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Cao D, Zhang J, Zhang T, Yao F, Ji R, Zi S, Li H, Cheng Q. Spatiotemporal variations and driving factors of global terrestrial vegetation productivity gap under the changing of climate, CO 2, landcover and N deposition. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 880:162753. [PMID: 37019238 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the gap between potential productivity and the actual productivity of vegetation (vegetation productivity gap, VPG) is the basis to explore the potential productivity improvement and identify its constraints. In this study, we used the classification and regression tree model to simulate the potential net primary productivity (PNPP) based on the flux-observational maximum net primary productivity (NPP) across different vegetation types, that is, potential productivity. The actual NPP (ANPP) is obtained from the grid NPP averaged over five terrestrial biosphere models, and the VPG is subsequently calculated. On this basis, we used the variance decomposition method to separate the effects of climate change, land-use change, CO2, and nitrogen deposition on the trend and the interannual variability (IAV) of VPG from 1981 to 2010. Meanwhile, the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and influencing factors of VPG under future climate scenarios are analyzed. The results showed an increasing trend in PNPP and ANPP, while there was a decreasing trend of VPG in most parts of the world and this trend is more significant under representative concentration pathways (RCPs). The turning points (TP) of VPG variation are found under RCPs and the reduction trend of VPG before TP is more than that after TP. The VPG reduction in most regions was caused by the combined effects of PNPP and ANPP (41.68 %) from 1981 to 2010. However, the dominant factors of global VPG reduction are changing under RCPs, and the increment of NPP (39.71 % - 49.3 %) has become the dominating factor of VPG variation. CO2 plays a decisive role in the multi-year trend of VPG, while climate change is the main factor determining the IAV of VPG. Under changing climate, temperature and precipitation are negatively correlated with VPG in most parts of the world, and the relationship between radiation and VPG from weak negative to positive correlation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Cao
- Key Labotatory of UAV Emergency Rescue Technology, China Fire and Rescue Institute, Beijing 102202, China
| | - Jiahua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Urban Land Resources Monitoring and Simulation, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shenzhen, 518034, China.; Space Information and Big Earth Data Research Center, College of Computer Science and Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.; The Key Laboratory of Earth Observation of Hainan Province, Hainan Aerospace Information Research Institute, Sanya, 572000, China.; College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Tian Zhang
- Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China; Aerospace Hongtu Information Technology Co.,Ltd, Beijing 100089, China..
| | - Fengmei Yao
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Renxin Ji
- Key Labotatory of UAV Emergency Rescue Technology, China Fire and Rescue Institute, Beijing 102202, China
| | - Shuanjin Zi
- Key Labotatory of UAV Emergency Rescue Technology, China Fire and Rescue Institute, Beijing 102202, China
| | - Hong Li
- Key Labotatory of UAV Emergency Rescue Technology, China Fire and Rescue Institute, Beijing 102202, China
| | - QuanYing Cheng
- Key Labotatory of UAV Emergency Rescue Technology, China Fire and Rescue Institute, Beijing 102202, China
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2
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Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Aeolian Desertification Reversal in Mu Us Sandy Land, China. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14031669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The aeolian desertification in Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL) in northern China have been paid much attention, but the relative contributions of climate change and human activities to desertification dynamics are still not clear. Based on the Landsat MSS, TM, ETM+ and OLI images in 1975, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, we developed a database of aeolian desertification land distribution, discussed the spatial and temporal variation of aeolian desertification, and discovered the relative contributions of climate change and human activities to desertification reversal, using the trends of the potential net primary productivity (NPP) and the human-influenced NPP with meteorological data and MODIS NPP products. The results indicated that aeolian desertification developed firstly from 1975 to 2000, with serious and severe aeolian desertification land continually increasing, and then changed into a reversal state from 2000 to 2015, as the serious aeolian desertification land decreased, although the severe, moderate and light aeolian desertification land lightly increased. Human activities were the dominant factor in desertification dynamics in MUSL and had different contributions to aeolian desertification reversal in different periods. This study will improve our understanding of the processes of aeolian desertification.
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Analyzing the Value and Evolution of Land Use Functions from “Demand–Function–Value” Perspective: A Framework and Case Study from Zhangjiakou City, China. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land11010053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding land use functions (LUFs) value is critical for implementing sustainable land resources management and optimizing territorial space in China. However, existing research insufficiently portrays the contributions of land use to economic activity and people’s well-being. To address this crucial absence, this paper attempts to clarify the connotation of LUFs’ value and the logic of LUFs’ optimization under the national territorial space planning system by applying the “demand–function–value” integrated framework. Based on this framework and taking Zhangjiakou City as a case study, we classified LUFs into economic, social, and ecological functions. Then, we assessed the monetary value of LUFs at the grid level using spatialization and environmental economics methods. Besides, we analyzed the evolutionary characteristics of LUFs and their diversity and dominance. The results showed that the total value of economic, social, and ecological LUFs increased continuously between 1990 and 2015. Spatially, the ecological function showed an opposite pattern to that of social and economic functions. Additionally, the dominant role shifted from ecological function to social function, and the dominant functional combination changed from ELP-ENS-ST to SP-ENS-ELT over this period. Lastly, this paper proposes that policymakers identify and optimize ecological–production–living space through LUFs’ value assessment and coordination. The results provide a new methodological insight into the assessment and coordination of LUFs and adaptive land use management.
