Application of partial order ranking to identify enhancement potentials for the provision of selected ecosystem services by different land use strategies. (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tsonkova, Penka; Böhm, Christian; Quinkenstein, Ansgar; Freese, Dirk
• Is Part Of: Agricultural systems. Volume 135(2015)
• Page Start: 112
• Page End: 121
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Conventional agriculture -- Ecosystem services assessment tool for agroforestry (ESAT-A) -- Hasse diagram -- PyHasse -- Short rotation alley cropping system; Agricultural systems -- Periodicals; Agriculture -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; 338.16
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2015.01.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0308-521X

Abstract

Highlights: Devised scenarios were used to obtain results for several soil, water, and biodiversity indicators for two land use systems. Partial order ranking was applied to objectively identify priority scenarios for establishing alley cropping agroforestry. Site conditions with their inherent properties determine the change in ecosystem services provision upon change in land use. Adding indicators of provisioning services would enable the objective assessment of economic and ecological benefits. Abstract: Conventional agricultural practices have often been associated with negative externalities, such as land degradation, pollution of soil and water resources, loss of biodiversity, and decreased provision of ecosystem services (ES). In response to these negative effects, the number of indicator-based attempts to assess ES provided by land use systems has increased. However, decisions regarding the importance of the different ES are usually made subjectively. Following an objective approach through the use of a partial order ranking method, this study aimed to assess several non-provisioning ES supplied by alley cropping system (ACS) in comparison with conventional agriculture (CA). The main objective of the study was to verify the applicability of partial order ranking to an ecologically-based assessment, focusing on soil, water, and biodiversity indicators. Results from 40 hypothetical scenarios representing various site conditions of agricultural fields in Germany were calculated using the Ecosystem Services Assessment Tool for Agroforestry (ESAT-A), a toolbox designed to assess selected ES of ACS following an empirical approach. The results were ranked using partial order and were visualized by a Hasse diagram. The findings depict partial order ranking as a promising technique to support decision making in order to find priority scenarios and indicators where the provision of ES can be enhanced by establishing ACS. The minimal scenarios under CA identified with simultaneously low values of all indicators were perceived as target scenarios for establishing ACS. The values of the indicators for the current land use system need to be taken into account in order to avoid scenarios where high tradeoff was suggested. Additionally, this approach can be extended and utilized at the field level to aid farmer decisions on which land use strategy is the most suitable alternative to increase the provision of ES.