. Soil cores were collected to 20 cm depth for two paired transects: one with improved pasture and a tree plot, and one consisting only of improved pasture. Samples were analysed for soil organic carbon and soil properties and soil erosion rates were determined using the diffusion and migration model (DMM) and Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Maximum DMM erosion rates were similar for the two transects at 2.7 (tree plot) and 2.3 (pasture) t.ha−1.yr−1, with the tree plot not having a statistically significant effect. RUSLE erosion rates showed less similarity for the transects at 5.58 (pasture) and 3.08 (tree plot) t.ha−1.yr−1. SOC was lower within the tree plot compared to the rest of the transect, while it was significantly higher in the pasture than the tree plot transect (4.93% compared to 3.72%). To examine if the tree plot is buffering against higher erosion caused by this, the RUSLE cover factor was substituted for that of the pasture transect. However, no such effect was observed. Overall, the tree plot had no significant effect on SOC and erosion in this improved pasture grazing system. This has implications for the design of tree plots and their location, which is significant due to their perceived role in regenerative agriculture practices.

Land Management Change as Adaptation to Climate and Other Stressors: A Systematic Review of Decision Contexts Using Values-Rules-Knowledge

Agricultural producers are already experiencing the adverse effects of climate change, highlighting the urgent need for adaptation. While incremental changes to cope with interannual variability are widely applied, there is limited understanding of the social contexts that inform, enable, or constrain more transformational adaptations in response to anticipated or actual climate change and other stressors. Systematic review methods are used to identify 31 empirical examples of land management change as an adaptation response by agricultural producers in developed countries. We then applied the values-rules-knowledge (vrk) framework to analyse interactions between societal values, institutional rules, and scientific and experiential knowledge. The vrk is a heuristic to help decision makers analyze how the social system shapes their decision context. Three propositions highlighting the relative influence of different values–rules, values–knowledge, and rules–knowledge relationships on agri-food and forestry land-management decisions are presented and discussed. We suggest that further testing of these propositions will provide evidence for decision makers about how decision contexts can be shifted to enable anticipatory transformative adaptation in the primary industries and support sustainable transitions towards more resilient futures.

A multi-level assessment of changes in stakeholder constellations, interest and influence on ecosystem services under different landscape scenarios in southwestern Ethiopia

Growing global interconnections facilitate inter-regional flows of ecosystem services (ES). Several studies have focused on the opportunities, risks, and governance of telecoupled ES. However, considerable theoretical, methodological, and empirical gaps exist regarding how future demand for ES will shape trajectories of land use change, the bundles of ecosystem services and related livelihoods provided by future landscapes. This paper explores how multi-level stakeholder constellations, interests, and influence on ES change with a shift in the landscape from the current landscape to alternative future scenario landscapes. We integrated three methodological concepts: space-for-time substitution, scenario planning, and multi-level stakeholder interest and influence mapping. We focused on a smallholder farming landscape in southwestern Ethiopia that is characterized by, and sensitive to, rapid social-ecological change. We build on previous research that developed four plausible scenarios of landscape change for the landscape over the coming 20 years: the “Cash crops”, “Coffee investors”, “Biosphere reserve”, and “Food first” scenarios. We treated the current (focal) landscape as the baseline. Based on space-for-time substitution, we selected four existing landscapes nearby as proxies representing the types of changes described in the four scenarios. In both focal and scenario landscapes, we then identified stakeholders and interviewed them about their interest and influence related to ES (n = 122). Stakeholder constellations, interests, and influences on ES differed considerably between the focal and the scenario landscapes. Generally, a shift to the “Cash crops”, “Coffee investors”, and “Food first” scenarios increased the proportion of local, regional and global private organizations that engaged with the landscape. Many of these stakeholders sought to maximize profit through commercializing a few provisioning ES, often relying on regulatory and economic power to influence the landscape. In contrast, a change to the “Biosphere reserve” scenario increased the proportion of non-governmental organizations engaging with the landscape, and drew on stakeholders from multiple governance scales that were interested in diverse provisioning, cultural, regulating, and supporting ES. Our findings suggest that future landscapes imply divergent changes in stakeholder constellations and interests, both from proximate and remote locations. Landscape management should consider such possible changes in multi-level stakeholder constellations, interests, and influence. Our methodological approach enriches existing scenario narratives with empirically grounded social and governance layers that can improve proactive land management decisions.

