Publication: Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Agricultural Investment: A sustainable development guidebook (12 April 2014)

IISD Publications Centre

Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Agricultural Investment: A sustainable development guidebook

» Livia Bizikova, Dimple Roy, Henry David Venema, Matthew McCandless, Darren Swanson, Avet Khachtryan, Carter Borden, Karla Zubrycki, IISD, 2014.Paper, 52 pages, copyright: IISD

The nexus between water, energy and food (WEF) security is a critical component of human well-being, and billions of dollars are spent annually on investments intended to ensure that it is adequately addressed. A central concept throughout this guidebook is that the rural poor (i.e., those who benefit most from investments in agricultural productivity) will fare best if the underlying environmental determinants of water, energy, and food security—the WEF nexus—are protected and enhanced.

The purpose of this guidebook is to provide a practical, spatially explicit, ecosystem-based framework for the design and management of land investments that deliver increased water, energy and food security. It also provides an implementation-oriented means of operationalizing an otherwise theoretical concept highlighted as a significant global risk and opportunity for integration. This publication is aimed primarily at those involved in strategic planning and allocation of domestic and foreign investments as well as international agencies supporting or evaluating investments in other countries.

This document provides specific guidance structured around four mains steps: 1) Assessing the WEF Security system; 2) Envisioning future landscape scenarios; 3) Investing in a WEF-secure future; 4) Transforming the system. This guidebook provides specific goals, approaches and tools as well as illustrative examples for these main steps for implementation of an inclusive process for optimizing WEF security.

PDF

• English (PDF - 8.3 MB)

• Hard copy not available.

• If you are having difficulty viewing a PDF or Flash Flip-page, please click here.

see more: http://www.iisd.org/publications/pub.aspx?pno=2916

Read More

India News: Environment ministry clears Kerala demand on Western Ghats (5 March 2014)

Environment ministry clears Kerala demand on Western Ghats

NEW DELHI: The centre has accepted the Kerala government's recommendations to keep agricultural land, plantations, and habitations out of the ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) identified by an expert committee on the conservation of the Western Ghats.

"Recommendations of the state government were examined by the ministry of environment and forests and it has been decided to accept these recommendations in respect of Kerala, regarding ESA boundaries," the ministry said in a release on Tuesday.

"The draft notification is being issued by the ministry incorporating the said modifications," it added.

The state government constituted an expert committee to study the impact of the Kasturirangan Committee recommendations.

It also set up panchayat-level committees in 123 villages falling within the ESAs as identified by the high-level working group, for undertaking field verification.

The ministry also decided to consider similar proposals of other states in Western Ghats region if forwarded within 60 days of the draft notification, it said.

The Kasturirangan Committee recommendations led to a major controversy last year, with people complaining that it was prohibiting even plantation activities in the Western Ghats.

source from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/developmental-issues/Environment-ministry-clears-Kerala-demand-on-Western-Ghats/articleshow/31489109.cms

Read More

Japan News: Public Comments are Invited Regarding the "Proposal for the Registration of Withholding Standards for Agricultural Chemicals" (3 Feb 2014)

Public Comments are Invited Regarding the "Proposal for the Registration of Withholding Standards for Agricultural Chemicals" 

The MOE is inviting public comments regarding the "Proposal for the Registration of Withholding Standards for Agricultural Chemicals". Comments will be accepted from February 3, 2014 to March 6, 2014. 
The proposal will establish the registration withholding standards for the prevention of damage to aquatic animals and plants for 8 agricultural chemicals (diethofencarb, cyhalofop-butyl, diazinon, pymetrozine, butralin, prochloraz, prothiofos, metribuzin). 
This standard will be established under Paragraph 2, Article 3 of the Agricultural Chemicals Regulation Law. 
All procedures related to this invitation will be conducted in Japanese and comments must also be submitted in Japanese. 
For further information, please visit the MOE's website, http://www.env.go.jp/info/iken.html (in Japanese only). 

