TY - JOUR

T1 - An economic perspective on land use decisions in agricultural landscapes

T2 - Insights from the TEEB Germany Study

AU - Albert, Christian

AU - Schröter-Schlaack, Christoph

AU - Hansjürgens, Bernd

AU - Dehnhardt, Alexandra

AU - Döring, Ralf

AU - Job, Hubert

AU - Köppel, Johann

AU - Krätzig, Sebastian

AU - Matzdorf, Bettina

AU - Reutter, Michaela

AU - Schaltegger, Stefan

AU - Scholz, Mathias

AU - Siegmund-Schultze, Marianna

AU - Wiggering, Hubert

AU - Woltering, Manuel

AU - von Haaren, Christina

PY - 2017/6/1

Y1 - 2017/6/1

N2 - Agricultural landscapes safeguard ecosystem services (ES) and biodiversity upon which human well-being depends. However, only a fraction of these services are generally considered in land management decisions, resulting in trade-offs and societally inefficient solutions. The TEEB Study (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) spearheaded the development of assessments of the economic significance of ES and biodiversity. Several national TEEB follow-ups have compiled case studies and derived targeted policy advice. By synthesizing insights from “Natural Capital Germany – TEEB DE” and focusing on rural areas, the objectives of this study were (i) to explore causes of the continued decline of ES and biodiversity, (ii) to introduce case studies exemplifying the economic significance of ES and biodiversity in land use decisions, and (iii) to synthesize key recommendations for policy, planning and management. Our findings indicate that the continued decrease of ES and biodiversity in Germany can be explained by implementation deficits within a well-established nature conservation system. Three case studies on grassland protection, the establishment of riverbank buffer zones and water-sensitive farming illustrate that an economic perspective can convey recognition of the values of ES and biodiversity. We conclude with suggestions for enhanced consideration, improved conservation and sustainable use of ES and biodiversity.

AB - Agricultural landscapes safeguard ecosystem services (ES) and biodiversity upon which human well-being depends. However, only a fraction of these services are generally considered in land management decisions, resulting in trade-offs and societally inefficient solutions. The TEEB Study (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) spearheaded the development of assessments of the economic significance of ES and biodiversity. Several national TEEB follow-ups have compiled case studies and derived targeted policy advice. By synthesizing insights from “Natural Capital Germany – TEEB DE” and focusing on rural areas, the objectives of this study were (i) to explore causes of the continued decline of ES and biodiversity, (ii) to introduce case studies exemplifying the economic significance of ES and biodiversity in land use decisions, and (iii) to synthesize key recommendations for policy, planning and management. Our findings indicate that the continued decrease of ES and biodiversity in Germany can be explained by implementation deficits within a well-established nature conservation system. Three case studies on grassland protection, the establishment of riverbank buffer zones and water-sensitive farming illustrate that an economic perspective can convey recognition of the values of ES and biodiversity. We conclude with suggestions for enhanced consideration, improved conservation and sustainable use of ES and biodiversity.

KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics

KW - biodiversity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85016468663&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.03.020

DO - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.03.020

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 25

SP - 69

EP - 78

JO - Ecosystem Services

JF - Ecosystem Services

SN - 2212-0416

ER -