Where to add landscape features: a practical mapping and prioritisation approach [Practice Abstract]
The Nature Restoration Regulation requires restoring diverse landscape features in intensive agricultural areas, but how should this be done?
For practitioners, landscape planners and administrators to implement this target, clear guidance is needed on how to measure landscape feature cover and where restoration could be prioritized.
We developed a transferable, multi-scale approach to:
1. Map and measure existing landscape features across agricultural landscapes
2. Sort landscape parcels into five types, from ‘simple’ to ‘complex mosaics’, and, within them
3. Prioritise specific restoration sites at the local scale by focusing on lower production-potential areas and areas with higher erosion risk.
The second step helps identify highest-priority landscapes, while the third step should help maximise the benefits generated by landscape features, to enhance acceptance by those expected to restore landscape features on their land. The approach should support practitioners, landscape planners and administrators with clear maps and priority areas for targeting funding, planning, and monitoring of landscape features, and to help advance adoption by farmers through locally adapted choices and participatory processes.
For farmers, the practical idea is to place new or expanded landscape features where they ‘hurt least’ economically (lower production potential) and ‘help most’ environmentally (erosion-prone areas). Expected benefits include a variety of ecosystem services provided by the diversity of landscape features (e.g., stronger erosion and flood protection, water filtration, carbon sequestration, plus biodiversity and cultural values).
Costs for landscape feature implementation mainly concern initial establishment and ongoing maintenance, which can be better justified when placed in low-opportunity-cost areas and supported through local planning.
A case study in Brandenburg, Germany: Mapping and prioritising landscape feature restoration in agricultural landscapes
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837725000651)
Keywords: Socio economic resilience, Transdisciplinary research
Country: Germany, EU
