Supporting Ecosystem Services Research Articles

Geostatistical modelling of soil properties towards long-term ecological sustainability of agroecosystems

A profound grasp of the quantitative spatial heterogeneity and distribution of the soil physicochemical attributes is crucial in understanding agricultural landscapes for ensuring the provisioning of soil ecosystem services. However, the analysis of data from remote sensing, like NDVI, can be of help in analysing the capacity of the landscape to provide supporting ecosystem services such as primary productivity. The research investigated and addressed the dispersion of important soil physico-chemical attributes in agricultural lands of the temperate Himalayan region of India using a geostatistical method and combining normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time-series data and the regression Kriging method. A 206 soil samples were gathered and assessed for soil parameters like pH, EC, OC, and available N, P, K, Ca, and Mg from Kishtwar district of Jammu. The coefficient of variation (CV) for pH and electrical conductivity (EC) ranged notably from 8.75 % to 118.98 %, highlighting diverse soil characteristics critical for local management practices. Mean elevation averaged 2743.32 m (m), with a moderate NDVI of 0.15, indicating dynamics in vegetation cover. Soil pH ranged from intensely acidic to marginally alkaline, with varying EC levels. Seemingly high organic carbon (OC), nitrogen (N), and potassium (K) levels, accompanied by medium phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) levels were found in the region. The study employed ordinary kriging (OK) to map the spatial distribution of soil parameters, utilizing mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), and the Moran’s I index. Exponential models were the best fit models for OC, while spherical models were fit for pH, EC, N, P, and Ca. Mathematical models were best fit for K and Mg. Spatial analysis using spherical and exponential models revealed distinct distribution patterns for pH, N, P, Ca, and Mg. The results of the degree of spatial dependence from the semi-variogram analyses indicated a strong (0.06 %) to moderate (0.51 %) to weak (2.81 %) dependence. The interpolated maps showed a distinct gradient in elevation (1053–4413 m), OC (0.13–2.80 %), NDVI (−0.16–0.54), pH (4.80–8.00), EC (0.03–9.80 dS m−1), N (201.15–993.19 kg ha−1), P (3.00–96.00 kg ha−1), K (124.88–1110.71 kg ha−1), Ca (7.00–46.00 meq 100 g soil−1), and Mg (2.30–21.50 meq 100 g soil−1) at the regional scale, indicating a wide range of spatial soil heterogeneity. The heterogeneity maps of soil parameters generated by this research can be effectively used by land planners and farm managers at a regional scale for crop nutrient management to reduce soil contamination risk. These maps serve as baseline materials and effective tools for suitable land management strategies such as conservation-effective tillage, integrated nutrient management, and organic farming based on the spatial distribution of soil properties and they can significantly enhance the long-term ecological sustainability of agro-ecosystems’ management.

Enhanced Soil Fertility and Carbon Dynamics in Organic Farming Systems: The Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Abundance

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are critical for soil ecosystem services as they enhance plant growth and soil quality via nutrient cycling and carbon storage. Considering the growing emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices, this study investigated the effects of conventional and organic farming practices on AMF diversity, abundance, and ecological functions in maize, pepper, and potato-cultivated soils. Using next-generation sequencing and quantitative PCR, we assessed AMF diversity and abundance in addition to soil health indicators such as phosphorus content, total nitrogen, and soil organic carbon. Our findings revealed that, while no significant differences in soil physicochemical parameters or AMF diversity were observed across farming systems when all crop data were combined, organic farming significantly enhances AMF abundance and fosters beneficial microbial ecosystems. These ecosystems play vital roles in nutrient cycling and carbon storage, underscoring the importance of organic practices in promoting robust AMF communities that support ecosystem services. This study not only deepens our understanding of AMF's ecological roles but also highlights the potential of organic farming to leverage these benefits for improving sustainability in agricultural practices.