source from:http://www.env.go.jp/en/headline/headline.php?serial=2055

Read More

Japan News: Public Comments Invited Regarding the "Proposal for the Registration Withholding-Standards for Agricultural Chemicals Concerning Water Pollution" (2 Feb 2014)

Public Comments Invited Regarding the "Proposal for the Registration Withholding-Standards for Agricultural Chemicals Concerning Water Pollution" (2 Feb 2014)

The MOE is inviting public comments regarding the "Proposal for the Registration of Withholding Standards for Agricultural Chemicals concerning Water Pollution". Comments will be accepted from February 3, 2014 to March 6, 2014. 
The proposal will establish the registration of withholding standards on water pollution for 3 agricultural chemicals (cyantraniliprole,fenoxasulfone,fenpyroximate). 
This standard will be established under Paragraph 2, Article 3 of the Agricultural Chemicals Regulation Law. 
All procedures related to this invitation will be conducted in Japanese and comments must be submitted in Japanese. 
For further information, please visit the MOE's website at http://www.env.go.jp/info/iken.html (in Japanese only). 

source from:http://www.env.go.jp/en/headline/headline.php?serial=2054

Read More

China News: Polluted farmland leads to Chinese food security fears (12 Jan 2014)

Polluted farmland leads to Chinese food security fears

Agricultural pollution means that China’s food security will increasingly rely on food imports

China is struggling to find more land to support agricultural production as it continues to urbanise (Image by Greenpeace) 

 

Decades of intense agricultural production have left China's soil seriously polluted and its water depleted. Wang Shiyuan, the vice-minister of land and resources, recently told a news briefing that about 3.33 million hectares of China’s farmland is too polluted to grow crops. The contaminated area is roughly the size of Belgium.

The deteriorating environment adds to the immense pressure to produce more food. Imports of corn, rice and wheat have more than doubled over the past three years. In October 2013, the US Department of Agriculturepredicted that by the end of the year China would have imported 23 million tonnes of grain. The overall grain self-sufficiency rate is now less than 90%, well below the target of 95%

“China has moved from being self-sufficient in grain a few years ago to being very close to the world’s leading grain importer,” said Lester Brown, founder of the Earth Policy Institute, an environmental think tank based in Washington, D.C.

China is set to become more dependent on imported grains, oilseeds and meat, according to a recent report published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the OECD. It described feeding China in the context of its resource constraints as a “daunting” task.

Brown said the Chinese leadership is well aware of the political risks associated with increased food imports. Between 2007 and 2008 export restrictions in major producer countries drove up food prices, a situation that led to civil unrest in several nations.

“China no longer considers food security as one secluded country,” said Li Guoxiang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “We must also utilise the international market for more food. The leadership views food security in a new light and this is a good change.”

Sustainable solutions

The overuse of fertilisers, together with dumping of industrial waste, is amajor factor behind soil contamination. In May 2013, tests showed that rice produced in Hunan province, one of China’s most important agricultural regions, was tainted by cadmium, a heavy metal known to affect liver function and bone health. Hunan officials blamed the contamination on fertilisers.

Jiang Gaoming, a researcher at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, said sustainable agriculture is an important long-term solution to boosting production while protecting the environment. As a first step, Jiang says China needs to reduce the amount of fertiliser used by 50% and pesticide by 80 to 90%.

China is also struggling to find more land to support agricultural production as it continues to urbanise. Beijing said it would strictly guard the government’s so-called 'red line' of 120 million hectares of arable land. However, a national survey found that per capita farmland has fallen to 0.1 hectare, less than half the global average. A China Daily editorial wrote that the contradiction between urban construction and preservation of arable land was “increasingly prominent.”

Jiang said sustainable farming could further boost supply from limited land resources. “We have to adjust domestic production. Already many people have to eat imported food because of worsening environmental conditions. This is a forced choice and it is not sustainable,” he said.

