Agricultural Mitigation Research Articles

SWAT model uncertainties and cumulative probability for decreased phosphorus loading by agricultural Best Management Practices

Effects of mitigation measures in agriculture on abating eutrophication are difficult to evaluate by assessments of catchment monitoring data. Estimates of improved water quality by specific agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) are therefore often dependent on simulation modeling. A main objective was thus to assess the probable reductions in total phosphorus (TP) loading achieved by implemented agricultural mitigation measures. The case-study site was a catchment in southeastern Norway. Simulation modeling was conducted by use of The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The aim of this present study was to understand the model uncertainty associated both with calibration/validation (baseline) and TP loading scenarios based on BMP. The modeled decrease in TP loading by the set of implemented BMPs was assessed by comparing simulated baseline output with output where the set of abatement actions were removed.The model was set up for the years 2006–2010 and calibrated against observed monitoring data, including daily discharge, sediment- and TP fluxes. Model simulations were performed including and excluding the implemented set of mitigation measures. The simulated set of mitigation measures include decrease in amount of phosphorus fertilization, establishment of vegetated buffer strips along streams and constructed wetlands in the water courses, no autumn tilling and removal of point TP sources from scattered dwellings. Model calibration and uncertainty estimation are performed using an algorithm for Sequential Uncertainty Fitting (SUFI2; ver. 2).Probabilistic risk for given magnitudes of increased TP loading if existing BMPs were not implemented was assessed. Using this novel approach it was possible to state, with a 80th percentile confidence level, that the average annual TP loading would have been about 26% higher if no mitigation measures were implemented in the catchment. This was possible to assess even though the difference between baseline and BMP scenario was not significant.

Agricultural non-CO2 emission reduction potential in the context of the 1.5 °C target

Agricultural methane and nitrous oxide emissions represent around 10–12% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions and have a key role to play in achieving a 1.5 °C (above pre-industrial) climate stabilization target. Using a multi-model assessment approach, we quantify the potential contribution of agriculture to the 1.5 °C target and decompose the mitigation potential by emission source, region and mitigation mechanism. The results show that the livestock sector will be vital to achieve emission reductions consistent with the 1.5 °C target mainly through emission-reducing technologies or structural changes. Agriculture may contribute emission reductions of 0.8–1.4 Gt of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) yr−1 at just US$20 per tCO2e in 2050. Combined with dietary changes, emission reductions can be increased to 1.7–1.8 GtCO2e yr−1. At carbon prices compatible with the 1.5 °C target, agriculture could even provide average emission savings of 3.9 GtCO2e yr−1 in 2050, which represents around 8% of current GHG emissions. Agricultural CH4 and N2O emissions represent around 11% of total anthropogenic GHGs. Here agriculture mitigation potentials are quantified, in the context of the 1.5 °C target, and decomposed by emission source, region and mitigation mechanism.

Assessment of water quality and evaluation of best management practices in a small agricultural watershed adjacent to Coral Reef area in Japan

The predominantly agricultural coastal watershed located in tropical–subtropical Island has served as a pathway for nonpoint source (NPS) pollution loading into the downstream coastal ecosystems. The present study aims to assess watershed hydrology and water quality by applying a watershed model to long–term high–resolution monitoring data, and to evaluate the reduction of nonpoint–source pollution by implementing best management practices (BMPs) in a small agricultural watershed located in southwestern Japan. The Soil Water and Assessment Tool (SWAT) was coupled to a groundwater model (MODFLOW) and applied to simulate stream flow, sediment, and nutrients discharges. The results revealed that the model successfully predicted hourly stream flow, sediment, and nutrients concentrations in the study watershed and that the model could be further used to evaluate BMP scenarios. This is the first attempt to quantify the impacts of multiple agricultural mitigation measures on long-term water quality for sediment, nitrate, and phosphate at an hourly resolution. From the model results, the land cover conversion and mulching scenarios achieved a significant reduction in sediment, followed by the cover crop, alternative tillage, and filter strip scenarios. Moreover, conversion of all summer sugarcane to pasture farmland and fertilizer control scenarios gave the superior reduction in nitrate load, while other scenarios were minimally effective. On the other hand, most of the scenarios significantly achieved the reduction of phosphate load. The results further indicated that the BMPs recommended in this study are appropriately combined scenarios, which achieved the significant reduction in all NPS loads. Although this study revealed some effective mitigation measures to improve the water quality in the study watershed, actual implementation of correct ones may be practically challenging unless other environmental and economic risks (e.g. the increase of other pollutants and reduction in agricultural productivity) are also taken into considerations.