Modeling food web and fisheries dynamics in Lake Baringo, Kenya

AbstractLakes are important in supporting ecosystem services and livelihoods. However, their food webs and ecological functioning are continuously threatened by anthropogenic influences. Food web models have been widely used in studying trophodynamics, fisheries impacts, and ecological functioning of temperate lakes, but less often in Afrotropical lake systems. We used Ecopath mass‐balanced trophic models annually in 1999, 2010, and 2020 to assess trends in ecosystem function, and the impact of fisheries on the Lake Baringo Ecosystem, a shallow freshwater lake in Kenya. Pre‐balance (PREBAL) and Pedigree analyses supplemented Ecopath models. Model input data were from field sampling, published and gray literature. Food web trophic models indicated a bottom‐up grazer and detrital food chains in all 3 years. Odum's ecosystem development indicators (total productivity to total biomass and total respiration ratios; TPP/TB and TPP/TR) showed that the lake was in a low to intermediate developmental stage, with room for bio‐manipulation, and a highly reduced mean transfer efficiency (TE) (6.4%–0.49%) indicated low trophic transfer of internal production. System omnivory (SOI) and connectance (CI) indices that varied among years indicated temporal variation in food web complexity. Indices of system resilience (overhead and ascendency) indicated an increasing potential for the lake to recover from perturbations. The mean trophic level of the catch (MTLc) increased from 1999 to 2010 and decreased in 2020, by fishing down the food chain as fishing pressure increased. Oreochromis niloticus, an endemic cichlid, was the keystone species (KSi >0) controlling community structure, while the lungfish Protopterus aethiopicus, the top predator in the lake, was not a keystone species (KSi <0). We recommend an integrated approach to lake management that incorporates watershed regulations, regulates fishing effort on the keystone species (O. niloticus), and monitors water quality for sustainable management of the Lake Baringo ecosystem.

An ecohydrological approach to assess water provisioning and supporting ecosystem services in the Budhabalanga River Basin, India.

Rivers are vital and complex natural systems that provide a wide range of ecosystem services. This study presents a methodology for assessing the riverine provisioning and supporting ecosystem services, whose applicability has been demonstrated over the Budhabalanga River Basin of India. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is used to generate streamflow time series at various ungauged sites, and then the streamflow is characterized for the evaluation of provisioning services. Further, the diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrates, along with the Lotic-invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation (LIFE), is used to study the riverine supporting ecosystem services. The streams show intermittent behavior and strong seasonality for low flows, which limits the water availability, particularly during pre-monsoon season. The Baseflow Index (BFI) is greater than 0.6, indicating that groundwater contributes more than 60% of the total streamflow. Interestingly, despite the high BFI, the streams did not conform to the prevailing opinion that a greater baseflow contribution results in a later commencement of the low-flow period in the hydrological year. Furthermore, the study depicts significant variations in the diversity and abundance of the macroinvertebrates across the various sampling sites. However, the LIFE score across the sites remained consistent within a narrow range, i.e., 8 to 9, suggesting a steady supply of supporting ecosystem services. The results of the study can help the policymakers towards an informed decision making and the simplistic methodology proposed in this study can be replicated in other river basins for identifying vulnerable watersheds and prioritizing management actions.

Public Attitudes towards Insect Pollinators in Morocco: Insights from a Pilot Study with Broader Applications

This pilot study provides insights into the Moroccan public’s understanding and willingness to engage in insect pollinator preservation, highlighting widespread awareness alongside significant knowledge gaps. The success of biodiversity conservation efforts, especially those aimed at insect pollinators, is greatly enhanced by an informed and committed populace. Understanding public perceptions of insect pollinators is important as it shapes the effectiveness of conservation strategies and their implementation. Although our pilot study does not include every demographic of Moroccan society, it does include an important portion of the populace: educated urban youth. This is a key portion of the population that will be crucial in developing future conservation strategies, especially given the tendency towards increasing urbanization putting cities at the forefront of sustainable development. Our study aimed to assess opinions on insect pollinators, their services, and their declining population numbers in Morocco. We conducted a survey distributed mainly through the media over four months, receiving responses from 301 individuals. The results indicate that the public is aware of decreasing insect pollinator populations and their main threats, and shows a willingness to participate in conservation strategies. However, gaps persist in understanding the roles and ecology of pollinators. While honey bees and bumble bees are well-recognized for their role in pollinating agricultural and wild plants, there is less awareness about other common pollinators such as solitary bees and flies. Additionally, the essential contributions of non-bee pollinators remain widely overlooked. To address these findings, we recommend implementing specialized educational initiatives to increase public understanding of the vital functions of non-bee pollinators in supporting ecosystem services. In order to adopt a more encompassing strategy for the conservation of insect pollinators, upcoming outreach efforts within the national biodiversity strategy should emphasize the contributions made by lesser-known non-bee insect pollinators and strive to engage sectors of the population currently less involved in pollinator conservation. However, while this pilot study provides valuable insights, the sample size limits the generalizability of these conclusions. Future research with larger and more diverse samples would be beneficial to validate and expand upon these findings in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of all areas of public perception and engagement in pollinator conservation in Morocco. Expanding sampling to include older, less educated, and less urban demographics would strengthen these initial insights and broaden their application, especially beyond urban attitudes.