Local government and farming
Zhang Zhongjun, the FAO's Beijing representative, said local governments play a key role in promoting sustainable farming, yet they lack incentives to do so as agriculture traditionally accounts for a very small part of local growth. “Quantity is still the top priority,” Zhang said. “They don’t care as much about the environment.”

Jiang said party officials are also unsure if sustainable agriculture can really improve production as those farming methods require more investment. “They [local governments] won’t support us,” he said. “The fertiliser and pesticide manufacturers tell them that our ways don’t work. We are showing them that they are wrong. Our production doubled in the fourth year.”

Farmers are also unwilling to change their method of cultivation as the cost of doing so would cut into their small profit margin. A large number of people have abandoned  their fields to work in cities because of the unacceptably low price of grain. “China has to subsidise the farmers in a better way, ” said Zhang.

But it may not be enough to just subsidise farmers. Li Guoxiang said land reform is also the key to promoting such products on a bigger scale. Currently, farmers are not allowed to sell or lease the land they farm or live on. Giving them the right to transfer rural land would pave the way for larger and more profitable farms.

source from: https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/6636-Polluted-farmland-leads-to-Chinese-food-security-fears

Read More

World News: Loss and Damage from Climate Change Already Happening, UNU Report (13 Nov 2013)

Loss and Damage from Climate Change Already Happening: UNU Report

2013•11•13     BONN

The United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) last week released a research report, Pushed to the Limit, that focuses on the loss and damage that climate change is already causing worldwide.

This new report — issued in the lead-up to the nineteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP19) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), now being held (11–22 November) in Warsaw, Poland — finds that despite on-going adaptation efforts, people in vulnerable communities are experiencing loss and damage that threaten their livelihoods and food security.

“Our research findings clearly show that current levels of adaptation and mitigation efforts are insufficient to avoid negative impacts from climate stressors. Policy responses are needed now,” explained Dr. Koko Warner, Scientific Director of the Loss & Damage Initiative at UNU-EHS. “People are feeling impacts right now that affect their food security and way of life. These negative effects will only grow unless we take action. Maintaining the status quo is no longer an option.”

Nine scientific case studies in the report — based on more than 3,260 household interviews and 200 focus group sessions — explore the impacts of floods and droughts in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Nepal, and build on earlier research conducted in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Gambia, Kenya and Micronesia. The households in the case study regions, primarily small-scale farmers, said that climate change impacts — such as changing rainfall patterns, and increased frequency of floods and drought — are directly and critically threatening their both their livelihood security and their food security.

Despite applying a variety of coping and adaptation measures, 96 percent of households surveyed in in Ethiopia, 78 percent in Nepal, 72 percent in Burkina Faso and 69 percent in Mozambique still have experienced severe negative impacts on their household budgets due to damage caused by climate change. Three out of four surveyed households across the study sites reported that they have had to cut down on the number of meals or reduce portion sizes — a clear sign that coping capacity is inadequate.

“Following a severe flood in Ethiopia in 2007, 94 percent of respondents reported that their crops were severely damaged or entirely destroyed. Large-scale destruction of crops also led to higher food prices, which made staple foods such as maize unaffordable”, said Dr. Fatima Denton, Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), a partner for the African case studies. “Time and time again the study found that households that are already struggling are forced into deeper poverty due to climate change impacts.”

While loss and damage from climate change impacts are commonly expressed in monetary terms, non-economic loss and damage may actually have the most far-reaching and significant consequences. Pastoralists in Burkina Faso, for example, have had their herds decimated due to lack of water and fodder, representing not just a loss of physical assets but also a critical loss of cultural identity and way of life.