Cost-effective opportunities for climate change mitigation in Indian agriculture

Long-term changes in average temperatures, precipitation, and climate variability threaten agricultural production, food security, and the livelihoods of farming communities globally. Whilst adaptation to climate change is necessary to ensure food security and protect livelihoods of poor farmers, mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can lessen the extent of climate change and future needs for adaptation. Many agricultural practices can potentially mitigate GHG emissions without compromising food production. India is the third largest GHG emitter in the world where agriculture is responsible for 18% of total national emissions. India has identified agriculture as one of the priority sectors for GHG emission reduction in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Identification of emission hotspots and cost-effective mitigation options in agriculture can inform the prioritisation of efforts to reduce emissions without compromising food and nutrition security.We adopted a bottom-up approach to analyse GHG emissions using large datasets of India's ‘cost of cultivation survey’ and the ‘19th livestock census’ together with soil, climate and management data for each location. Mitigation measures and associated costs and benefits of adoption, derived from a variety of sources including the literature, stakeholder meetings and expert opinion, were presented in the form of Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC). We estimated that by 2030, business-as-usual GHG emissions from the agricultural sector in India would be 515 Megatonne CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) per year with a technical mitigation potential of 85.5 MtCO2e per year through adoption of various mitigation practices. About 80% of the technical mitigation potential could be achieved by adopting only cost-saving measures. Three mitigation options, i.e. efficient use of fertilizer, zero-tillage and rice-water management, could deliver more than 50% of the total technical abatement potential.

2018 AFHVS presidential address

In this address I discuss agricultural plastic use and plastic pollution mitigation strategies. I focus on agricultural plastic mulches, which offer many benefits to farmers, such as weed control, better moisture retention, and increased yield. The removal and disposal of widely used polyethylene (PE) plastic mulch, however, have detrimental environmental and health impacts. Are biodegradable plastic mulches a promising alternative? Biodegradable plastic mulches ideally offer the same benefits as PE plastic mulch, but biodegrade in soil or composting environments. I describe social science research findings from a large USDA-funded project focused on the performance and adoptability of biodegradable plastic mulches for U.S. specialty crop production. I also provide agrifood scholars with ideas for future research on plastics.

Climate action for food security in South Asia? Analyzing the role of agriculture in nationally determined contributions to the Paris agreement

ABSTRACTThe Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted under the Paris Agreement propose a country’s contribution to global mitigation efforts and domestic adaptation initiatives. This paper provides a systematic analysis of NDCs submitted by South Asian nations, in order to assess how far their commitments might deliver meaningful contributions to the global 2°C target and to sustainable broad-based adaptation benefits. Though agriculture-related emissions are prominent in emission profiles of South Asian countries, their emission reduction commitments are less likely to include agriculture, partly because of a concern over food security. We find that income-enhancing mitigation technologies that do not jeopardize food security may significantly augment the region’s mitigation potential. In the case of adaptation, analysis shows that the greatest effort will be directed towards protecting the cornerstones of the ‘green revolution’ for ensuring food security. Development of efficient and climate-resilient agricultural value chains and integrated farming bodies will be important to ensuring adaptation investment. Potentially useful models of landscape level climate resilience actions and ecosystem-based adaptation are also presented, along with estimates of the aggregate costs of agricultural adaptation. Countries in the region propose different mixes of domestic and foreign, and public and private, adaptation finance to meet the substantial gaps.Key policy insightsThough substantial potential for mitigation of agricultural emissions exists in South Asia, governments in the region do not commit to agricultural emissions reductions in their NDCs.Large-scale adoption of income-enhancing technologies is the key to realizing agricultural mitigation potential in South Asia, whilst maintaining food security.Increasing resilience and profitability through structural changes, value chain interventions, and landscape-level actions may provide strong options to build adaptive capacity and enhance food security.Both private finance (autonomous adaptation) and international financial transfers will be required to close the substantial adaptation finance gap

