Emergy-based valuation of agriculture ecosystem services and dis-services. (1st December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shah, Syed Mahboob; Liu, Gengyuan; Yang, Qing; Wang, Xueqi; Casazza, Marco; Agostinho, Feni; Lombardi, Ginevra Virginia; Giannetti, Biagio F.
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 239(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-12-01
• Subjects: Agriculture ecosystems -- Ecosystem services -- Dis-services -- Emergy -- Pakistan; Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118019
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: The agriculture ecosystem is very important, complex and humankind largest engineered ecosystem providing essential ecosystem services as well as many disservices, depending on management and agriculture practices. Due to the complications, uncertainties, overestimations and double counting in ecosystem services accounting frameworks, (1) this study establishes a non-monetary "donor side" ecosystem services valuation methods constructing the emergy-based agriculture ecosystem services framework, propose the ecosystem services calculations method and classify the services into direct, indirect and existing services. (2) Further, it assess the sustainability of agriculture ecosystem nature's and human's contribution in the services through RNP% (renewability) and NRP% (non-renewability). Taking the case of agriculture ecosystem in Bahawalnagar, Pakistan, five agriculture cultivating ecosystems including wheat, rice, sugarcane, maize and cotton are selected for services and disservices valuation. (3) A total of eleven ecosystem services were evaluated in which four belongs to direct services category such as biomass increase, carbon sequestration, soil building and groundwater recharge; four are included in indirect services category (dis-services) such as human health and ecosystem quality losses due to greenhouse gases emissions, soil, water pollution and soil erosion increase; existing services includes climate regulation, agro-tourism & recreational, cultural and educational values. (4) The results indicate that the green revolution in agriculture ecosystem encourage and increase dependency of human inputs such as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and energy which produces higher productions but on other side it produces dis-services which is harmful for humans and other ecosystems diversity. The method proposed by this study can deliver improved theoretical and policy insights to ecosystem services accounting for agriculture ecosystem, as the agriculture ecosystem is the major source of food but along with it drive's significant environmental degradation.