Erosion resistance of vegetation-covered soils: Impact of different grazing conditions in salt marshes and analysis of soil-vegetation interactions by the novel DiCoastar method

The analysis of soil-vegetation interactions in erosion processes along coastlines requires accurate information about various factors influencing the upper soil layer. Yet, some of these parameters were previously determined by simplified, often hand held devices, and these were often biased by the skill and experience of the operator. This study thus investigates the erosion resistance of salt marsh soils influenced by grazing conditions for providing crucial findings for policy making and land management decisions; to that end, we present and use a novel shear resistance measuring device. This measuring device, called DiCoastar, was developed with a controllable step-motor and now allows us for the first time the determination of time histories of shear resistance by repeatable in-situ measurements, gaining information about the interaction between soil and root systems. A field study was conducted in salt marshes at Cäciliengroden and at Sönke-Nissen-Koog, both foreland salt marshes at the German North Sea coast. The two sites had been chosen due to their difference in grazing intensities, featuring semi-natural/ungrazed, moderately grazed and intensively grazed salt marshes. This was to enable the investigation of influences on soil shear strength and vegetation cover. Measurements of shear resistance were conducted with the DiCoastar in the chosen sites in the vicinity of the dike toes; it is found that the new device now provides consistent and repeatable measurements, irrespective of the operator, and only based on the pre-set control parameters. Results of the field study demonstrate that a marked increase of shear strength is only found in sites with high intensity grazing, but this is accompanied by a strong reduction in the vegetation cover and plant diversity, especially with regard to the vertical density distribution of the vegetation cover. As the reduction in vegetation cover leads to reduced wave attenuation over salt marshes and increased flow velocities, an increased shear stress on the soil surface, which potentially exceeds the increased shear strength, is expected. Based on this, the results obtained lead to the assumption that an increase in the erosion potential of these foreland marshes by high grazing pressure is more likely as well as a reduction in dike stability.

Silvopastoral systems improve carbon stocks at livestock ranches in Tabasco, Mexico

AbstractSilvopastoral systems have great potential for storing carbon because of carbon assimilation in tree woody biomass, carbon input through litterfall and below‐ground carbon turnover. In this study, we quantified and compared the carbon stocks at livestock ranches in Tabasco, Mexico, containing either scattered trees in grazing pastures (STP) or grass monocultures. Sampling plots were randomly established at each ranch where the above‐ and below‐ground carbon stocks, carbon input from litterfall, grass production and arboreal biomass growth were measured. We found that silvopastoral systems stored an average of 257.45 Mg ha−1 of soil organic carbon (SOC) compared to 119.17 Mg SOC ha−1 at grass monoculture ranches (to 30 cm depth); silvopastoral systems also stored 44.64 Mg C ha−1 in wood biomass; and, grass monocultures had greater cumulative grass biomass production. Overall, it is concluded that livestock ranches in Tabasco, Mexico, with scattered trees in grazing pastures stored 58.8% more carbon than those grass monocultures, with carbon stocks of 327.01 Mg C ha−1and 134.47 Mg C ha−1, respectively. The results are useful for land management decision making for sustainable livestock systems framed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Perceived inclusivity and trust in protected area management decisions among stakeholders in Alaska

Abstract The success of conservation initiatives often depends on the inclusion of diverse stakeholder interests in the decision‐making process. Yet, there is a paucity of empirical knowledge concerning the factors that explain why stakeholders do—or do not— believe that they are meaningfully represented by government agencies. Our study provides insight into the relationship between trust and stakeholder perceptions of inclusivity in public land management decisions. Here, we focus on the U.S. state of Alaska, where almost two‐thirds of the land area are managed by the federal government. We used structural equation modelling to test whether an individual's trust and the information sources used to learn about land management positively influenced perceived inclusivity. We conceptualized trust in terms of four dimensions that reflected an individual's disposition to trust, trust in the federal government, trust in shared values and trust that agencies adhere to a moral code. We found that survey respondents across the U.S. state of Alaska had a limited disposition to trust others, did not trust federal land management agencies, did not believe agencies shared their values pertaining to protected area management and did not believe that agencies adhered to a moral code. Beliefs about the morality of agencies were the primary driver of perceived inclusivity in land management decisions, indicating that agencies should focus on solving problems through deliberation and discussion about moral principles rather than by force. Information acquired from professional, community‐based or environmental advocacy exchanges also positively influenced perceived levels of involvement among stakeholders in resource management decisions. These results provide a roadmap for how land management agencies can improve public relations and work towards a model of inclusive conservation around protected areas. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Assessing the Effect of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes on Discharge and Sediment Yield in a Rural Coal-Mine Dominated Watershed in Kentucky, USA