Reducing uncertainty of estimated nitrogen load reductions to aquatic systems through spatially targeting agricultural mitigation measures using groundwater nitrogen reduction

The need to further abate agricultural nitrate (N)-loadings to coastal waters in Denmark represents the main driver for development of a new spatially targeted regulation that focus on locating N-mitigation measures in agricultural areas with high N-load. This targeting makes use of the spatial variation across the landscape in natural N-reduction (denitrification) of leached nitrate in the groundwater and surface water systems. A critical basis for including spatial targeting in regulation of N-load in Denmark is the uncertainty associated with the effect of spatially targeting measures, since the effect will be critically affected by uncertainty in the quantification of the spatial variation in N-reduction. In this study, we used 30 equally plausible N-reduction maps, at 100 m grid and sub-catchment resolutions, for the 85-km2 groundwater dominated Norsminde catchment in Denmark, applying set-aside as the measure on high N-load areas to reach a N-load reduction target of 20%. The uncertainty on these N-reduction maps resulted in uncertainty on the estimated N-load and on the required set-aside area. We tested several methods for spatially targeting set-aside that took into account the uncertainty on set-aside area and developed methods to reduce uncertainty on the estimated N-load reductions. These methods includes application of set-aside based on each individual N-reduction map compared to a mean N-reduction map, using spatial frequency of high N-load and using spatial frequency of low N-reduction. The results revealed that increasing the ensemble size for averaging the N-reduction maps would decrease the uncertainty on the estimated set-aside area with a stable effect when using an ensemble of 15 or more maps. The spatial resolution of the groundwater N-reduction map is essential for the effectiveness of set-aside, but uncertainty of the finer spatial resolution of N-reduction is greater compared to sub-catchment scale, and application of a spatially targeted strategy with uncertain N-reduction maps will result in incorrect set-aside area and uncertain estimations of N-load reductions. To reduce the uncertainty on estimated N-load reductions, this study finds the method of set-aside application based on spatial frequency of high N-load to be more effective than other methods tested.

Determinants of farmers' awareness of climate change

ABSTRACTStudies have found that farmers' awareness of climatic variations is the preliminary step for adaptation and mitigation in agriculture. Thus, the main aim of this article is to investigate the determinants of farmers' awareness of climate change. A multistage random sampling technique was used to collect primary data from Central and Southern Punjab, Pakistan through a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to indicate the farmers' awareness level of climate change, whereas the binary logit model was applied to determine the factors affecting the farmers' level of awareness. The results showed that farmers were aware of prevailing temperature and rainfall patterns, but there is still a considerable potential for public perception to be shaped by relevant stakeholders. Further, it was found that farmers' level of awareness is determined by the environmental communication network, such as socioeconomic, institutional, and geographic factors.

Climate change mitigation and adaptation in agriculture: the case of the olive

Abstract Agriculture might serve as a mitigation solution through carbon (C) sequestration in soil, in tree biomass and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Increased C is beneficial for some soil structures and functions, improving the use of water and in turn the crop adaptation. This study reports on the synergy between mitigation and adaptation in agriculture through the paradigm of the olive (Olea europaea). Through data on net ecosystem productivity and soil respiration, the role of olive groves to store C in tree biomass (from 0.36 to 2.78 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1) and into soil (∼8.5 t CO2 ha−1 yr−1) is reviewed. The influence of some management practices on that role is also discussed. The overall climatic impact of olive fruit and oil production has been evaluated also considering GHG emissions by field operations (e.g., pruning, mulching of cover crop, fertilization, harvest, etc.) and by the extraction and bottling of oil. Soil C as interface between climate change mitigation and adaptation has been delineated, linking C-induced improvements in soil properties to increased water storage and reduced run-off and erosion. The outcomes may strengthen the environmental role of agriculture and promote synergistic mitigation and adaptation policies assisting in soil and water resources conservation.

Does the current trade liberalization agenda contribute to greenhouse gas emission mitigation in agriculture?