Squamate scavenging services: Heath goannas (Varanus rosenbergi) support carcass removal and may suppress agriculturally damaging blowflies.

Human-induced environmental change has caused widespread loss of species that support important functions for ecosystems and society. For example, vertebrate scavengers contribute to the functional health of ecosystems and provide services to agricultural landscapes by removing carcasses and associated pests. Widespread extirpation of native Australian mammals since the arrival of Europeans in Australia has removed many scavenging species from landscapes, while scavenging mammals such as European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have been introduced. In much of Australia, squamate reptiles are the largest native terrestrial scavengers remaining, where large native mammals are extinct and conservation management is being undertaken to remove invasive mammals. The contribution of reptiles to scavenging functions is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the ecosystem functions provided by large reptiles as scavengers to better understand how populations can be managed to support ecosystem services. We investigated the ecosystem services provided by vertebrate scavengers in Australian coastal mallee ecosystems, focusing on the heath goanna (Varanus rosenbergi), the only extant native terrestrial scavenger in the region. We carried out exclosure experiments, isolating the scavenging activity of different taxonomic groups to quantify the contribution of different taxa to scavenging services, specifically the removal of rat carcasses, and its impact on the occurrence of agriculturally damaging blowflies. We compared areas with different native and invasive scavenger communities to investigate the impact of invasive species removal and native species abundance on scavenging services. Our results indicated that vertebrate scavenging significantly contributes to carcass removal and limitation of necrophagous fly breeding in carcasses and that levels of removal are higher in areas associated with high densities of heath goannas and low densities of invasive mammals. Therefore, augmentation of heath goanna populations represents a promising management strategy to restore and maximize scavenging ecosystem services.

Quantifying farm sustainability through the lens of ecological theory.

The achievements of the Green Revolution in meeting the nutritional needs of a growing global population have been won at the expense of unintended consequences for the environment. Some of these negative impacts are now threatening the sustainability of food production through the loss of pollinators and natural enemies of crop pests, the evolution of pesticide resistance, declining soil health and vulnerability to climate change. In the search for farming systems that are sustainable both agronomically and environmentally, alternative approaches have been proposed variously called 'agroecological', 'conservation agriculture', 'regenerative' and 'sustainable intensification'. While the widespread recognition of the need for more sustainable farming is to be welcomed, this has created etymological confusion that has the potential to become a barrier to transformation. There is a need, therefore, for objective criteria to evaluate alternative farming systems and to quantify farm sustainability against multiple outcomes. To help meet this challenge, we reviewed the ecological theories that explain variance in regulating and supporting ecosystem services delivered by biological communities in farmland to identify guiding principles for management change. For each theory, we identified associated system metrics that could be used as proxies for agroecosystem function. We identified five principles derived from ecological theory: (i) provide key habitats for ecosystem service providers; (ii) increase crop and non-crop habitat diversity; (iii) increase edge density: (iv) increase nutrient-use efficiency; and (v) avoid extremes of disturbance. By making published knowledge the foundation of the choice of associated metrics, our aim was to establish a broad consensus for their use in sustainability assessment frameworks. Further analysis of their association with farm-scale data on biological communities and/or ecosystem service delivery would provide additional validation for their selection and support for the underpinning theories.