The Appalachian Mountain region of eastern Kentucky is unique and contains high proportions of forestland along with coal and natural gas depositaries. Landscape changes due to extreme mining activities can eventually threaten the downstream ecosystems, including soil and water quality, resulting in excessive runoff and sedimentation. The purpose of this study is to assess the impacts of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes in streamflow and sediment yield in Yellow Creek Watershed, Kentucky, USA, between 1992 and 2016. LULC, digital elevation model, soil, and weather data were inputted into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate discharge and sediment yield. The model output was evaluated on several statistical parameters, such as the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE), RMSE-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR), percent bias (PBIAS), and the coefficient of determination (R2). In addition, two indices, P-factor and R-factor, were used to measure the prediction uncertainty. The calibrated model showed an increase in surface runoff and sediment yield due to changes in LULC in the Yellow Creek Watershed. The results provided important insights for studying water management strategies to make more informed land management decisions and adaptive practices.

Stakeholder participation, indicators, assessment, and decision-making: applying adaptive management at the watershed scale

Climate change, population growth, and declining federal budgets are threatening the health of ecosystems, and the services they provide. Under these changing conditions, managing landscapes and resources assumes new and unprecedented challenges. Adaptive management has been identified as a natural resource management approach that allows practitioners to incorporate change and uncertainty into decision-making through an iterative process that involves long-term monitoring and continued review and adjustment of management actions. However, the success of these efforts in watershed health relies on the collective and sustained monitoring of indicators, which is seldom studied. The purpose of this analysis is to examine (1) the practical challenge of choosing a list of indicators for long-term monitoring, (2) the negotiation process among stakeholders around the selection and interpretation of indicators, and (3) the communication tools that can be used to convey the assessment’s results and findings. To do this, we analyze our ongoing work in the Cienega Watershed in southern Arizona. Our analysis shows that the selective use of indicators, regular assessment and review, and establishment of partnerships among stakeholders are all important elements in establishing effective adaptive management efforts. The selection of indicators and data sources is a moving target that requires regular consensus and review among stakeholders. The assessment itself is also a powerful engagement tool with the public at large, providing legitimacy and support to land management decision-making. Here, we outline some lessons learned that can be transferred to other cases and identify potential barriers for engagement, decision-making, and project success.

Scenario simulation of the tradeoff between ecological land and farmland in black soil region of Northeast China

The trade-off/synergy between planned ecological land and farmland is of great significance to food security, economic development and ecological environment protection in black soil region, and has become a global strategic issue related to the sustainable development of human society. Land use/cover (LUC) simulation model can be used to formulate sustainable land use strategies that balance farmland use and ecological environment protection. In this study, we combined the grey attribute of land resources with the complexity of land use/cover change (LUCC). By integrating grey Markov model and Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model, we discussed the characteristics of historical LUCC in Songnen Plain from 2000 to 2020, and simulated the LUC pattern of Songnen Plain in 2040 under different scenarios. At the same time, the landscape gradient evolution of ecological land and farmland under different scenarios from 2000 to 2020 and 2040 were quantitative analyzed in order to clarify the changes of ecological land and farmland in the study area in the past and future, which provided a basis for the tradeoff / synergy between farmland and ecological land. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The LUCC in 2020 was simulated with the Kappa coefficient was 0.82, the figure of merit (FOM) coefficient was 0.31, which verified the rationality of the accuracy of the model. (2) Whether it is baseline development (BL) scenario, farmland protection (FP) scenario, ecological protection (EP) scenario and black land protection (BP)scenario, the transformation of farmland and ecological land was distributed in the central and western areas, the transformation frequency of farmland, wetland and grassland was higher. (3) Landscape gradient analysis showed the degree of fragmentation of ecological land in Songnen Plain was high, and the anti-interference ability of farmland is strong. (4) The whole region is a trade-off between the two landscape, and the trade-off in the typical black soil area is about 20% higher than the non-typical black soil area. Black land protection scenario may be the best solution to coordinate the sustainable development of farmland and ecological land in the future. These studies will not only provide a theoretical basis for regional land management decision-making and urban planning and construction, but also provide some reference for its economic construction and sustainable development.

