Multi-functional production systems: from research to practice

Abstract

Multifunctionality is the inherent characteristic of ecosystems to simultaneously perform multiple functions that provide ecosystem services (ES) and might be able to provide a particular ES bundle or bundles. ES within these bundles can interact with each other, potentially leading to synergies and trade-offs, depending on the demand for the ES from the different stakeholders involved. The choices and uses of ES by stakeholders is central to understanding trade-offs (Turkelboom et al. in press). However, there may be limits to the extent of realisation of the synergies due to constraints on the ability of the ecosystem to deliver each service to the desired level and/or management practices and/or the negative interactions between certain ES (Berry et al., 2016). The nature of these associations also may depend on the spatial and temporal scale being considered.

This paper will examine the impacts of a selection of conservation agriculture interventions on multiple ecosystem services to illustrate the nature of these interactions (both intentional and unintentional), particularly in the context of some of the trade-offs that could occur between provisioning and other ES categories. For example, while reduced tillage agriculture may contribute to the ES of food provisioning, water quality, water flow regulation, climate regulation, however, the impacts on biodiversity and cultural ES and on pest regulation are not always beneficial. Thus it will explore the importance of management in affecting outcomes through the realisation of synergies and minimisation of trade-offs. It will also consider how a more holistic assessment of the potential benefits and beneficiaries can demonstrate more fully the value of conservation interventions to human well-being.

Berry, P. et al. (2016) Ecosystem Services Bundles. In: Potschin, M. & K. Jax (eds): OpenNESS Ecosystem Services Reference Book Turkelboom, F., et al. (in press) When we cannot have it all: Ecosystem services trade-offs in the context of spatial planning. Ecosystem Services. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.10.011