Assessment of ecosystem services provided by agroforestry systems in Europe

1. Assessment of ecosystem services provided by agroforestry systems in Europe • Dirk Freese1, Christian Böhm1, Ansgar Quinkenstein1, Jens Wöllecke1, Reinhard F. Hüttl1,2 Brandenburg University of Technology Chair of Soil Protection and Recultivation Helmholtz-Centre Potsdam - German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ)

2. Content • EU policy in agriculture (soil protection, cross compliance, subsidy payment) • Selected research projects related to land use and agroforestry • The way to Ecosystem Services • Research for the future

3. Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection (EC 2006) = declares that for sustainable development, soils (soil functions) need to be protected from degradation. • The main threats to soil functioning abilities are identified as • (1) decline in organic matter • (2) soil erosion • (3) compaction • (4) salinisation • (5) landslides • (6) floods • (7) contamination • (8) sealing Threats 1-5 are area and soil specific in their appearance

4. Cross Compliances is a mechanism that links direct payments to compliances by farmes with basic environmental standards ( due to VO (EG) 1782/2003 ) → “protection against erosion”, preservation of organic matter and soil structure, preservation of permanent grassland etc. since 2007 farmes receive bonuses for site-specific actions in rural areas → e.g. extensivation and forest conversion activities → direct payments used to compensate the higher standarts in EC for environmental protection, food and fodder safety EU-area subsidy for farmers EC-member states can choose between 2 models during the implementation of CAD single payment scheme regional area subsidy → all subsidies in region divided to agricultural areas dynamicly combinated model in germany from 2005 to 2013 national average in a federal state of 328 €/ha (302 €/ha in Hesse, 326 €/ha in lower saxony) → single payment scheme endures till 2013 EC Policy and Land Use

5. the issue: Land use changes and sustainability impacts European Policies ? Globalisation Cultural heritage Biodiversity Bioenergy Rural development Water regulation Food demand Soil conservation Land abandonment Caspar David Friedrich Einsamer Baum, 1822 Hellmich, 2009

6. SAFE : Silvoarable Agroforestry For Europe European Union Contract n° QLK5-CT-2001-00560August 2001-January 2005 The SAFE project will develop biophysical and socio-economic tools to inform farmers and policy-makers of the potential for silvoarable agroforestry to contribute to the integrated and sustainable development of European rural areas. INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) UMR Systèmes de Culture Méditerranéens et Tropicaux 2, Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier, France

7. SENSOR: Sustainability Impact Assessment:Tools for Environmental, Social and Economic Effects of Multifunctional Land Use in European Regions EU FP6 Integrated Project - Priority Area 1.1.6.3 "Global Change and Ecosystems" Tools for Impact Assessment Duration:   Dec 2004 - May 2009 Coordination: Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural LandscapeResearch (DE)

8. Initial Ecosystem Development (SFB-Transregio 38), German Research Foundation Innovative Network of Climate Adaptation in the Region Brandenburg Berlin (INKA BB) (BMBF) Economic and Ecological Assessment of Agroforestry Systems in Agricultural Practice (FNR) BAtroS: Soil Melioration and Land Use Systems for dry sites (BMBF) Biomass production and Phytoremediation (German Railway, DB) ANFOREK, Energy landscape and agriculture, Vattenfall Mining&Generation AG Agronetwork Biomass Dendrom „Future Resource Dendromass"(BMBF) Sensor - Sustainability Impact Assessment: Tools for Environmental, Social and Economic Effects of Multifunctional Land Use in European Regions: Module 6: Sustainability issues in sensitive regions, EU Optimum Humus Content of Soils in Germany (UBA) Agrowood Research projects related to Agroforestry, Biomass and Ecosystem

9. Agroforestry practices in Europe (Rigueiro-Rodríguez et al., 2008)

10. Advantages Low-input system over long-term (fertilization, soil tillage etc.) Combination with organic farming Ecological benefits Economic benefits Disadvantages High investment per ha Long-term return of money No long-term lease contracts (>20 years) Modern crop production technology/ machinery Maintenance of EU area subsidy ? Low flexibility to agricultural policy Relatively low yields Implementation of Alley Cropping / SRC in Germany Farmers protest

11. 1. A biophysical assessment • evaluation of the potential to produce biomass and food • modelling of system interactions • identification of performance, limits and constraints on different areas (e.g. degraded areas and post-industrial regions)

12. Europe Brandenburg Berlin Cottbus study area Germany Location of study site in Brandenburg state (Germany) Böhm et al., 2009