Abiotic factors are more important than land management and biotic interactions in shaping vascular plant and soil fungal communities

Human-induced disturbances to ecosystems cause a direct loss of biodiversity, and also alter the inherent processes that shape ecosystems even after the main disturbance has ceased. Therefore, is it important to understand the ongoing consequences of past and present land use practices on both above- and belowground components of agroecosystems. Our study takes a detailed investigation of what shapes communities in semi-natural grasslands under long-term management as either pastures or meadows. We investigated the relative importance of land use (land management (LM) and land use intensity (LUI)) and abiotic conditions (soil, topographic, climatic) across five grassland sites in central Germany in explaining species occurrence patterns of vascular plants and soil fungi. Analyses included a hierarchical joint-species distribution modeling approach to uncover the role of possible drivers shaping the local communities. Our results show that abiotic factors are of particularly high importance compared to LM and LUI for both vascular plant and soil fungal communities. In general, the relative importance of explanatory variables was similar across both taxon groups, however, for plant communities, local climate conditions were more important, while for fungal communities the soil variables (e.g., soil acidity and fertility including soil carbon and potassium concentrations) played a more prominent role. Species-specific responses to the respective variables showed some similarity across the taxon groups, however less so than expected given the long legacy of past LM. Here we found that approximately 50% of the plant and fungi species had clear LM preferences and responses to LUI. More plant species were positively related to pasture than meadow management, while the opposite was found for fungal species. Our findings advance the understanding of how abiotic conditions and human land use impact local species communities in managed semi-natural grasslands, aiding further research and policy development for conserving multitrophic diversity within these biodiversity rich habitats. Our results highlight the importance of controlling for soil and climate in studying the impact of land use, and of considering the environmental context at both small and larger spatial grains when making land management and biodiversity conservation decisions. In so doing, the complexity of ecological processes within managed systems are accounted for and prioritized, promoting both conservation and ecological functioning of the agroecosystem. Plant data is archived on PANGAEA (Kautzner, Auge, Roscher, Baessler & Slabbert, 2020; https://doi.org10.1594/PANGA EA.919343) and the soil microbial data on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Sequence Read Archive (SRA) under the accession PRJNA563995 (Kautzner, Baessler, Auge, Roscher & Wubet, 2020)

A Quantitative Soil-Geomorphic Framework for Developing and Mapping Ecological Site Groups

Land management decisions need context about how landscapes will respond to different circumstances or actions. As ecologists’ understanding of nonlinear ecological dynamics has evolved into state-and-transition models (STMs), they have put more emphasis on defining and mapping the soil, geomorphological, and climate parameters that mediate these dynamics. The US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service ecological site descriptions (ESDs) have become the foremost system in classifying lands into ecological units based on STMs. However, an exhaustive inventory of ESDs has proved challenging to complete in the United States, and there have been questions about the consistency of detail in areas completed and the ability to objectively support some assertions made in existing ESDs. To address these issues, this study examines ESDs in the diverse Upper Colorado River region, where ESDs are only partially complete, to look at quantitative approaches to generalizing ecological site concepts based on unifying underlying soil, geomorphology, and climate patterns. Using existing ESDs and vegetation monitoring plot data, results show that a simple hierarchical soil geomorphic unit (SGU) framework based on topographic mediation of moisture, soil salinity, soil depth, slope, rock content, and soil texture can represent much of the ecological dynamics cataloged in ESDs. Analyses of reference plant production data, ecological state attribution, and regional monitoring data show that the new SGUs represent more variation than common climate parameters. This study also included predictively mapping SGUs at 30-m resolution (Kappa of 0.53, 74% agreement with top two predictions in validation). An optimized combination of SGUs with climate zones derived from an aridity index and maximum temperature of the hottest month resulted in an ecological site group framework that condensed over 826 unique ecological site records at various stages of completeness in the regional soil survey down to 35 intuitive and mappable ecological site groups.