This paper contributes to the literature on the trade liberalization – climate change nexus by investigating the impact of the current free trade agenda of the European Union (EU) on the effectiveness of a possible greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policy for its agricultural sector. For the analysis we implement scenarios with a carbon tax on non-CO2 emissions and trade liberalization both individually and combined in CAPRI, a global partial equilibrium model for agriculture. Scenario results indicate that the simulated trade liberalization by itself has only modest effects on agricultural GHG emissions by 2030. Pricing agricultural non-CO2 emissions in the EU triggers the adoption of mitigation technologies, which contributes to emission reductions. Emission leakage, however, partially offsets the EU emission savings as production increases in less emission-efficient regions in the world. The combination of agricultural trade liberalization and carbon pricing increases emission leakage and, therefore, further undermines global mitigation gains. Our results hinge on the key assumptions that future trade agreements between non-EU countries are not considered and that the climate actions are limited to the EU only. Despite these limitations we conclude that, from a global GHG mitigation perspective, trade agreements should address emission leakage, for instance by being conditional on participating nations adopting measures directed towards GHG mitigation.

International Agricultural Mitigation Research and the Impacts and Value of Two SLMACC Research Projects.

Evaluating the benefits of publicly funded research is always a challenging task. This paper cannot produce air-tight quantification of the benefits of Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) research. We do, however, demonstrate the key building blocks of significant impact have been obtained. First, it is clear that public funding has contributed importantly to New Zealand’s positioning itself as one of the leading global contributors to agricultural mitigation research. Second, the prominence of the research combined with the low likelihood of research occurring on this scale without public support suggests strongly that the results would not have been obtained absent public funding. Finally, though the realization of ultimate environmental and/or economic benefits will depend on the evolution of farming practices and climate change policy settings, the advances in genetic markers for low CH4 animals and identification of emission-reducing management practices have the potential for GHG emission reductions that would be significant in environmental terms, and whose value at likely carbon pricing levels would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Although the results discussed are conditional on several factors such as future policy implementation, adoption rates and the practical availability of mitigation options and practices for different farm landscapes; the impacts, economic and environmental values attached to mitigation research cannot be overlooked and provide important insights to the benefits that public investments can make to the development of a more sustainable agricultural system for the country.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture without compromising food security?

To keep global warming possibly below 1.5 °C and mitigate adverse effects of climate change, agriculture, like all other sectors, will have to contribute to efforts in achieving net negative emissions by the end of the century. Cost-efficient distribution of mitigation across regions and economic sectors is typically calculated using a global uniform carbon price in climate stabilization scenarios. However, in reality such a carbon price would substantially affect food availability. Here, we assess the implications of climate change mitigation in the land use sector for agricultural production and food security using an integrated partial equilibrium modelling framework and explore ways of relaxing the competition between mitigation in agriculture and food availability. Using a scenario that limits global warming cost-efficiently across sectors to 1.5 °C, results indicate global food calorie losses ranging from 110–285 kcal per capita per day in 2050 depending on the applied demand elasticities. This could translate into a rise in undernourishment of 80–300 million people in 2050. Less ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation in the land use sector reduces the associated food security impact significantly, however the 1.5 °C target would not be achieved without additional reductions outside the land use sector. Efficiency of GHG mitigation will also depend on the level of participation globally. Our results show that if non-Annex-I countries decide not to contribute to mitigation action while other parties pursue their mitigation efforts to reach the global climate target, food security impacts in these non-Annex-I countries will be higher than if they participate in a global agreement, as inefficient mitigation increases agricultural production costs and therefore food prices. Land-rich countries with a high proportion of emissions from land use change, such as Brazil, could reduce emissions with only a marginal effect on food availability. In contrast, agricultural mitigation in high population (density) countries, such as China and India, would lead to substantial food calorie loss without a major contribution to global GHG mitigation. Increasing soil carbon sequestration on agricultural land would allow reducing the implied calorie loss by 65% when sticking to the initially estimated land use mitigation requirements, thereby limiting the impact on undernourishment to 20–75 million people, and storing significant amounts of carbon in soils.