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Lu XY, Chen X, Zhao XL, Lv DJ, Zhang Y. Assessing the impact of land surface temperature on urban net primary productivity increment based on geographically weighted regression model. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22282. [PMID: 34782675 PMCID: PMC8593026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01757-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization had a huge impact on the regional ecosystem net primary productivity (NPP). Although the urban heat island (UHI) caused by urbanization has been found to have a certain promoting effect on urban vegetation NPP, the factors on the impact still are not identified. In this study, the impact of urbanization on NPP was divided into direct impact (NPPdir) and indirect impact (NPPind), taking Kunming city as a case study area. Then, the spatial heterogeneity impact of land surface temperature (LST) on NPPind was analyzed based on the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. The results indicated that NPP, LST, NPPdir and NPPind in 2001, 2009 and 2018 had significant spatial autocorrelation in Kunming based on spatial analytical model. LST had a positive impact on NPPind in the central area of Kunming. The positively correlation areas of LST on NPPind increased by 4.56%, and the NPPind caused by the UHI effect increased by an average of 4.423 gC m-2 from 2009 to 2018. GWR model can reveal significant spatial heterogeneity in the impacts of LST on NPPind. Overall, our findings indicated that LST has a certain role in promoting urban NPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Yuan Lu
- grid.412720.20000 0004 1761 2943College of Big Data and Intelligent Engineering, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650000 China
| | - Xu Chen
- College of Big Data and Intelligent Engineering, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650000, China.
| | - Xue-Li Zhao
- grid.412720.20000 0004 1761 2943College of Forestry, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650000 China
| | - Dan-Jv Lv
- grid.412720.20000 0004 1761 2943College of Big Data and Intelligent Engineering, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650000 China
| | - Yan Zhang
- grid.412720.20000 0004 1761 2943College of Mathematics and Physics, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650000 China
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5
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Identifying the spatial drivers of net primary productivity: A case study in the Bailong River Basin, China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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6
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Ioannidou I, Manolaki P, Litskas VD, Vogiatzakis IN. Temporary Salt Lakes: Ecosystem Services Shift in a Ramsar Site Over a 50-Year Period. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.662107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in land use/land cover (LULC) are the key factors driving biodiversity and ecosystem services decline globally. This study examines spatiotemporal LULC changes in a Ramsar coastal temporary wetland (Larnaca Salt Lake) on the island of Cyprus between 1963 and 2015. LULC changes in the area are related to variations in the provision of ecosystem services (ES) namely food provision, climate regulation, avifauna support and landscape aesthetics. LULC mapping was performed based on the interpretation of aerial photos taken in 1963, while 2015 mapping was based on CORINE classification validated by satellite image analysis and fieldwork. We used the following indicators for the ES examined: (1) crops’ yield for the estimation of food supply, (2) carbon storage potential for climate regulation, (3) land cover potential to support avifauna richness and (4) naturalness as a proxy for landscape aesthetics. Quantifications were based on a mixed-methods approach with the use of statistical data, expert opinion and bibliography. Estimates for every service were assigned to CORINE land use classes (CLC) present in the area. Landscape structure was measured using a suite of commonly employed landscape metrics. The results showed that between 1963 and 2015 there has been a significant reduction in food provisioning service by 75%, a 37% reduction in carbon storage capacity, an 11% reduction in the capacity to support avifauna, and a 13% reduction in landscape aesthetics. Increased soil surface sealing, mainly with the construction of the international airport, which resulted in the conversion of natural or semi-natural to artificial surfaces, has been the main reason for the decrease in ES supply over the last fifty years in the study area. The character of the area in terms of land use types richness and diversity remains fairly stable but the dominant land use types have experienced fragmentation. The study sets the basis for a monitoring scheme to evaluate the state of the temporary wetlands with emphasis placed on spatial processes as a link to ES provision.
