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This module is delivered by Bangor University.
This module will introduce you to the ecosystem services framework for assessing pasture-based food production, with an emphasis on landscape context and scale factors. Trade-offs and complementarities between food production and delivery of other ecosystem services such as water purification and climate regulation will be examined. The module will focus on the theme of “sustainable intensification”, using an ecosystem services approach to consider the direct and indirect (global) effects of particular management practices.
The module’s units consist of:
- Sustainable food production – definition of and driving forces for ‘sustainable intensification’.
- An introduction to ecosystem services – provisioning services; regulatory services; supporting and other services.
- Assessing ecosystem services – spatial and temporal scales; data requirements; available tools.
- Policy context – European Directives, programmes and agri-environmental schemes related to ecosystem service delivery.
- Payment for ecosystem services – economic valuation methods and case studies; critical review of payment mechanisms.
- Global perspective – global demand implications for ES; land sparing versus land sharing; accounting for indirect ES effects.
- Soils and ecosystem services – supporting ecosystem services delivered by soils; soil degradation; critical review of organic agriculture
- Ecosystem services for water quality – agriculture and water provisioning; flood regulation; water quality.
- Climate regulation – GHG emissions and carbon foot-printing; terrestrial carbon stores; mitigation options.
- Sustainable intensification – conclusions on sustainable intensification; ecosystem services opportunities for farmers.
Contributions from: Dr Dave Styles, Dr Tim Pagella, Dr Dave Harris, Dr Phil Hollington, Prof Davey Jones, Prof Mike Christie.
Student Comment: [I will be] "giving greater weight to other ecosystem services (outside of food production) when making decisions on the farm....." Julia Hawley, Farmer