13. Energy landscape Welzow-South • area: 170 ha • location: open mining area Welzow-South • establishment: since 2005

14. Hybride 275 AF2 Inger Tordis Max 1 50 m (4 · 10m + 2 · 5m) Tordis Max 1 Hybride 275 AF2 Inger AF2 Inger Tordis Max 1 Hybride 275 Max 1 Hybride 275 AF2 Inger Tordis 55m (5 · 9m + 2 · 5m) Trial field biomass production Nelder-plot • established in spring 2009 (2 x 520 plants) • Investigation of the effect of different planting densities on the biomass production of poplar and black locust other • Trial plot with acer (establishment 2009) • Trial plot with Arundo donax (establishment 2009) SRC-Plot • established in spring 2008 • growth experiment with 3 poplar- and 2 willow-clones • alltogether 20 plots with 100 plants each

15. Energy forest Establishment of the energy forest • 2005: 13,2 ha SRC (black locust) • 2006: 8,6 ha SRC (black locust) • 2007: 11,7 ha SRC (black locust) Project • Short rotation coppice of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) • measurements on a regular cycle:measures of plant growth, site- and plant-parameters, element and nutrient cycle, ecology and economy • rotation 4 years: the first harvest (winter 2009) resulted in an average biomass productivity of 3 t ha-1 a-1 for the first rotation

17. Alley cropping • established in 2007: 20,2 ha alley cropping (8,2 ha black locust / 12,0 ha farmland) • width of field strips: 24 m and 12 m, width of coppice strips: 11 m (4 double rows black locust) • measurements on a regular cycle: water and nutrient household, micro-climate, biomass production, biodiversity, economical measures

18. Alley Cropping Design 2010: 70 ha Alley Cropping AG Forst e.G. (Germany)

19. 2010 Alley Cropping in Welzow-Süd Computer simulation 2012

20. Biomass (g*tree-1 ) Prediction of yield of Robinia pseud. with the yieldsafe model (up to 10 years; red dots measured data) Biomass yield of Robinia pseud. and populus after different years of rotation

21. 2. An evaluation of the carbon and nutrient budgets • investigation of the impact of C sequestration for soil organic matter and biomass pools as well as of microclimate modification by trees on soil organic matter stabilization processes • evaluation of the nitrogen and phosphate dynamics

22. Carbon losses from all soils across England and Wales 1978–2003 Rate of change (g kg-1 year -1) P. Bellamy et al. in NATURE, 2005.

23. Source: Florencia & Nair (2004)

24. Benefits of C sequestration Ecology • Increase of SOM content and soil fertility • Total compensation of about 20% of fossil fuel emission Economy • Higher production potential at more fertile soils • Emission trading

25. Phosphate Distribution in Soil (simplified) 3 3 Fe/AL - P 1 1 exchangeable soil solution Ca - P P P Organic P 4 4 2 2 1,99% of Pt 0,01% of Pt 98% of Pt Phosphate Issue in Europe = Impact on food production and water quality • P surplus from fertiliser impacts primarily water quality • Highest values in Belgium and the Netherlands, northern Italy and northern Spain, reflecting areas of high P use in agriculture • Specific policies to minimise P surplus, e.g., Denmark • On average, CAP reform reduced P surplus across Europe, with large reductions (>25%) in Romania and France, but not consistent across Europe (SENSOR, 2009)

26. Development of available phosphate in soils of Brandenburg/ Germany P balance 1961 - 1998 % Korea Vietnam China Syers et al., 2002 P deficiency is unevenly distributed in the tropics, covering an area estimated at over 2 billion ha. Soil P deficiency may be due to low P-status of parent material, weathering, long-term anthropegenic mis-management through imbalance between nutrient inputs and exports, loss by erosion and surface run-off. (Fairhurst et al., 1999, ISRIC)

27. 3. An assessment of landscape biodiversity • assessment of the potential impact of agroforestry on biodiversity at landscape scale • Stepstone to optimize habitat connectivity • Conservation of metapopulations • evaluation of the impact of the selected tree species in homogeneous arable lands • Survival habitat for field species • investigation of the relationship between biodiversity and the proportion of the area occupied by non-arable (including agroforestry) and arable habitats • further research needed (see Poster Böhm et al. „Biodiversity in Agroforestry systems“)

28. 4. Valuing the benefits and sustainability • exploration of the sustainability functions and socio-economic cross-cutting issues of agroforestry systems • valuation of ecosystem services using indicator systems • valuation of economic benefits of commercial and experimental agroforestry practices • assessment of the current state-of-the-art thinking on the ecosystem and economic benefits of integrating trees on farms - for energetical or substantial applications (identification of best practice)

29. Assumptions • Driving forces: economy, policy Driver • Scenario storylines Models • Economic adjustments Pressure • Land use changes • Bio-geophysical indicators • Socio-economic indicators State Values Impact • Sustainable Development Response Actions • Up to desicion maker Ex-ante impact assessment of land use changes SENSOR, 2009

30. Research issues Brain Storming

33. Development of a decision support system for valuing Ecosystem Services • quality criteria of ecosystem functions • criteria for selecting indicators (SWOT analysis)

34. Thank you for your attention !