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Chen HP, Lee M, Chiueh PT. Creating ecosystem services assessment models incorporating land use impacts based on soil quality. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 773:145018. [PMID: 33940710 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely applied approach used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product or service across its life cycle stages; however, the impacts of land use on ecosystem services are less addressed in most LCA studies. This study, therefore, aims to improve the LCA model by incorporating a new impact category of land use on ecosystem services at both midpoint and endpoint levels in the existing ReCiPe2016 impact assessment method. The impacts of land use in the LCA model included land occupation and land transformation. The soil quality-based indicator, soil organic carbon (SOC), was adopted to quantify the soil quality change in ecosystem services caused by land use. A site with contaminated soils was adopted to validate the proposed impact assessment approach and to compare the results of various remediation practices. Our results revealed that the characterization factors (CFs) varied with the type of land use intervention, with land occupation of settlements presenting the highest CFs and land occupation of forest presenting the most negative CFs and thus benefitting ecosystem services. These results were well reflected in the case study, while the type of land intervention was the key factor determining the impact level. The results suggested that long-term occupation, high contamination levels, and high material or energy use contributed to relatively higher impacts of land use on ecosystem services. The proposed approach enables the quantification of land use impacts on ecosystem services as expressed in monetary loss or benefit at the endpoint resource level. The impact assessment results indicated that the in situ bioremediation scenario contributed relatively higher impacts ($12,667 USD) than the excavation and thermal treatment scenario ($-37 USD). These monetary assessment results are informative and are expected to be used in the decision-making process towards achieving beneficial environmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Pei Chen
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Mengshan Lee
- Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, 1, University Rd., Yanchao Dist., Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Te Chiueh
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan; Water Innovation, Low Carbon and Environmental Sustainability Research Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
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8
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Préat N, Lefaible N, Alvarenga RAF, Taelman SE, Dewulf J. Development of a life cycle impact assessment framework accounting for biodiversity in deep seafloor ecosystems: A case study on the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 770:144747. [PMID: 33736364 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The transformation of ecosystems is known to be a major driver of biodiversity loss. Consequently, supporting tools such as life cycle assessment methods (LCA) include this aspect in the evaluation of a product's environmental performance. Such methods consist of quantifying input and output flows to assess their specific contributions to impact categories. Therefore, land occupation and transformation are considered as inputs to assess biodiversity impacts amongst others. However, the modelling of biodiversity impact in deep seafloor ecosystems is still lacking in LCA. Most of the LCA methods focus on terrestrial biodiversity and none of them can be transposed to benthic deep sea because of knowledge gaps. This manuscript proposes a LCA framework to assess biodiversity impacts in deep seafloor ecosystems. The framework builds upon the existing methods accounting for biodiversity impacts in terrestrial and coastal habitats. A two-step approach is proposed, assessing impacts on regional and on global biodiversity. While the evaluation of regional biodiversity impacts relies only on the benthic communities' response to disturbance, the global perspective considers ecosystem vulnerability and scarcity. Those provide additional perspective for the comparison of impacts occurring in different ecosystems. The framework is operationalised to a case study for deep-sea mining in the Clarion Clipperton Fractures Zone (CCZ). Through the large variety of data sources needed to run the impact evaluation modelling, the framework shows consistency and manages the existing limitations in the understanding of deep seafloor ecosystems, although limitations for its application in the CCZ were observed mainly due to the lack of finer scaled habitat maps and data on connectivity. With growing interest for commercial activities in the deep sea and hence, increased environmental research, this work is a first attempt for the implementation of LCA methods to deep-sea products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Préat
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Nene Lefaible
- Department of Biology, Marine Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Rodrigo A F Alvarenga
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sue Ellen Taelman
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jo Dewulf
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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9
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Analysis of the Current and Future Prediction of Land Use/Land Cover Change Using Remote Sensing and the CA-Markov Model in Majang Forest Biosphere Reserves of Gambella, Southwestern Ethiopia. ScientificWorldJournal 2021; 2021:6685045. [PMID: 33688308 PMCID: PMC7925022 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6685045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate land use/land cover changes (1987–2017), prediction (2032–2047), and identify the drivers of Majang Forest Biosphere Reserves. Landsat image (TM, ETM+, and OLI-TIRS) and socioeconomy data were used for the LU/LC analysis and its drivers of change. The supervised classification was also employed to classify LU/LC. The CA-Markov model was used to predict future LU/LC change using IDRISI software. Data were collected from 240 households from eight kebeles in two districts to identify LU/LC change drivers. Five LU/LC classes were identified: forestland, farmland, grassland, settlement, and waterbody. Farmland and settlement increased by 17.4% and 3.4%, respectively; while, forestland and grassland were reduced by 77.8% and 1.4%, respectively, from 1987 to 2017. The predicted results indicated that farmland and settlement increased by 26.3% and 6.4%, respectively, while forestland and grassland decreased by 66.5% and 0.8%, respectively, from 2032 to 2047. Eventually, agricultural expansion, population growth, shifting cultivation, fuel wood extraction, and fire risk were identified as the main drivers of LU/LC change. Generally, substantial LU/LC changes were observed and will continue in the future. Hence, land use plan should be proposed to sustain resource of Majang Forest Biosphere Reserves, and local communities' livelihood improvement strategies are required to halt land conversion.
