René L.M.Schilsa ConnyBufea Caroline M.Rhymerb Richard M.Francksenb ValentinvH.Klausc MohamedAbdallad FilippoMilazzoe EszterLellei-Kovácsf Hein tenBergea ChiaraBertorag AnnaChodkiewiczh ClaudiaDamatîrcg IrisFeigenwinterc PilarFernándezRebolloi ShivaGhiasic1 StanislavHejdukj MatthewHironk MariaJanickah RaoulPellatonf Kate E.Smithl RachelThormanl TomVanwallegheme JohnWilliamsl LauraZavattarog2 JarlKampenm RiaDerkxn PeteSmithd Mark J.Whittinghamb NinaBuchmannc J. Paul NewellPricel
- aAgrosystems Research, Wageningen Plant Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands;bSchool of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom;cDepartment of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland;dInstitute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom;eDepartment of Agronomy, ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, Spain;fInstitute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungary;gDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Italy;hDepartment of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW, Poland;iDepartment of Forestry, ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, Spain;jDepartment of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic;kDepartment of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden;lADAS, United Kingdom;mBiometris, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;nLibrary, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
Abstract
Permanent grasslands cover 34% of the European Union’s agricultural area and are vital for a wide variety of ecosystem services essential for our society. Over recent decades, the permanent grassland area has declined and land use change continues to threaten its extent. Simultaneously, the management intensity of permanent grasslands increased. We performed a systematic literature review on the multifunctionality of permanent grasslands in Europe, examining the effects of land use and management on 19 grassland ecosystem service indicators. Based on the evidence in 696 out of 70,456 screened papers, published since 1980, we found that both land use change and intensification of management decreased multifunctionality. In particular, preventing conversion of permanent grasslands to croplands secured the delivery of multiple ecosystem services. A lower management intensity was associated with benefits for biodiversity, climate regulation and water purification, but impacted the provision of high-quality animal feed. Increasing the number of species in the sward enhanced multifunctionality of permanent grassland without significant trade-offs such as losses in production. Our review covered many aspects of land use, management and ecosystem services, but we also identified areas with no or only few studies. The most prominent gaps were related to comparisons between permanent and temporary grasslands, and effects of management practices on the provision of cultural values, and on erosion and flood control. We suggest that, despite apparent changes in human dietary preferences, the protection of permanent grasslands in Europe must be prioritised. At the same time, considering the need to reduce ruminant livestock’s contribution to climate change, the time seems ripe to increase support for low-intensity grassland management to optimise the provision of essential ecosystem services from Europe’s permanent grasslands.
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