The evidence on loss and damage presented in this UNU-EHS report comes at a crucial time, given the climate negotiations in Warsaw that seek a mandate to establish institutional arrangements to address climate change-related loss and damage.

resource from:http://unu.edu/news/news/loss-and-damage-from-climate-change-already-happening.html#info

Read More

Publication: Environmental Governance Ans SHort-Lived CLimate Pollutions: The Case Of Open Burning In Thailand (Nov 2013)

IGES Working Paper

Environmental Governance And Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs): The Case Of Open Burning In Thailand

Vol. / Issue: No.2013-03

Author: LUALON Unchulee; Lerdphornsuttirat, Narudee; ZUSMAN Eric and SANO Daisuke. Contributor: MIYATSUKA Akiko

Discussion Paper / Working Paper | 2013/10 | Language: English

Copyright: IGES | Page No./Total No. of Pages: 15.

Research on short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) has been based more on air pollution and energy models than how existing policies affect the model’s recommended actions. This article analyses how Thailand’s policies influenced attempts to control a critical source of SLCPs: open burning. In 2012, Thailand’s Pollution Control Department (PCD) led a cross-agency initiative to combat open burning called the Eight-Point Plan. The Eight-Point Plan offered a wider range of compliance incentives than previously adopted control efforts to control open burning. However, the plan’s effectiveness rests on improving the quality/coverage of monitoring data; expanding community engagement; and earmarking multi-year funding for sustained implementation. Introducing these enabling reforms will require strengthening environmental governance. Scholars working on co-benefits and SLCPs would also benefit from making governance more central to their 

research.

download and for more information:

http://pub.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/upload/4770/attach/IGES_Working_Paper_2013-03.pdf

http://pub.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/view.php?docid=4770

Read More

Vietnam News: Development of agricultural co-operatives associated with environmental protection (13 Nov 2013)

Development of agricultural co-operatives associated with environmental protection Thứ ba, ngày 12 tháng 11 năm 2013 cập nhật lúc 15:48 On November 8th in Hai Phong city, Vietnam Cooperative Alliance and Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper ( MONRE )  in collaboration with the Institute for Cooperation and Economic Development Cooperation held the Seminar : " Assessment of pollution and impacts on the environment. Agricultural cooperative models associated with environmental protection. " The seminar were chaired by Mr. Nguyen Huu Nga , Deputy Director of Institute for Development and Economic Cooperation ( IDEC) , Mr.Nguyen Van Thanh , Chief Editor of Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper  and representatives from the cooperative alliances of Thai Binh , Hai Phong , Hai Duong , Nam Dinh and Vinh Phuc provinces. At the seminar reports on the results of investigation on assessment of environmental impact of agricultural cooperatives and the environmentally friendly and sustainable production orientation was presented. Accordingly, this task will be implemented by IDEC in three years (2013 - 2015) with three fundamental elements, which focus on the investigation and assessment of pollution and environmental impact of cooperatives in the North and initial deployment of sustainable and environmental friendly agricultural cooperative models. The report involved 600 surveyed Cooperatives. According to the report, waste generated from production activities of cooperatives are divided into three basic types, of which solid waste accounts for 39.8 % , liquid 30 , 6 %  and gas 29.6 %  respectively. Although having been aware of the waste discharged from production activities, surveyed cooperatives still overlooked the environmental impacts of these tailings. Many cooperatives have said that waste from production activities do not cause pollution in the production process. According to statistics, up to 21.2 % of the co-operatives discharge waste directly into the environment . Overview of the seminar. As the eco-friendly cooperative model has been implemented, the majority (58.4 %)  of cooperatives’ members have chosen to use organic fertilizer in production. While clean livestock production models has drawn great attention of a number of cooperatives, the reuse of waste has not been emphasized. 37.1 % of surveyed co-operatives said they did not receive specific instruction and requirements of the authorities on the treatment of environmental pollution . Within the framework of the seminar, participants contributed presentations on the status and solutions to environmental sustainable agriculture in the Thai Binh city, the processing of straw after harvest at Trong Quang-Dong Hung agricultural cooperative and experience on environmental protection in the production activities of Viet Tien, Doan Tien, Vinh Bao cooperatives, Hai phong city. Concluding the seminar, Mr. Hoang Van Thanh- Chief Editor of Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper said that the seminar has been contributed with many enthusiastic and practical comments by representatives from the local realities, which would supplement initiatives for MONRE to find effective solutions to protect the environment in rural areas and craft villages. Mr.Thanh expressed his hope that more feasible models and experience will be replicated in many places throughout the country through the typical examples and experiences of Cooperatives. These models will help agricultural cooperatives to act as an humane economic organization and confirm the necessity and effectiveness of this type of cooperative. Nguyen Cuong

source from: http://www.monre.gov.vn/v35/default.aspx?tabid=675&CateID=58&ID=130358&Code=6VMG130358