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10
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Scherer L, van Baren SA, van Bodegom PM. Characterizing Land Use Impacts on Functional Plant Diversity for Life Cycle Assessments. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:6486-6495. [PMID: 32343572 PMCID: PMC7271546 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b07228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Decision support tools such as life cycle assessment (LCA) increasingly aim to account for impacts on biodiversity. While taxonomic measures like species richness have been implemented, they do not fully grasp the impacts on ecosystem functioning. Functional diversity, derived from the species' traits, is more representative of ecosystem processes. This study provides a framework for developing characterization factors for functional diversity as affected by land use. It exploits the large databases on plant traits and species composition that have recently become available and allow bringing biodiversity impact assessment to the next level. Three functional diversity indices therein describe different aspects of functional diversity, namely richness, evenness, and divergence. Applying our framework to Germany as a proof of concept, we show significant losses in functional plant diversity when converting natural forests to agricultural land use. Consistently across different forests and agricultural systems, functional richness decreases steeply and functional divergence moderately upon occupation. In contrast, functional evenness exhibits opposite trends. The resulting characterization factors are likely to be representative of temperate regions. The framework is flexible and applicable to larger scales and other impact categories. As such, it facilitates harmonizing biodiversity impact assessments and better represents ecosystem functioning by incorporating functional diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Scherer
- Institute of Environmental Sciences
(CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sven A. van Baren
- Institute of Environmental Sciences
(CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter M. van Bodegom
- Institute of Environmental Sciences
(CML), Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
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11
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Evaluation of the Water–Energy–Land Nexus (WELN) Using Exergy-Based Indicators: The Chilean Electricity System Case. ENERGIES 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/en13010042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The competition and interlinkages between energy, water, and land resources are increasing globally and are exacerbated by climate change and a rapid increase in the world population. The nexus concept has emerged for a comprehensive understanding related to the management and efficiency of resource use. This paper assesses water–energy–land nexus (WELN) efficiency through integration of the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and exergy analysis, using the Chilean energy sector (CES) as a study case. The cumulative exergy consumption (CExC) and cumulative degree of perfection (CDP) are used as indicators for WELN efficiency. The results show the production of 1 MWh of electricity required 17.3 GJex, with the energy component of WELN (fossil and renewable energy sources) being the main contributor (99%). Furthermore, the renewable energy technologies depicted higher CDP of the water–energy–land nexus due to lower CExC and higher technology efficiency concerning non-renewables. The water and land resources contributed slightly to total exergy flow due to low quality in comparison with the energy component. Nevertheless, water availability and competition for land occupation constitute important issues for reducing environmental pressures and local conflicts. This study demonstrated the feasibility of exergy analysis for the evaluation of WELN efficiency through a single indicator, which could facilitate the comparison and integration with different processes and multi-scales.
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12
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Boone L, Roldán-Ruiz I, Van Linden V, Muylle H, Dewulf J. Environmental sustainability of conventional and organic farming: Accounting for ecosystem services in life cycle assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 695:133841. [PMID: 31422320 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Today, there is an ongoing debate about the environmental sustainability of the products of organic farming. To compare the performance of conventional and organic farming systems regarding environmental impact and productivity, the comprehensive environmental assessment tool 'life cycle assessment' can be used. The lower crop yields attained by organic systems compared to conventional farming systems might, however, outweigh the benefits of the use of more environmental-friendly practices when evaluating the environmental impact per product unit. Although these practices are beneficial for the environment, which is reflected in the delivery of a range of ecosystem services (ES), the focus is traditionally put only on the (harvested) product. Because the agricultural product involves actually a bundle of ES, the impact should be allocated among the whole output of an agricultural system. In this study, we propose an allocation procedure based on the capacity of agricultural systems to deliver ES to divide the environmental impact over all agricultural outputs (i.e. provisioning and other ES). Allocation factors are developed for conventional and organic arable farming systems. Applying these allocation factors, we demonstrate that for about half of the studied food products (including maize, potato), organic farming has clear environmental benefits in terms of resource consumption in comparison to conventional cultivation methods. This allocation approach allows a more complete comparison of the environmental sustainability of organically and conventionally produced food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieselot Boone
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
| | - Isabel Roldán-Ruiz
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Veerle Van Linden
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Hilde Muylle
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Jo Dewulf
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
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13
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Xue Z, Zhen L, Miah MG, Shoyama K. Impact assessment of land use functions on the sustainable regional development of representative Asian countries - A comparative study in Bangladesh, China and Japan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 694:133689. [PMID: 31756799 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable land use is a fundamental research field for land use planning. However, regional policymakers often lack access to the theoretical impacts that a land use policy might have on local development, especially in remote agricultural areas. Furthermore, knowledge exchange is important, especially in the context of globalization. This research employed the Framework of Participatory Impact Assessment and household surveys to combine multilevel stakeholders and comprehensively assessed the impacts of different land management scenarios on land use functions (LUFs) and local sustainable development. We completed this comparative study in typical remote agricultural areas in Godagari upazila of Bangladesh, Guyuan of China and Noto of Japan, which all have gradient differences in terms of their economic and social aspects, natural conditions and main land use issues. The selected scenarios were business as usual, increase in agricultural input and reform of rural development mode. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the farmers at the three study sites all showed a decreasing dependence on their land and a relevant level of stress on environmental LUFs, but the rooted reasons were different and even opposing; (2) scenarios with a high aggregate impact on LUFs might not enable a sustainable development model, and the assessment of land management measures should consider the balance among environmental, economic and social dimensions; and (3) land use and management practices should be conducted with consideration of local conditions, and protecting agricultural development and enacting appropriate agricultural reforms could revitalize local agricultural development. The results revealed the demand for location-specific land management practices and underlined the knowledge of agricultural management on an international scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Xue
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Lin Zhen
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Md Giashuddin Miah
- Department of Agroforestry and Environment, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University Gazipur Bangladesh, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh.
| | - Kikuko Shoyama
- United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, 5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan.