Observing change in pelagic animals as sampling methods shift: the case of Antarctic krill

Understanding and managing the response of marine ecosystems to human pressures including climate change requires reliable large-scale and multi-decadal information on the state of key populations. These populations include the pelagic animals that support ecosystem services including carbon export and fisheries. The use of research vessels to collect information using scientific nets and acoustics is being replaced with technologies such as autonomous moorings, gliders, and meta-genetics. Paradoxically, these newer methods sample pelagic populations at ever-smaller spatial scales, and ecological change might go undetected in the time needed to build up large-scale, long time series. These global-scale issues are epitomised by Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), which is concentrated in rapidly warming areas, exports substantial quantities of carbon and supports an expanding fishery, but opinion is divided on how resilient their stocks are to climatic change. Based on a workshop of 137 krill experts we identify the challenges of observing climate change impacts with shifting sampling methods and suggest three tractable solutions. These are to: improve overlap and calibration of new with traditional methods; improve communication to harmonise, link and scale up the capacity of new but localised sampling programs; and expand opportunities from other research platforms and data sources, including the fishing industry. Contrasting evidence for both change and stability in krill stocks illustrates how the risks of false negative and false positive diagnoses of change are related to the temporal and spatial scale of sampling. Given the uncertainty about how krill are responding to rapid warming we recommend a shift towards a fishery management approach that prioritises monitoring of stock status and can adapt to variability and change.

Brief communication: On the environmental impacts of the 2023 floods in Emilia-Romagna (Italy)

Abstract. The impacts of floods on environmental assets are often not assessed. In this communication, we reflect on this issue by analysing the reported environmental consequences of the 2023 Emilia-Romagna floods. The information on the environmental impacts is constructed by collecting data from reports, press releases, and interviews in the aftermath of the events. The most frequently reported damage involves water resources and water-related ecosystems, with cultural and supporting ecosystem services particularly affected. Indirect effects in time and space, intrinsic recovery capacity, cascade impacts on socio-economic systems, and the lack of established monitoring activities appear to be the most challenging aspects for future research.

Morphological and biochemical changes in Quercus humboldtii in response to warmer and polluted urban areas in a tropical Andean city

Abstract The rapid growth of urban population has significantly changed human settlement patterns, leading to a decline in air quality and changes in climatic conditions in urban areas. Trees are recognized as nature-based solutions because they can remove particles from the air and regulate the climate. However, trees are negatively affected by pollution and temperatures, which represent a challenge for urban planning, management, and human health. To assess the impact of urban pollution and warmer climates on functional traits, we conducted a study using Quercus humboldtii, an endangered tree species endemic to Colombia and Panamá that dominates Andean forests and urban green areas in Bogotá. We selected three localities with contrasting pollution levels and climate conditions and measured 10 morphological and biochemical traits in six individuals at each location. Our findings revealed that Q. humboldtii adjusted morphological and biochemical traits in response to the environmental challenges posed by urban environments. The functional strategies varied between individuals with thin and large leaves and acidic pH in the colder and unpolluted native forest, while others displayed a conservative resource strategy (high leaf dry matter content) and neutral pH in the warmer and most polluted locality. Despite these differences, several traits indicate that Q. humboldtii is not a species tolerant to pollution. This is further supported by the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) values. Our results suggest that Q. humboldtii should be planted in areas of Bogotá with low pollution levels in order to promote its long-term survival and support ecosystem services.

Exploring Sustainability Concerns and Ecosystem Services: The Role of the New Ecological Paradigm Scale in Understanding Public Opinion

This study mainly explores people’s environmental attitudes and perceptions and their motivations for protecting and improving ecosystem services in Italy. The environmental perceptions of people were explored through the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale, a tool for gauging environmental consciousness and perceptions, especially in the context of ecological sustainability. Data were collected from a sample of more than 1500 respondents residing in Italy using computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI). The results showed that respondents have a high level of environmental concern for most scale issues. The application of principal component analysis (PCA) to the respondents’ responses revealed the multidimensionality of the NEP scale: anti-anthropocentrism (pro-NEP items), human domination (pro-dominant social paradigm (DSP) items), and limits of nature. The results also showed that socio-demographic characteristics and people’s knowledge and beliefs are associated with a strong concern for nature, which can support ecosystem service conservation. Different cultural backgrounds may place varying emphasis on sustainability, conservation, or economic development.

Carbon content and other soil properties of near-surface peats before and after peatland restoration.

