TY - JOUR

T1 - Combining Methods to Estimate Ecosystem Integrity and Ecosystem Service Potentials and Flows for Crop Production in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

AU - Zelený, Jakub

AU - Bicking, Sabine

AU - Dang, Kinh Bac

AU - Müller, Felix

N1 - Funding information: The BACOSA project has received funding from the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (03F0737B). This study was made possible thanks to financial support from the DBU (Deutsche Bundess-tiftung Umwelt) MOE scholarship, GAUK (Charles University Grant Agency, 546517) and SUR (Specific University Research of the Charles University, VS 260 471) funding.

PY - 2020/4/11

Y1 - 2020/4/11

N2 - Human well-being is highly dependent on nature, especially with respect to food provision. This study has been developed in the ecosystem service framework and focuses on the evaluation of ecological integrity as a base for the capacity of Schleswig-Holstein to provide ecosystem services. The ecosystem service potential is assessed based upon a Bayesian belief network and the study area’s soil fertility. The respective service flow is estimated from official regional statistics, and is represented by the total harvested biomass for food, fodder and energy. The spatial distribution of six different ecological integrity variables and the crop production potentials and flows are compared and interpreted with respect to the characteristics of the main landscape regions within the study area. The results indicate a trade-off between the actual crop production and the underlying ecological integrity and service potentials. This trade-off is strongest in case of croplands, while it gradually diminishes in grasslands and forests. Based on the results, conclusions about the relation between ecosystem services and ecological integrity are drawn. The findings of the study can be used to support the development of sustainable land management strategies, which aim to harmonize agricultural production and environmental conditions.

AB - Human well-being is highly dependent on nature, especially with respect to food provision. This study has been developed in the ecosystem service framework and focuses on the evaluation of ecological integrity as a base for the capacity of Schleswig-Holstein to provide ecosystem services. The ecosystem service potential is assessed based upon a Bayesian belief network and the study area’s soil fertility. The respective service flow is estimated from official regional statistics, and is represented by the total harvested biomass for food, fodder and energy. The spatial distribution of six different ecological integrity variables and the crop production potentials and flows are compared and interpreted with respect to the characteristics of the main landscape regions within the study area. The results indicate a trade-off between the actual crop production and the underlying ecological integrity and service potentials. This trade-off is strongest in case of croplands, while it gradually diminishes in grasslands and forests. Based on the results, conclusions about the relation between ecosystem services and ecological integrity are drawn. The findings of the study can be used to support the development of sustainable land management strategies, which aim to harmonize agricultural production and environmental conditions.

KW - Bayesian Belief Network

KW - correlation analysis

KW - ecological indicators

KW - regional statistics

KW - remote sensing

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096909954&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3097/lo.202079

DO - 10.3097/lo.202079

M3 - Article

VL - 79

SP - 1

EP - 36

JO - Landscape Online

JF - Landscape Online

SN - 1865-1542

ER -