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14
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Othoniel B, Rugani B, Heijungs R, Beyer M, Machwitz M, Post P. An improved life cycle impact assessment principle for assessing the impact of land use on ecosystem services. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 693:133374. [PMID: 31376755 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
In order to consider the effects of land use, and the land cover changes it causes, on ecosystem services in life cycle assessment (LCA), a new methodology is proposed and applied to calculate midpoint and endpoint characterization factors. To do this, a cause-effect chain was established in line with conceptual models of ecosystem services to describe the impacts of land use and related land cover changes. A high-resolution, spatially explicit and temporally dynamic modeling framework that integrates land use and ecosystem services models was developed and used as an impact characterization model to simulate that cause-effect chain. Characterization factors (CFs) were calculated and regionalized at the scales of Luxembourg and its municipalities, taken as a case to show the advantages of the modeling approach. More specifically, the calculated CFs enable the impact assessment of six land cover types on six ecosystem functions and two final ecosystem services. A mapping and comparison exercise of these CFs allowed us to identify spatial trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services due to possible land cover changes. Ultimately, the proposed methodology can offer a solution to overcome a number of methodological limitations that still exist in the characterization of impacts on ecosystem services in LCA, implying a rethinking of the modeling of land use in life cycle inventory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Othoniel
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Department of Environmental Research & Innovation (ERIN), 41 Rue du Brill, 4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, School of Business and Economics, 1105 De Boelelaan, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Benedetto Rugani
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Department of Environmental Research & Innovation (ERIN), 41 Rue du Brill, 4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Reinout Heijungs
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, School of Business and Economics, 1105 De Boelelaan, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden University, Department of Industrial Ecology, P.O. Box 9500, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marco Beyer
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Department of Environmental Research & Innovation (ERIN), 41 Rue du Brill, 4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Miriam Machwitz
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Department of Environmental Research & Innovation (ERIN), 41 Rue du Brill, 4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Pim Post
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 9 Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan, 3721 MA Bilthoven, the Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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15
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Rugani B, Maia de Souza D, Weidema BP, Bare J, Bakshi B, Grann B, Johnston JM, Pavan ALR, Liu X, Laurent A, Verones F. Towards integrating the ecosystem services cascade framework within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) cause-effect methodology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 690:1284-1298. [PMID: 31470491 PMCID: PMC7791572 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The assessment of ecosystem services (ES) is covered in a fragmented manner by environmental decision support tools that provide information about the potential environmental impacts of supply chains and their products, such as the well-known Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Within the flagship project of the Life Cycle Initiative (hosted by UN Environment), aiming at global guidance for life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) indicators, a dedicated subtask force was constituted to consolidate the evaluation of ES in LCA. As one of the outcomes of this subtask force, this paper describes the progress towards consensus building in the LCA domain concerning the assessment of anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems and their associated services for human well-being. To this end, the traditional LCIA structure, which represents the cause-effect chain from stressor to impacts and damages, is re-casted and expanded using the lens of the ES 'cascade model'. This links changes in ecosystem structure and function to changes in human well-being, while LCIA links the effect of changes on ecosystems due to human impacts (e.g. land use change, eutrophication, freshwater depletion) to the increase or decrease in the quality and/or quantity of supplied ES. The proposed cascade modelling framework complements traditional LCIA with information about the externalities associated with the supply and demand of ES, for which the overall cost-benefit result might be either negative (i.e. detrimental impact on the ES provision) or positive (i.e. increase of ES provision). In so doing, the framework introduces into traditional LCIA the notion of "benefit" (in the form of ES supply flows and ecosystems' capacity to generate services) which balances the quantified environmental intervention flows and related impacts (in the form of ES demands) that are typically considered in LCA. Recommendations are eventually provided to further address current gaps in the analysis of ES within the LCA methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetto Rugani
- Environmental Research & Innovation (ERIN) department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Belvaux, Luxembourg.
| | - Danielle Maia de Souza
- Département de stratégie, responsabilité sociale et environnementale, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM), Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Bo P Weidema
- Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Jane Bare
- Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Bhavik Bakshi
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - John M Johnston
- Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Athens, GA, USA
| | - Ana Laura Raymundo Pavan
- Center for Water Resource and Environmental Studies, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Carlos 13566-590, SP, Brazil
| | - Xinyu Liu
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Alexis Laurent
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment (QSA) Group, Sustainability Division, DTU Management, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Francesca Verones
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
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16
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Guan X, Shen H, Li X, Gan W, Zhang L. A long-term and comprehensive assessment of the urbanization-induced impacts on vegetation net primary productivity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 669:342-352. [PMID: 30884259 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization not only directly alters the regional ecosystem net primary productivity (NPP) through land-cover replacement, but it is also accompanied by huge indirect impacts due to the associated climate change and anthropogenic activities. However, to date, limited efforts have been made to quantitatively separate the two types of urbanization impacts, and the continuous variations over a long-time span are not well understood. In this study, both the long-term direct and indirect impacts of urbanization on NPP were established and analyzed based on multi-source remote sensing data, taking the city of Kunming in China as a case study area. The results indicated that the intense urbanization process has led to a continuous decrease in NPP from 1990 to 2014, due to the direct impact of land-cover replacement. Nevertheless, the urbanization has also resulted in an apparently positive indirect impact on NPP, which has offset about 30% of the direct impact in recent years. The increasing trend of the indirect impact was found to be higher than the NPP trend in the surrounding forest areas, which proves that vegetation growth has been promoted by the urban environment. The indirect impact has also shown great spatial and temporal heterogeneity, with generally higher values in the old city area and winter season. This can mostly be attributed to the distribution of temperature, i.e., the urban heat island effect, which has shown a significantly positive correlation with the indirect impact. However, the correlations between NPP and climatic factors were found to be completely different, which confirmed the need to separate the direct and indirect impacts. Overall, this study has demonstrated that urbanization has reduced the total NPP over the region, but has promoted some vegetation growth, and the knowledge of the indirect impact will help to support urban greening planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobin Guan
- School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - Huanfeng Shen
- School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Geospatial Technology, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China.