Peatland restoration usually aims at restarting the peatlands' function to store carbon within peat. The soil properties of the near-surface peat can give a first understanding of this process. Therefore, we sampled pH value, total organic carbon content (TOC), total nitrogen content (TN), C/N ratio as well as dry bulk density (BD), and describe the structure of near-surface peats in six restored fens in North-East Germany before (2002-2004) and after (2019-2021) restoration. Before restoration, the study sites showed peat degradation to various extents in their near-surface peats. pH values remained relatively stable over time. Comparing the degraded peat horizons, TOC increased significantly in four study sites, ranging from 35.7% to 47.8% in 2002-2004 and from 42.5% to 54.0% in 2019-2021. TN varied from 1.5% to 3.5% in 2002-2004 and from 1.8% to 3.2% in 2019-2021, but changes were only significant in one site, showing a slight decrease. In three sites, the increase in C/N ratio was significant, indicating lower nutrient availability. BD ranged from 0.08 to 0.48 g/cm3 in 2002-2004 and from 0.10 to 0.16 g/cm3 in 2019-2021, decreasing significantly in four sites. The structure of the degraded peat horizons changed after restoration to a more homogenous, sludge mass with larger re-aggregates. In three sites, new peat moss peat layers above the degraded soil horizon were present in 2019-2021, with a mean thickness of 6.8 to 36.1 cm. The structure was comparable to typical, slightly decomposed peat moss peat. Our findings suggest that within about 17 years after fen restoration, and thereby a water table rise close to surface, TOC of the near-surface peats increased to values that are typical for undisturbed peatlands. This indicates that restoration can lead to the re-establishment of peatlands as potential carbon sinks, with TOC within the near-surface peat as one key factor in this process. Further, we assume that the decrease in nutrient availability, decrease of BD, and new, undisturbed peat layers can favor the establishment of mire-specific biodiversity and support ecosystem services similar to near-natural mires.

Ecological Advancements and Developments of Agroforestry

Agroforestry is a conventional method of land use that could help to address agricultural environmental issues. In order to take advantage of the ensuing ecological and economic interactions, agroforestry is the technique of consciously integrating woody vegetation (trees or shrubs) with crop and/or animal systems. According to recent studies, the global agri-food industry may reach more sustainable methods of producing food and fiber by adopting agroforestry techniques and principles more widely. This would benefit farmers economically and would benefit society as a whole in terms of the environment. Agroforestry promotes eco-intensification based on resource efficiency and offers a wide range of provisioning, regulating, cultural, supporting ecosystem services, and environmental advantages. In this review, we discussed agroforestry with its advantages and developments.

Vegetation response to forest ditch reconstruction: Promoting a potential habitat for insect-pollinated plant species?

Abstract In a managed forest landscape, the high degree of human intervention has caused significant shifts in natural processes, and preservation of remaining natural ecosystem features is crucial to safeguard ecosystem functioning and support ecosystem services. While drainage ditches, subject to regular maintenance, are anthropogenically created and maintained infrastructure elements, they may still support diverse environmental conditions and provide habitats for a variety of plant species, including flowering plants important for pollinators. We assessed vegetation composition changes on recently reconstructed and unmanaged forest ditches and ditch edges in a commercial forest in Central Latvia in two surveys (one and five years after the ditch reconstruction). We used generalized linear mixed-effects models to analyze the impact of environmental variables on species richness and detrended correspondence analysis to analyze plant species composition. We found higher total plant species richness and insect-pollinated plant species richness along recently reconstructed ditches. The differences were mainly explained by better light availability beside reconstructed ditches. Anthropogenically created and managed ecosystems may support biodiversity and directly and indirectly contribute to the provision of different ecosystem services, including pollination.