Evaluating agroclimatic constraints and yield gaps for winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) \u2013 A case study

Evaluating the effects of agroclimatic constraints on winter oilseed rape (WOSR) yield can facilitate the development of agricultural mitigation and adaptation strategies. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the WOSR yield and agroclimatic factors using the yield data collected from Agricultural Yearbook and field experimental sites, and the climate dataset from the meteorological stations in Hubei province, China. Five agroclimatic indicators during WOSR growth, such as ≥0 °C accumulated temperature (AT-0), overwintering days (OWD), precipitation (P), precipitation at an earlier stage (EP) and sunshine hours (S), were extracted from twelve agroclimatic indices. The attainable yield for the five yield-limiting factors ranged from 2638 kg ha−1 (EP) to 3089 kg ha−1 (AT-0). Farmers (Yfarm) and local agronomists (Yexp) have achieved 63% and 86% of the attainable yield (Yatt), respectively. The contribution of optimum fertilization to narrow the yield gap (NYexp) was 52% for the factor P, which was remarkably lower than the mean value (63%). Overall, the precipitation was the crucial yield-limiting agroclimatic factor, and restricted the effect of optimizing fertilization. The integrated data suggest that agricultural strategies of mitigation and adaptation to climatic variability based on different agroclimatic factors are essential for improving the crop yield.

Extension of residue retention increases net greenhouse gas mitigation in China's croplands

Crop residue retention plays an important role in greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation for global agriculture. To clarify the current status of residue retention and burning as well as the contribution of these processes to GHG dynamics, we conducted a nationwide survey on residue management in China in 2011 and improved the Carbon Accounting and Net Mitigation of Straw return model with updated parameters. The results indicated that residue retention increased from 144 Mt yr−1 in 2001 to 295 Mt yr−1 in 2011, whereas burned residue reached 200 Mt yr−1 in China. Because of these increases in residue retention, the net mitigation related to residue retention increased from 5.3 Tg Ce in 2001 to 13.3 Tg Ce in 2011. Further extension would sequester 15.8 Tg C, which is equivalent to a reduction in emissions of 3.9 Tg Ce from residue burning and a mitigate potential of 3.1 Tg Ce from replacing 1.5 Mt of nitrogen fertilizer. However, the national net mitigation from residue retention would achieve only 45–64% of the total soil C sequestration. The spatial heterogeneity of cropping systems and residue management was determined to have different effects on GHG dynamics. The net mitigation would have a negative value in eight provinces because of incremental increases in methane emissions from rice paddies. Increases in residue retention in the remaining 23 provinces would result in a maximum mitigation potential of 10 Tg Ce yr−1 and offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by fossil fuel burning by 0.5% from the national value in 2011. Therefore, residue retention has mitigated a substantial amount of GHGs, and extending this strategy has considerable mitigation potential for China's croplands. Our results indicate that the retention and burning of crop residues have an effect on the GHG dynamics in China and represent potential strategies for mitigating climate change via residue management.

Impacts of technological change on energy use efficiency and GHG mitigation of pomegranate: Application of dynamic data envelopment analysis models

Greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation in agriculture should be approached, among others, through changes in farm management and technology use. The application of new GHG mitigation technologies are essential to promote a cleaner environment. This is critical since not all new technologies are environmentally friendly. To understand whether and to what extent such technologies mitigate GHG, this survey study was conducted to measure the amount of the dynamic energy consumption and productivity growth of pomegranate production during 2009–2015 in the Fars province, Southwest Iran. Dynamic DEA models were employed for the efficiency analyses. The data were gathered from pomegranate gardeners through questionnaires by face-to-face interviews. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were tested and confirmed respectively through a pilot study and Cronbach’s alpha. Using simple random sampling method, 55 pomegranate gardeners were chosen for the survey. The dynamic DEA revealed that our gardeners had the best performance in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The average energy consumption was 42,230 MJ/ha to produce 17,300 kg/ha pomegranate. The highest output-input energy ratio was also obtained in 2013, 2014 and 2015 of 1.013. The most efficient gardeners consumed more renewable energy especially in the form of farm yard manure. Accordingly, the gardeners with the least efficiency should enhance pomegranate yield and reduce the extra energy inputs of around 10,000 kg/ha (58% of average) and 25,000 MJ/ha (59% of the average), respectively. Malmquist index showed that the best efficient gardeners had annual positive technology change of 8.3%. Statistical analyses confirmed that each positive percentage of technology change reduces the energy input by 710 times and CO2 emission mitigation by 634 times meaning that the gardeners used some energy efficient technologies that lead to lower GHG emissions. The technology change can be predicted by some of the socio-demographic attributes of the gardeners such as farming experience, net income and participating in extensional classes. The study concludes that highly efficient pomegranate production besides new technology use policies would ultimately contribute to the robust climate change mitigation from this sector.