| | - Xinghua Li
- School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
| | - Wenxia Gan
- School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, PR China
| | - Liangpei Zhang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Geospatial Technology, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, PR China; The State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, PR China
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17
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Kosai S, Yamasue E. Global warming potential and total material requirement in metal production: Identification of changes in environmental impact through metal substitution. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 651:1764-1775. [PMID: 30316094 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Revised: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In view of the increasing demand for metal use, it is of significant importance to evaluate the environmental impact of metal production. The global warming potential (GWP) in the process of metal production has often been focused upon as a major indicator for evaluating the burden on the environment. Moreover, the environmental impact and mineral exploitation arising from metal ore mining activities, which generate unavoidable mine wastes and have an impact on the ecological biodiversity, cannot be ignored. The major factors for determining the intensity of resource exploitation being the ore grades and strip ratio, the existing indicators for land use employed in the life cycle assessment (LCA) may not fully cover the criteria of the impact of metal mining on the environmental system. Therefore, this study employs the method of total material requirement (TMR) assessment, involving not only the direct and indirect material inputs but also the hidden flows, which are particularly associated with mine wastes. Firstly, the methodology of computing the TMR in the process of metal production is developed. Next, the relation between the GWP and TMR for 58 metals is assessed and finally, the environmental impact through metal substitutes is evaluated from the perspectives of the GWP and TMR. This analysis could identify some of the aspects overlooked in the previous environmental criteria that were concentrating on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. The developed algorithm may be useful in identifying appropriate metal substitutes, considering the environmental impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoki Kosai
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan.
| | - Eiji Yamasue
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan
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18
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Ge Y, Zhang K, Yang X. A 110-year pollen record of land use and land cover changes in an anthropogenic watershed landscape, eastern China: Understanding past human-environment interactions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 650:2906-2918. [PMID: 30373067 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Land use and land cover changes (LUCCs) have largely altered terrestrial ecosystems and landscapes during the Anthropocene. Reconstructing past LUCCs is necessary to better understand terrestrial ecosystem succession and human-environment interactions so that ecosystem services can be used conservatively and developed sustainably. In this paper, we reconstructed the LUCCs over the past century in a typical anthropogenic watershed based on a high-resolution pollen record from Changdang Lake, eastern China. The sediment core was 210Pb dated and constrained cluster analysis identified different periods of LUCCs associated with the 110-year pollen record. Multi-sedimentary proxies, historical records, and remote sensing LUCC maps were analyzed to complement the palynological results. Our results demonstrate that pollen records can accurately capture LUCCs during different historical periods. Extra-regional arboreal pollen, fern spores, and pollen concentration can record the hydrological variations of waterbodies under both climatic and anthropogenic impacts. Multiple agriculture-related pollen indicators, such as cereal, Cruciferae, and wetland taxa are significantly related to the corresponding vegetation cover and landscape variations. Specifically, the anthropochore taxa to wetland taxa ratio is a good indicator of agricultural intensity. Dominant arboreal pollen (Pinus and Quercus) and the arboreal taxa to non-arboreal taxa ratio reflects the forestry landscape changes. Urban greening arboreal pollen (including Platanus, Salix, and Ulmus) is found to be an indirect indicator of urbanization. In addition, agriculture and urbanization in the region are causing the pollen diversity to increase in lake sediments. This study from a shallow lake in eastern China contributes to our understanding of pollen-based LUCC studies in similar climatic and anthropogenic regions around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawen Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, 210008 Nanjing, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, PR China
| | - Ke Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, 210008 Nanjing, PR China.
| | - Xiangdong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, 210008 Nanjing, PR China.
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19
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A Practical Comparison of Regionalized Land Use and Biodiversity Life Cycle Impact Assessment Models Using Livestock Production as a Case Study. SUSTAINABILITY 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/su10114089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Land use is increasingly important for impact assessment in life cycle assessment (LCA). Its impacts on biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services are crucial to depict the environmental performance of products. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) models are commonly selected by consensus through processes frequently misinformed by the absence of practical application studies. Here, we performed an assessment of all free and peer-reviewed LCIA models for land use. We started with spatial correlation analysis at the country scale. Models that use the same indicators are strongly correlated, suggesting that regionalization is no longer a decisive issue in model selection. We applied these models in a case study for cattle production where feeds are replaced by sown biodiverse pastures (SBP). We tested (1) a non-regionalized inventory from an LCA database and, (2) a regionalized inventory that explicit considered the locations of land occupation and transformation. We found the same qualitative result: the installation of SBP avoids impacts due to feed substitution. Each hectare of SBP installed avoids the occupation of 0.5 hectares per year for feed ingredient production. Adding inventory regionalization for 70% of land use flows leads to a change of 15% in results, suggesting limited spatial differentiation between country-level characterization factors.