Integrating perennial staple food crops in agroforestry systems: A case study of chestnut (Castanea sp.) in Germany

In a time of multiple global challenges, trees gain more and more attention as an important component of sustainable land use systems, as they can produce food and provide multiple other ecosystem services at the same time. In Germany, traditional orchard meadows (so-called “Streuobstwiesen”) are in decline, although they are well known for their ecological value. In modern agroforestry systems staple perennial food crops seem to be rarely integrated. Here, we propose to use emerging chestnut cultivation for revitalizing traditional orchard meadows, diversifying forests, and integrating perennial staple food crops in modern agroforestry systems. In this study, we interviewed 64 chestnut growers in Germany and aimed to (1) explore characteristics of chestnut stands and management; (2) evaluate the main motivations, aims, and challenges of chestnut growers; (3) identify perceived outcomes of chestnut cultivation and measures for upscaling; and (4) analyze differences between groups of chestnut growers. Our results show that most growers aimed to increase tree numbers and foster the spread of chestnut trees as cultural assets. Sustainable food production was the motivation most often named by the respondents. A guide for cultivation, as well as better funding, were mentioned as the most wanted and easy to implement measures for up-scaling production and consumption. Junior chestnut growers were better connected to other chestnut growers and were more motivated by sustainable food production than senior growers. Pest and diseases as well as legal and funding situations were aspects hampering chestnut cultivation. We suggest that chestnut trees can serve as a valuable element of a diverse tree crop landscape providing staple food crops while supporting ecosystem services.

A Synthesis of Provision and Impact in Seagrass Ecosystem Services in the Brazilian Southwest Atlantic

The ongoing environmental crisis, driven by biodiversity loss and climate change, raises concerns about the impacts on marine systems and human well-being. These environments provide crucial ecosystem services valued at approximately USD 74.5 trillion·year−1 globally. Seagrasses support fisheries, protect coasts, help mitigate climate change, maintain biodiversity, provide food security, and enhance water quality. However, comprehensive assessments of seagrass ecosystem services (SESs) and their impacts are lacking. Focusing on the Brazilian southwest Atlantic, our aim is to bridge this gap and identify key research areas for improved management decisions. Our literature search employed n = 19 paired terms for seagrass in Brazil. We screened 30,351 search returns for 394 relevant documents. Research on SESs has grown over time, and most research has focused on provisioning and supporting ecosystem services: 79.7% of documents mentioned at least one SES, while 24.5% of the documents provided evidence of observed SESs; 31.5% only provided information on expected SESs. Provisioning services were the most observed and expected. Coastal urbanization (54%) and marine food provisioning (17%) were the main drivers impacting SESs. Terrestrial food and material provision (9%) and climate change (8%) were also significant drivers. This study provides key recommendations aimed at fostering further research and management strategies to consider the complete ensemble of ecosystem services for a range of seagrass bioregions, to better understand the provision of and impacts to seagrass services and human well-being at the global scale.

Hydrochemical and dual-isotope approach to the identification of denitrification in arable field drainage in the Wensum catchment, eastern England

The global pool of reactive nitrogen has doubled in the last century in response to the need to increase food production with the consequent increase in fertiliser-derived reactive nitrogen detrimentally affecting aquatic ecosystems. This study investigates the spatial distribution and significance of denitrification in the lowland, agriculturally-impacted River Wensum catchment in eastern England as a natural attenuation process. To investigate the evidence for denitrification, the hydrochemical characteristics and dual stable isotope composition of nitrate (15N and 18O) were measured over a 15-month period, 2015–2017, in 63 samples of field drainage in predominantly clay loam and sandy clay loam soils under mainly arable cultivation. Microbially-mediated denitrification in field drainage was indicated by the gradient of the linear regression of 15NNO3 and 18ONO3 compositions with a value of 0.58. Dual fractionation of the nitrate isotopes yielded enrichment factors for δ15NNO3 (−4.52‰) and δ18ONO3, (−4.51‰) within the reported ranges for denitrification in aquatic studies. Soil type influenced denitrification, with a positive relationship between percentage clay and δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3 values. The same relationship was observed for denitrification rates calculated via a simple mass balance approach, which ranged from 11.0 to 26.3 kg N ha−1 and accounted for 30–73% of the leached soil nitrogen. Higher denitrification rates were recorded in drainage areas with a greater soil clay content (>20% by weight). Comparing calculated dentification rates for individual drain areas with median δ15NNO3 values of drain samples demonstrated that an isotopic enrichment of +1‰ is associated with a denitrification rate of 2.6 kg N ha−1. In conclusion, sustainable agricultural practices that maintain natural attenuation processes such as denitrification, for example by preserving and increasing the soil organic carbon content, are desirable to improve overall soil health to support ecosystem services that reduce nitrate pollution.

