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ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS AND SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS Students should be able to :

ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS AND SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS Students should be able to : 1. Discuss a number of indicators to assess the ecological sustainability of a range of agricultural systems

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ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS AND SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS Students should be able to :

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  1. ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS AND SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS Students should be able to : 1. Discuss a number of indicators to assess the ecological sustainability of a range of agricultural systems 2. Describe the importance of spatial and temporal changes in the values of several common ecological indictors 3. For a given case, explain how they would assess the underlying ecological sustainability of the system.

  2. Julian Park homepage … will put the ppt presentation here for about a week http://www.rdg.ac.uk/~aasparkj/ Environmental Challenges in Farm Management (ECIFM) on “Indicators of Sustainable Development” http://www.ecifm.rdg.ac.uk

  3. Becoming wetter? Becoming drier? Increased sea levels? More deserts?

  4. Dimensions of SUSTAINABILITY Economic sustainability Ecological sustainability Social sustainability Political sustainability These dimensions may help us handle this very complex issue

  5. Monitoring change Are changes increasing or decreasing the sustainability of the system? To answer this we need to know : 1. What is the current situation? 2. Can realistic indicators of sustainability be found? 3. Can this criteria be monitored effectively both spatial and temporally? 4. Is the monitoring realistic and cost effective?

  6. Energy use Leaching How will changes impact on sustainability? Natural habitat Soil damage

  7. Indicators of Sustainable Development for the UK, HMSO This documents sets out certain indicators which have been monitored centrally for different periods of time. These categories include : Energy, Land use, Water, Forestry, Fish stocks Climate change, Ozone depletion, Wildlife Habitats, Land cover and landscape, Soil

  8. Towards Sustainable Agriculture A set of pilot indicators for agriculture On 17 May 1999 the Government published “ a better quality of life: a strategy for sustainable development in the UK The pilot indicators help with the achievement of these objectives from 3 perspectives, economic, social and environmental

  9. Three types of indicator: Driving indicators: describe what is causing E,E or S change I.E. Pesticide use State indicators: Measure the current quality or stock of a good I.E. Organic matter Response indicators: measure of actions being taken to change the system I.E. Environmental payments

  10. SOIL ORGANIC MATTER Why is it a useful indicator? 1. Plays central role in nutrient cycling, soil aeration and water holding capacity 2. Is affected directly by agricultural practice, particularly cultivation 3. Present in all soils and is easily measured. Changes slowly and is therefore a longer-term indicator.

  11. Relation to sustainability 1. Soils of low organic content are susceptible to wind and water erosion 2. Soils of low organic content are harder to work and hold less water 3. Soil of low organic content may require more intervention to produce good crops

  12. Ploughing oxidises SOM Agriculture can reduce the debris returned to the soil

  13. Practices likely to increase organic matter 1. Addition of crop residues 2. Period of perennial cropping such as grass 3. Carefully selected cultivation techniques Practices likely to decrease organic matter 1. Ploughing out of grassland 2. Minimal return of plant debris 3. Continuous heavy cultivation

  14. Potential turnover rates of soil carbon in England and Wales

  15. Bird Populations: Why useful as an indicator? 1. Near the top of the food chain 2. Populations within areas tend to fluctuate according to food and habitat availability (although within year fluctuations are likely) 3. Well recorded populations which are relatively easy to monitor Relation to sustainability 1. Indicative of general biodiversity 2. Populations can be severely reduced by aggressive farming strategies 3. Very strong lobby organisation (RSPB) and lots of “big guns” interested in bird watching

  16. Practices likely to increase bird numbers 1. Careful management of field margins, habitats and setaside 2. Sensible use of pesticides 3. General diversity of landscape with wildlife corridors

  17. Practices likely to reduce numbers 1. Aggressive farming strategies in terms of land use 2. Reduction in governmental support for environmental policies 3. Changes in land use

  18. Concluding remarks There are wide range of potential indicators Ecological and environmental indicators need to relatively easy and cheap to monitor Seasonal variations, for instance in earthworm populations need to be taken into account Consider indicators for monitoring in the long, medium and short term For a given case it is important to consider how many indicators, and the frequency and resolution with which change can be monitored.

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