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20
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Boone L, Van Linden V, Roldán-Ruiz I, Sierra CA, Vandecasteele B, Sleutel S, De Meester S, Muylle H, Dewulf J. Introduction of a natural resource balance indicator to assess soil organic carbon management: Agricultural Biomass Productivity Benefit. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 224:202-214. [PMID: 30053732 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The rising demand for feed and food has put an increasing pressure on agriculture, with agricultural intensification as a direct response. Notwithstanding the higher crop productivity, intensive agriculture management entails many adverse environmental impacts. Worldwide, soil organic carbon (SOC) decline is hereby considered as a main danger which affects soil fertility and productivity. The life cycle perspective helps to get a holistic overview when evaluating the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems, though the impact of farm management on soil quality aspects is often not integrated. In this paper, we introduce an indicator called Agricultural Biomass Productivity Benefit of SOC management (ABB_SOC), which, relying on natural resource consumption, enables to estimate the net effect of the efforts made to attain a better soil quality. Hereby the focus is put on SOC. First, we introduce a framework to describe the SOC trend due to farm management decisions. The extent to which remediation measures are required are used as a measure for the induced SOC losses. Next, ABB_SOC values are calculated as the balance between the natural resource consumption of the inputs (including remediation efforts) and the desired output of arable crop production systems. The models RothC and EU-Rotate_N are used to simulate the SOC evolution due to farm management and the response of the biomass productivity, respectively. The developed indicator is applied on several rotation systems in Flanders, comparing different remediation strategies. The indicator could be used as a base for a method to account for soil quality in life cycle analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieselot Boone
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium; Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium.
| | - Veerle Van Linden
- Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Isabel Roldán-Ruiz
- Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Carlos A Sierra
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Bart Vandecasteele
- Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Steven Sleutel
- Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Steven De Meester
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University - Campus Kortrijk, Graaf Karel de Goedelaan 5, 8500, Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Hilde Muylle
- Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Burgemeester Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Jo Dewulf
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
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21
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A Holistic Sustainability Framework for Waste Management in European Cities: Concept Development. SUSTAINABILITY 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/su10072184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Waste management represents a challenge for public authorities due to many reasons such as increased waste generation following urban population growth, economic burdens imposed on the municipal budget, and nuisances inevitably caused to the environment and local inhabitants. To optimize the system from a sustainability perspective, moving the transition towards a more circular economy, a better understanding of the different stages of waste management is necessary. A review of recently developed sustainability frameworks for waste management showed that no single framework captures all the instruments needed to ultimately provide a solid basis for comprehensive analyses of the potential burdens associated with urban waste management. Bearing this limitation in mind, the objective of this research is to propose a conceptual and comprehensive sustainability framework to support decision-making in waste management of European cities. The framework comprises a combination of methods capable of identifying future strategies and scenarios, to assess different types of impacts based on a life cycle perspective, and considers the value of waste streams, the actors involved, and possible constraints of implementing scenarios. The social, economic, environmental, technical and political domains are covered, and special attention is paid to impacts affecting foremost the local population.
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22
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Kindu M, Schneider T, Döllerer M, Teketay D, Knoke T. Scenario modelling of land use/land cover changes in Munessa-Shashemene landscape of the Ethiopian highlands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 622-623:534-546. [PMID: 29220777 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Models under a set of scenarios are used to simulate and improve our understanding of land use/land cover (LULC) changes, which is central for sustainable management of a given natural resource. In this study, we simulated and examined the possible future LULC patterns and changes in Munessa-Shashemene landscape of the Ethiopian highlands covering four decades (2012-2050) using a spatially explicit GIS-based model. Both primary and secondary sources were utilized to identify relevant explanatory variables (drivers) and LULC datasets for the model. Three alternative scenarios, namely Business As Usual (BAU), Forest Conservation and Water Protection (FCWP) and Sustainable Intensification (SI) were used. The simulated LULC map of 2012 was compared with the actual for model validation and showed a good consistency. The results revealed that areas of croplands will increase widely under the BAU scenario and would expand to the remaining woodlands, natural forests and grasslands, reflecting vulnerability of these LULC types and potential loss of associated ecosystem service values (ESVs). FCWP scenario would bring competition among other LULC types, particularly more pressure to the grassland ecosystem. Hence, the two scenarios will result in severe LULC dynamics that lead to serious environmental crisis. The SI scenario, with holistic approach, demonstrated that expansion of croplands could vigorously be reduced, remaining forests better conserved and degraded land recovered, resulting in gains of the associated total ESVs. We conclude that a holistic landscape management, i.e. SI, is the best approach to ensure expected production while safeguarding the environment of the studied landscape and elsewhere with similar geographic settings. Further study is suggested to practically test our framework through a research for development approach in a test site so that it can be used as a model area for effective use and conservation of our natural resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengistie Kindu
- Institute of Forest Management, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, D-85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Thomas Schneider
- Institute of Forest Management, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, D-85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Martin Döllerer
- Institute of Forest Management, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, D-85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Demel Teketay
- Department of Crop Science and Production, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Private Bag 0027, Gaborone, Botswana.
| | - Thomas Knoke
- Institute of Forest Management, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, D-85354 Freising, Germany.