Farmers perceive diminishing ecosystem services, but overlook dis-services in intensively used agricultural landscapes in the North China Plain

The UN sustainable development goals ask countries to advance sustainable production methods in agriculture. While the need for a transition to sustainable agricultural production is widely felt, there is little insight into local stakeholders' perceptions regarding agroecosystem (dis)services in areas with intensive production methods. The North China Plain is an agricultural production area with intensive production systems and simplified agricultural landscapes. We conducted a survey with 267 farmers in Quzhou county in the North China Plain in 2020 to measure the perceived level of agroecosystem (dis)services supply and the changes therein between 2015 and 2020. We analyzed which explanatory factors were associated with farmers’ perceptions. Provisioning services were at a high level, while the regulating and supporting ecosystem services were considered to be in low supply, as evidenced by low scores for the presence of natural enemies and earthworms, and for natural habitats such as hedgerows and windbreaks. Most of the participants did not perceive dis-services from agriculture. Differences in perception between villages with contrasting biophysical and socio-economic conditions highlight the relevance of contextualized policy development for agricultural landscape composition and configuration to manage ecosystem (dis)services.

Benefits, potential and risks of China's grassland ecosystem conservation and restoration

Severe threats from ongoing degradation undermine the grasslands to support ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human well-being. Unfortunately, grasslands are often underappreciated and ignored in sustainable development agendas. Despite a series of projects for Grassland Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration (GECR) been implemented in China, the effects and cost-effectiveness of these efforts remain uncertain and untested. Therefore, we developed an integrated assessment framework to evaluate the benefits of GECR, considering ecological value accounting and input-output efficiency estimation. Additionally, we projected potential and risk areas for GECR in the future. The results showed that in 2020, the annual ecological value of China's grassland ecosystem was CNY 246 trillion. The investment in GECR exceeded CNY 7 billion, leading to an ecological benefit of CNY 3478 billion, with an input-output ratio of 1:446. Over the past 20 years, GECR positively impacted nearly 90 % of China's grassland. Furthermore, grasslands in southern provinces with favorable hydrothermal conditions exhibited significantly higher GECR efficiency, boasting an input-output ratio of >1:2000. The arid and semi-arid northern grasslands and the alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau, despite being the main regions for animal husbandry development and GECR, exhibited comparatively lower efficiency and input-output ratio in GECR. Moreover, the central and northwest parts of Tibet showed higher potential and lower risk, indicating their greatest likelihood of benefiting from GECR in the future. Meanwhile, Hulunbeier and Inner Mongolia deserve more special attention to reverse degradation and mitigate climate change due to their lower potential and higher risks. Our study provides an important basis for prioritizing and implementing effective and sustainable GECR treatment methods.

Contrasting relationships between socio-economic status and avian ecosystem service provision in a developing world city

Urban biodiversity, and the ecosystem services it provides, are not equitably distributed across socio-economic gradients. Previous studies have highlighted disparities in alpha-diversity along socio-economic gradients, but few have translated those findings into differences in ecological function, and critically, ecosystem service delivery by urban wildlife along the same gradient. This study tested whether turnover in bird functional diversity, and associated avian ecosystem services, varied along the socio-economic gradient of a large developing world city. We surveyed bird diversity in 27 public access urban green spaces across the urban and socio-economic gradients in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Bird functional traits, representing cultural, regulation and supporting ecosystem services were assigned to species recorded during the surveys. A fourth-corner analysis revealed that socio-economic and urban landscape compositional variables surrounding the green spaces acted as filters of bird species’ functional traits, suggesting differences in ecosystem service provision along development gradients. Urban green spaces in low-income landscapes supported more birds of ‘public interest’ (a cultural ecosystem service), but in contrast had fewer nectivores (a supporting ecosystem service - pollination). Tree cover had a positive relationship with frugivorous bird abundance, and green space size had a negative relationship with granivorous bird abundance (both supporting ecosystem services – seed dispersal). The contrasting relationships, particularly between socio-economic status and ecosystem service provision, suggest that it is important to interrogate how socio-economic variables affect access to urban biodiversity beyond commonly used metrics of alpha-diversity. This allows for nuanced perspectives of environmental injustice in cities and relevant interventions that can aid in circumventing it.