The neglected role of abandoned cropland in supporting both food security and climate change mitigation

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 14(1)

Published: Sept. 28, 2023

Despite the looming land scarcity for agriculture, cropland abandonment is widespread globally. Abandoned can be reused to support food security and climate change mitigation. Here, we investigate potentials trade-offs of using global abandoned recultivation restoring forests by natural regrowth, with spatially-explicit modelling scenario analysis. We identify 101 Mha between 1992 2020, a capability concurrently delivering 29 363 Peta-calories yr

Language: Английский

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Potential of land-based climate change mitigation strategies on abandoned cropland

Communications Earth & Environment, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 4(1)

Published: Feb. 16, 2023

Abstract Natural revegetation, afforestation, and lignocellulosic crops for bioenergy, possibly coupled with a developing technology like carbon capture storage, are the most common land-based climate change mitigation options. However, they can compete land threaten food security or nature conservation. Using abandoned cropland their deployment minimize these risks, but associated potentials unclear. Here, we compare alternative options by integrating historical future (up to 2050) site-specific biomass yields life-cycle emissions. Considering natural revegetation in biodiversity priority areas different measures remaining achieve potential of 0.8–4.0 GtCO 2 -equivalents yr −1 (2–11% 2021 global CO emissions). Afforestation generally provides larger benefits than bioenergy storage delivers highest locations. Overall, results offer refined estimates from highlight opportunities context-specific measures.

Language: Английский

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Abandoning land transforms biodiversity

Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 380(6645), P. 581 - 583

Published: May 11, 2023

Land abandonment is critical when assessing global biodiversity and conservation.

Language: Английский

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Land abandonment transforms soil microbiome stability and functional profiles in apple orchards of the Chinese Losses Plateau

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 906, P. 167556 - 167556

Published: Oct. 5, 2023

Language: Английский

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Cropland abandonment between 1986 and 2018 across the United States: spatiotemporal patterns and current land uses

Environmental Research Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 19(4), P. 044009 - 044009

Published: Feb. 26, 2024

Abstract Knowing where and when croplands have been abandoned or otherwise removed from cultivation is fundamental to evaluating future uses of these areas, e.g. as sites for ecological restoration, recultivation, bioenergy production, other uses. However, large uncertainties remain about the location time cropland abandonment how this process availability associated lands vary spatially temporally across United States. Here, we present a nationwide, 30 m resolution map throughout period 1986–2018 conterminous States (CONUS). We mapped annual layers created in Google Earth Engine Landsat imagery using an automated classification method training data U.S. Department Agriculture Cropland Data Layer. Our has overall accuracies 0.91 0.65 abandonment, respectively. From 1986 2018, 12.3 (±2.87) million hectares (Mha) were CONUS, with areas greatest change over Ogallala Aquifer, southern Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Atlantic Coast, North Dakota, northern Montana, eastern Washington state. The average nationwide area our study was 0.51 Mha per year. Annual peaked between 1997 1999 at rate 0.63 year −1 , followed by continuous decrease 0.41 2009–2011. Among croplands, 53% (6.5 Mha) changed grassland pasture, 18.6% (2.28 shrubland forest, 8.4% (1.03 wetlands, 4.6% (0.56 non-vegetated lands. Of that abandoned, 19.6% (2.41 enrolled Conservation Reserve Program 2020. new highlights long-term dynamic nature agricultural land use its relation various competitive pressures policies

Language: Английский

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The global land-water-climate nexus of drought-tolerant succulent plants for bioenergy in abandoned croplands and arid marginal lands

Journal of Environmental Management, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 379, P. 124747 - 124747

Published: March 6, 2025

Language: Английский

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Connecting the farmers' knowledge and behaviors: Detection of influencing factors to sustainable cultivated land protection in Thiès Region, Senegal

Journal of Rural Studies, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 116, P. 103634 - 103634

Published: March 17, 2025

Language: Английский

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Drivers and benefits of natural regeneration in tropical forests

Published: April 21, 2025

Language: Английский

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Climate change mitigation potentials of biofuels produced from perennial crops and natural regrowth on abandoned and degraded cropland in Nordic countries

Journal of Environmental Management, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 325, P. 116474 - 116474

Published: Oct. 21, 2022

Bioenergy expansion is present in most climate change mitigation scenarios. The associated large land use changes have led to concerns on how bioenergy can be sustainably deployed. Promising win-win strategies include the production of perennial crops recently abandoned cropland or prone degradation, as typically reduce soil erosion rates. Natural vegetation regrowth an alternative nature-based solution that also co-deliver negative emissions and other environmental benefits. In this study, we explore potential deploy Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark) threatened by compare achievable benefits with natural regrowth. We found 186 thousand hectares (kha) 995 kha suitable for crop cultivation. primary region 151 PJ (PJ) per year, corresponding 67-110 year liquid biofuels depending biorefinery technology. This has a from -6.0 -17 megatons carbon dioxide equivalents (MtCO2eq) over first 20 years (equivalent 14-40% annual road transport emissions), high-end estimates relying coupled capture storage (BECCS). On same area, deliver -10 MtCO2eq year. Biofuel outperforms 46% currently available technologies, 83% improved energy conversion efficiency, nearly everywhere BECCS. For willow windbreaks, technology BECCS necessary ensure delivery larger than preferable 16% croplands current 87% area Without BECCS, achieve only when yields are high. Underutilized affected degradation processes opportunity gradual more sustainable deployment, local considerations needed identify case-specific solutions multiple

Language: Английский

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Global change in the European Alps: A century of post-abandonment natural reforestation at the landscape scale

Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 243, P. 104973 - 104973

Published: Dec. 12, 2023

Natural reforestation is one of the dominant processes in marginal mountain areas Northern hemisphere. There a globally relevant need to predict where and when natural likely occur what ecological social effects might be. We conducted systematic review meta-analysis land use/land cover change (LULCC) case studies investigating spatial patterns post-abandonment European Alps. selected Alps as representative global on forests due their history LULCC since 19th century. Our aim was identify most important socio-ecological influences discuss implications for planners managers. At regional scale, we summarised spatiotemporal distribution methodological approaches studies. municipality explored relationships between rate socio-economic variables using multivariate statistics. landscape assessed climate, topographic, drivers Random Forest regression. observed lack northeastern region Population density, road proportion workers employed industrial vs. agricultural job sectors were highly correlated with reforestation. Reforestation greatest south-facing slopes dry landscapes within remote sparsely populated municipalities. advocate dynamic harmonised geodatabase capture nonlinearity past training both correlative process-based models planning.

Language: Английский

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