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23
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Woods JS, Damiani M, Fantke P, Henderson AD, Johnston JM, Bare J, Sala S, de Souza DM, Pfister S, Posthuma L, Rosenbaum RK, Verones F. Ecosystem quality in LCIA: status quo, harmonization, and suggestions for the way forward. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT 2018; 23:1995-2006. [PMID: 31097881 PMCID: PMC6516497 DOI: 10.1007/s11367-017-1422-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results are used to assess potential environmental impacts of different products and services. As part of the UNEP-SETAC life cycle initiative flagship project that aims to harmonize indicators of potential environmental impacts, we provide a consensus viewpoint and recommendations for future developments in LCIA related to the ecosystem quality area of protection (AoP). Through our recommendations, we aim to encourage LCIA developments that improve the usefulness and global acceptability of LCIA results. METHODS We analyze current ecosystem quality metrics and provide recommendations to the LCIA research community for achieving further developments towards comparable and more ecologically relevant metrics addressing ecosystem quality. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION We recommend that LCIA development for ecosystem quality should tend towards species-richnessrelated metrics, with efforts made towards improved inclusion of ecosystem complexity. Impact indicators-which result from a range of modeling approaches that differ, for example, according to spatial and temporal scale, taxonomic coverage, and whether the indicator produces a relative or absolute measure of loss-should be framed to facilitate their final expression in a single, aggregated metric. This would also improve comparability with other LCIA damage-level indicators. Furthermore, to allow for a broader inclusion of ecosystem quality perspectives, the development of an additional indicator related to ecosystem function is recommended. Having two complementary metrics would give a broader coverage of ecosystem attributes while remaining simple enough to enable an intuitive interpretation of the results. CONCLUSIONS We call for the LCIA research community to make progress towards enabling harmonization of damage-level indicators within the ecosystem quality AoP and, further, to improve the ecological relevance of impact indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S Woods
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Sem Sælands vei 7, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Mattia Damiani
- ITAP, Irstea, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, ELSA Research Group and ELSA-PACT Industrial Chair, 361 rue Jean-François Breton, BP 5095, F-34196 Montpellier, France
| | - Peter Fantke
- Division for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet 116, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Andrew D Henderson
- University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin, TX 78701, USA
- Noblis, Inc., San Antonio, TX 78232, USA
| | - John M Johnston
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 960 College Station Rd, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - Jane Bare
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 West MLK Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Serenella Sala
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate D: Sustainable Resource, Bioeconomy unit, Via E. Fermi, 2749 Ispra, VA, Italy
| | - Danielle Maia de Souza
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, T6G 2P5, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Stephan Pfister
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Leo Posthuma
- RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health, P.O. Box 1, 3720, BA Bilthoven, the Netherlands
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525, AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ralph K Rosenbaum
- ITAP, Irstea, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, ELSA Research Group and ELSA-PACT Industrial Chair, 361 rue Jean-François Breton, BP 5095, F-34196 Montpellier, France
| | - Francesca Verones
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Sem Sælands vei 7, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
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25
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Hao R, Yu D, Liu Y, Liu Y, Qiao J, Wang X, Du J. Impacts of changes in climate and landscape pattern on ecosystem services. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 579:718-728. [PMID: 27884526 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Revised: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The restoration of degraded vegetation can effectively improve ecosystem services, increase human well-being, and promote regional sustainable development. Understanding the changing trends in ecosystem services and their drivers is an important step in informing decision makers for the development of reasonable landscape management measures. From 2001 to 2014, we analyzed the changing trends in five critical ecosystem services in the Xilingol Grassland, which is typical of grasslands in North China, including net primary productivity (NPP), soil conservation (SC), soil loss due to wind (SL), water yield (WY) and water retention (WR). Additionally, we quantified how climatic factors and landscape patterns affect the five ecosystem services on both annual and seasonal time scales. Overall, the results indicated that vegetation restoration can effectively improve the five grassland ecosystem services, and precipitation (PPT) is the most critical climatic factor. The impact of changes in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was most readily detectable on the annual time scale, whereas the impact of changes in landscape pattern was most readily detectable on the seasonal time scale. A win-win situation in terms of grassland ecosystem services (e.g., vegetation productivity, SC, WR and reduced SL) can be achieved by increasing grassland aggregation, partitioning the largest grasslands, dividing larger areas of farmland into smaller patches, and increasing the area of appropriate forest stands. Our work may aid policymakers in developing regional landscape management schemes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruifang Hao
- Center for Human-Environment System Sustainability (CHESS), State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Deyong Yu
- Center for Human-Environment System Sustainability (CHESS), State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Yupeng Liu
- Center for Human-Environment System Sustainability (CHESS), State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Yang Liu
- Center for Human-Environment System Sustainability (CHESS), State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Jianmin Qiao
- Center for Human-Environment System Sustainability (CHESS), State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Xue Wang
- Center for Human-Environment System Sustainability (CHESS), State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Jinshen Du
- Center for Human-Environment System Sustainability (CHESS), State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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