Farm diversity and fine scales matter in the assessment of ecosystem services and land use scenarios

CONTEXTThe ecosystem services (ES) concept has brought together research on ecosystems, biodiversity and human well-being, but critical challenges remain to make ES operational. ES assessments are relevant tools in multi-purpose landscapes, such as agricultural landscapes situated within natural protected areas where the challenge is to meet both local livelihoods and conservations goals. La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve in south-eastern Mexico has evidenced tensions among social actors due to territorial disputes; local farmers and conservation institutions contest the landscape’s land use and ES benefits. OBJECTIVEWe conducted an empirical study in the territory of a small mountain community within this biosphere reserve. We assessed ES in alternative land use scenarios with the aim to generate knowledge in support of local land use and management decisions. METHODSWe first characterised local land use using mixed methods research and quantified six locally relevant ES: Livelihood ES valued by farmers including forage production, firewood stocks, and resin production, and ES valued by conservation institutions including tree cover, riparian corridor, and tree diversity. Next, four alternative land use scenarios were built based on expert knowledge and stakeholder participation, with a different balance and integration of production and conservation objectives. We then estimated these ES in the four scenarios and assessed ES trade-offs at the farm and landscape level. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSWe found that farm diversity mattered. Though farms presented similar trade-offs in each of the scenarios, the magnitude of these trade-offs varied considerably among small vs. large farms. At the landscape level, the intensive cattle ranching and forest restoration scenarios presented hard trade-offs, compared to the more moderate integrated agroforestry practices scenario. Moreover, the land use zoning scenario, a management strategy promoted by conservation institutions, did not differ from the current landscape nor offer an improvement in conservation indicators. Livestock played a key role in the land system, and trade-offs between forage production and other ES were recurrent across scenarios and spatial scales. Still, management practices that harness biodiversity and ES can improve sustainability of cattle ranching, and thus reconcile production and conservation goals. SIGNIFICANCERelevant ES assessments in agricultural landscapes support local land management decisions, integrate the social–ecological context, and scale up land use scenarios from the farm (fine scale) to the landscape level.

Ecological potential fractional component cover based on Long-Term satellite observations across the western United States

Rangelands have immense inherent spatial and temporal variability, yet land condition and trends are often assessed at a limited number of spatially “representative” points. Spatially comprehensive, and quantitative, Ecological Potential (EP) data provide a baseline for comparison to current rangeland vegetation conditions and trends. Here, we define EP as potential fractional cover (bare ground, herbaceous, litter, shrub, and sagebrush) represented in the least disturbed areas and most productive years of the Landsat satellite archive (1985-present) for each 30-m pixel. We produce EP maps across rangelands in the western United States by training regression tree models using Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) time-series fractional cover maps in ecologically intact sites (with limited annual herbaceous cover, no recent disturbance or vegetation treatment, and less bare ground cover than expected). As independent predictor variables in these models, we use digital soils and topography data and six bimonthly composites of the 90th percentile of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and associated spectral bands from the 1985–2020 Landsat archive. EP predictions were successful in capturing biophysical gradients present in the independent variables and depicting potential cover in the absence of disturbance; we found no influence of fires or land treatments in the data. Next, we compared EP to contemporary (2018) cover, to create departure maps that can be used as a screening tool indicating degradation and providing an early warning of vegetation state change. Finally, we used a dichotomous key to convert the 1985 and 2018 RCMAP cover and EP cover into vegetation states important to land management decisions (invaded sagebrush steppe, annual grasslands, etc.). We found that in 1985, 21.2% of the study area had a different vegetation state than EP, and this percentage increased to 24.2% by 2018. More than 50% of the EP native sagebrush steppe was converted to an annual grassland, perennial grassland, or non-sagebrush shrub by 2018, and an additional 7% was classified as invaded sagebrush steppe, at risk of transition to another state. EP products provide a spatio-temporal reference of vegetation conditions from the last three decades across rangelands in the western United States. Use of the EP reference can improve adaptive management practice by providing monitoring and control data, which are often lacking, and assist in differentiating treatment effect from confounding factors.