Adaptation to climate change in agriculture in Bangladesh: The role of formal institutions

Bangladesh is very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and adaptation is emerging as a key policy response. Place based programs that build adaptive capacity are needed. This paper explores the effectiveness of formal institutions in climate change adaptation for agriculture from the perspectives of farmers and institutional communities of practice within two drought-prone areas in Bangladesh. Our findings show that formal institutions via their communities of practice play an important role in building place based capacity for mitigation and adaptation strategies in agriculture. Over-emphasis on technology, lack of acknowledgement of cultural factors and a failure of institutional communities of practice to mediate and create linkages with informal institutional communities of practice remain barriers. We argue that in order for formal institutions to play an ongoing and crucial role in building adaptive agriculture in Bangladesh, they must incorporate cultural mechanisms and build partnerships with more community based informal institutions.

Information needs, barriers and incentives to adopting climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in boreal agriculture

Information needs, barriers and incentives to adopting climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in boreal agriculture

Agriculture and climate change: Potential for mitigation in Spain

Agriculture and forestry activities are one of the many sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but they are also sources of low-cost opportunities to mitigate these emissions compared to other economic sectors. This paper provides a first estimate of the potential for mitigation in the whole Spanish agriculture. A set of mitigation measures are selected for their cost-effectiveness and abatement potential and an efficient mix of these measures is identified with reference to a social cost of carbon of 40 €/tCO2e. This mix of measures includes adjusting crop fertilization and managing forests for carbon sequestration. Results indicate that by using the efficient mix of mitigation measures the annual abatement potential could reach 10 million tCO2e, which represents 28% of current agricultural emissions in Spain. This potential could further increase if the social cost of carbon rises covering the costs of applying manure to crops. Results indicate also that economic instruments such as input and emission taxes could be only ancillary measures to address mitigation in agriculture. These findings can be used to support the mitigation efforts in Spain and guide policymakers in the design of country-level mitigation strategies.

Sustaining agricultural production in South Asia in the face of climate change: A panel data study

Global warming is a primary cause of climate change which affects agricultural production and food availability. Densely populated South Asia with high proportions of poor especially in rural areas is extremely vulnerable to climate change. In this context, the study discusses the climate change trends (as captured by precipitation and temperature over the period 1901 to 2014) and its impact on the region's agricultural production over the period 1989 to 2014. An important methodological contribution of the paper has been estimating the deviations in rainfall and temperature from their respective pre-structural break averages, using Bai-Perron tests. Thereafter, the non-linear impact of deviations of climate variables is examined using panel data regression for five South Asian countries, viz. Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The empirical investigation using three year moving averages indicates that climate variables, especially deviations in average maximum temperatures, adversely impact agricultural production. The estimates also indicate that larger the deviation of maximum temperature from the trend, the higher is the adverse impact, indicating non-linearity in the relationship between temperature deviation and agricultural production. Our results also indicate that the effect of precipitation deviation, where significant, is adverse. Interestingly, our findings indicate that a rise in deviation of average minimum temperature impacts both agriculture and cereal production favourably. This is reflective of climate change having a non-homogenous impact. The paper concludes by recommending policies such as adoption of appropriate climate mitigation and adaptation in agriculture, along with enhanced regional cooperation to counter the common climate change threats that the region faces.

Valuing Ecosystem Services: Oysters, Denitrification, and Nutrient Trading Programs

AbstractAs part of their strategy to meet total maximum daily load restrictions in the Chesapeake Bay, managers have developed nutrient trading markets to curb nitrogen and phosphorus flows into the estuarine system. Historically, nutrient trading programs have been restricted to credits between point sources or for agricultural mitigation technologies, such as the planting of cover crops. However, the denitrification and nutrient sequestration associated with oyster reefs has recently been a topic of much biological research. We investigate the role that nutrient credits for ecosystem services provided by restored oyster reefs can play in optimally managing oyster reef complexes by developing a coupled bioeconomic model of oyster reef growth and harvest. Our findings suggest that, along with harvest, the regulating services of denitrification and nutrient sequestration lead to positive net benefits in a majority of scenarios analyzed, although local environmental conditions play a prominent role in the u...