Search results for "ecosystem service"
showing 10 items of 209 documents
The role of sustainable agroforestry practices and food consumption to prevent tropical deforestation and increase ecosystem services
2022
Tropical forests harbor most of global terrestrial biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services, although they have been largely replaced by agricultural activities. Amazon is the largest tropical forest remaining, and cattle ranching and soybean cultivation are by far the greater drivers of deforestation, that together with other few commodities constitutes the main products responsible for the imported deforestation caused by European countries. Agroforestry systems and sustainable intensification are pointed out as solutions to conciliate food production with environmental conservation, thus reviewing the results of studies comparing these practices against conventional ones are…
Could cattle ranching and soybean cultivation be sustainable? A systematic review and a meta-analysis for the Amazon
2021
Abstract: Tropical forests are being destroyed to make space for agricultural activities with the assumption that they are required to feed the growing global population. Consequently, more sustainable practices are needed to guarantee food security and environmental protection of highly threatened natural biodiversity hotspots like the Amazon rainforest. Cattle ranching and soybean cultivation are by far the greater drivers of land use change and deforestation in the Amazon region. We performed a systematic review of papers related to these two main drivers and a meta-analysis on the effects of sustainable practices on different ecosystem services. The results of the review highlight a lar…
Place-Keeping and Ecological Services. Una prospettiva di Studi
2016
La diffusione di azioni di appropriazione e gestione condivisa di aree verdi urbane residuali o degradate (place-keeping) rende manifesto un cambio di prospettiva da parte dei cittadini. Esse legano il dibattito sugli urban commons e sulle pratiche di condivisione alla più generale questione ecologica urbana, e inducono a un ripensamento degli standard in senso prestazionale. Il contributo presenta i primi risultati di una ricerca più ampia, tuttora in corso, che indaga i servizi ecosistemici erogati nei casi di place-keeping, evidenziando analogie e differenze rispetto alle aree verdi tradizionalmente pianificate, e analizza il ruolo e la partecipazione dei cittadini nel progetto e nella g…
ANTHROPOCENE: NEW ENCOUNTERS, OLD PATTERNS. A FEW COMMENTS ON PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
2021
This paper focuses on one of the answers that have been given to the question: what type of change is to be pursued to limit human impact on the Earth while considering the needs of poor and disadvantaged communities? In particular it looks at a proposal that combines sustainable development approaches with market mechanisms and top- down technocratic responses: Payments for Ecosystem Services frameworks. They have been criticized by many points of view and this paper questions, in particular, their very reliance on the market, questioning their appropriateness for the regulation of conser- vation activities and their interaction with local communities.
BIOCHARS IN SOILS: TOWARDS THE REQUIRED LEVEL OF SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING
2017
The special issue on Biochar as an Option for Sustainable Resource Management Key priorities in biochar research for future guidance of sustainable policy development have been identified by expert assessment within the COST Action TD1107. The current level of scientific understanding (LOSU) regarding the consequences of biochar application to soil were explored. Five broad thematic areas of biochar research were addressed: soil biodiversity and ecotoxicology, soil organic matter and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil physical properties, nutrient cycles and crop production, and soil remediation. The highest future research priorities regarding biochar’s effects in soils were: functional …
Biochar and Forage Peanut improve pastures: Evidence from a field experiment in Brazil
2023
Pasturelands, often degraded, represent most of the converted lands globally. It is important to understand how different pasture management approaches can improve soil quality, increase feed production and farmer income. Here, the impact of different soil enhancers on soil quality and productivity of three cultivars of Brachiaria (Syn. Urochloa) forage grass is presented. Soil enhancers included: biochar - a carbon-rich product from biomass pyrolysis, moinha (local charcoal residue), traditional fertiliser containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, lime, and forage peanut (Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo). Considering the total biomass produced over the experiment (sum of four harvests), t…
Links Between Soil Security and the Influence of Soil on Human Health
2017
Soil is important to human health because of (1) food availability and quality, (2) human contact with various chemicals in soil, (3) human contact with soil organisms, and (4) disposal of wastes. The five dimensions of soil security each have ties to soils and their influence on human health. Capability is related to the ability of soils to produce adequate and high-quality food and filter waste products to provide a clean environment, particularly clean, safe water supplies. Condition influences the nutritional quality of agricultural products produced in a given soil. Capital recognizes that there is value to the services soil provides in promoting human health, costs when soil constitue…
Connecting the public with soil to improve human health
2019
Despite the definite links between soil and human health, it is likely that most people do not think about soil when considering human health. There is a disconnect between most people in our modern society and soil, and when people notice soil it is often in a negative context. People care for things that matter to them, and creating a more positive public image of soil could improve human health by leading to better treatment and understanding of the soil resource. There are a number of concepts that may be able to connect people to the soil, including terroir, soil health and soil security. While terroir originally established a connection between those who appreciate wine and the soils …
Agriculture and grazing environments
2019
Abstract The increase in world population increases the pressure on soil resources and triggers land degradation. Agricultural and grazing environments are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to this process. Degradation affects importantly soil fertility. Millions of hectares are affected and soil productivity is endangered. This decreases soil ability to provide ecosystem services in quantity and quality. Managers and decision-makers should be open to adopt environmentally-friendly practices and contribute to land degradation neutrality. This chapter focuses on the problems induced by some of the most common soil degradation processes caused by in agriculture and grazing activities. Rev…
PAYMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TERRITORY
2014
Over the last years the interest in environmental s ervices provided by forests has considerably grow. This situation, in developed countries, derive from risi ng demand of new goods and services tied to landsca pe use and leisure activities. These can be considered such as no woody products and they represent externalities produced by forest that, if suitably utilized, could produce value for the area and earn ings for people living near forests. From an economic point of view, at the aim of providing these services, it is necessary the introduction of a suitable payment sy stem or, in alternative, a situation in which posit ive externalities of landscape, in sync with other good s/service…