Sediment Yield and Reservoir Sedimentation in Highly Dynamic Watersheds: The Case of Koga Reservoir, Ethiopia

Soil erosion is exacerbated by unsustainable land-use activities and poor management practices, undermining reservoir storage capacity. To this effect, appropriate estimation of sediment would help to adopt sustainable land-use activities and best management practices that lead to efficient reservoir operations. This paper aims to investigate the spatial variability of sediment yield, amount of sediment delivery into the reservoir, and reservoir sedimentation in the Koga Reservoir using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Sediment yield and the amount entered into the reservoir were also estimated using a rating curve, providing an alternative approach to spatially referenced SWAT generated suspended sediment load. SWAT was calibrated from 1991 to 2000 and validated from 2002 to 2007 using monthly observations. Model performance indicators showed acceptable values using Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) correlation coefficient (R2), and percent bias (PBIAS) for flow (NSE = 0.75, R2 = 0.78, and PBIAS = 11.83%). There was also good agreement between measured and simulated sediment yields, with NSE, R2, and PBIAS validation values of 0.80, 0.79, and 6.4%, respectively. The measured rating curve and SWAT predictions showed comparable mean annual sediment values of 62,610.08 ton/yr and 58,012.87 ton/yr, respectively. This study provides an implication for the extent of management interventions required to meet sediment load targets to a receiving reservoir, providing a better understanding of catchment processes and responses to anthropogenic and natural stressors in mixed land use temperate climate catchments. Findings would benefit policymakers towards land and water management decisions and serve as a prototype for other catchments where management interventions may be implemented. Specifically, validating SWAT for the Koga Reservoir is a first step to support policymakers, who are faced with implementing land and water management decisions.

A Review of Traditional Environmental Knowledge: An Interdisciplinary Canadian Perspective

Over the past fifteen years there has been increasing interest in the nature and application of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) in Canada. This lias coincided with the settlement of land claims, the emergence of comanagement regimes, and the ascendancy of First Nation power and influence in formal decision making processes. Discourses on actual and potential applications of TEK in land and resource management are the focus of this paper. TEK is the outcome of complex interactions between a culture and the natural environment. Although there are different cosmologies and adaptations, common themes emerge in the way knowledge is acquired and communicated. There is also a great deal of value in its application. However, a number of issues remain to be resolved such as the compatibility between Western scientific knowledge and TEK, and the acquisition and application of TEK by "outsiders." As knowledge is taken from its immediate context it is "abstracted" to conform with the needs of the user and to the scale at which it is being applied. Two subsequent issues emerge. First, TEK is transformed as it is removed from its original context, and second, it may be co-opted in the name of resource and land management decisions that do not necessarily serve First Nations’ interests.

Woody plant encroachment and the ecology of vector‐borne diseases

Abstract Vector‐borne diseases (VBDs) impact human and animal health globally, and their ecology and transmission are affected by human‐caused ecosystem and biome transitions. Woody plant encroachment (WPE), a top driver of biome and land cover transitions in grasslands and savannas of the world, greatly changes abiotic conditions, vegetation and animal populations and communities. Although these effects mirror mechanisms by which other ecosystem and land cover changes influence VBD ecology, few studies have evaluated if WPE expands distributions and increases the transmission of VBDs. We develop a conceptual framework for WPE effects on VBDs by synthesizing key literature on these topics and on impacts of land cover change on diseases broadly. We also present examples of WPE systems from two continents illustrating documented and likely effects on VBD systems, and we outline a prospectus for future research evaluating such effects. This synthesis highlights the potential for WPE to increase the transmission of VBDs world‐wide. WPE's effects on landscape composition, local vegetation, abiotic conditions, and vector and host resources, interactions and population and community processes, likely impact VBD distributions, transmission and health outcomes. Much additional research is needed on topics like the effects of WPE management on health risks associated with VBDs. Synthesis and applications. Woody plant encroachment (WPE) is drastically changing grasslands and savannas world‐wide. Its well‐documented influences on abiotic conditions (e.g. temperature and humidity), vegetation and wildlife are having previously underappreciated effects on the ecology of vector‐borne diseases, likely increasing spatial distributions and transmission of diseases. Management to reduce WPE is ongoing in much of the world due to its degradation of ecosystem services like biodiversity, livestock production and water quality and quantity. The ecosystem disservice of elevated disease risk in humans, wildlife and domestic animals should be an additional consideration when making land management and policy decisions related to WPE.