Read More

Call for Applications: South Asian Youth Camp on Climate Agriculture and Water from 26 to 28 Sep 2013

Call for Applications: South Asian Youth Camp on Climate Agriculture and Water

11 SEPTEMBER 2013

South Asia Youth Camp on Climate, Agriculture and Water (SAYCAW) will take place in Noakhali, Bangladesh, from September 26- 28, 2013. In Partnership with Oxfam, Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL), Humanitywatch, Online Knowledge Society and Participatory Research Action Network- PRAN are organizing the Camp. This camp will bring together a vast array of youth participants to work together and agree on joint actions to ensure rights of smallholder producers in South Asia.

SAYCAW Call for Applications Final

OBJECTIVE
To mobilize opinion of youth group and concerned stakeholders towards influencing the states undertaking proper initiatives for rights of smallholder producers in South Asia.

THEMES
- Agriculture
- Climate Change and
- Water Resources

WHO CAN APPLY
Youth between the ages of 21 and 35 from the South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka) region with proven experience on related fields, including campaign and advocacy, are eligible to apply. Those with demonstrated leadership in equitable development issues are strongly encouraged to apply. Participants will must have active engagement and commitment to continuous participation is required as a follow up after the camp.

SPONSORSHIP
Due to limitation of resources, a very few participants will be provided with economy class travel, accommodation, food and local transport. Self-funded participants are highly encouraged.

SELECTION
The names of selected participants will be posted on the event’s facebook page. Selected participants will be notified via email also. Selected participants will be required to present a copy of their valid passport/national identity card from their stated country of origin. Inability to do so will result in disqualification from the program.

HOW TO APPLY
Participants can register by filling-up Online Application Form on Google only. Please click <http://goo.gl/Oa1nzT> or <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uIDNx0pVBc0nj-mpzwxGWMkqAggElphZrJl0f6uTEtc/viewform> for the application form. You can also visit Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/saycaw to get Application Form.

Don’t forget to attach scanned copy of your valid passport (at least 6 months validity) or National Identity Card (for Bangladeshi participants only) with the email.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION
The application deadline is September 14, 06:00 pm (GMT+6), for those who need a Bangladesh visa and September 18, 2013, 10:00 pm (GMT +6) for those who are Bangladeshi citizen or do not need visa to enter to Bangladesh.

CONTACT
Please write to: Monisha Biswas <MBiswas@oxfam.org.uk>
Nurul Alam Masud <masud@pran-bd.org>
Prodip Kumar roy <prodip2006@gmail.com> or
Hasan Mehedi <hwforg@gmail.com>
Phone : +880 321 61920

For more information:

http://www.apn-gcr.org/2013/09/11/call-for-applications-south-asian-youth-camp-on-climate-agriculture-and-water-26-28-september-2013-noakhali-bangladesh/

Read More

Publications: Poverty and Food Security in India by ADB (Sep 2013)

Poverty and Food Security in India

Date:	September 2013
Type:	Papers and Briefs
Country:	India
Subject:	Agriculture and natural resources; Economics; Poverty
Series:	Economics Working Papers
ISSN:	1655-5252 (print)

Description

This paper is an attempt to analyze the impact of two of India’s largest food security interventions—the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDM)—on poverty outcomes and on nutritional intake. This paper offers a simple methodology to take into account the impact of food-based transfers by including the implicit transfers from these schemes along with generating consumption expenditure estimates consistent with the transfers.

The preliminary analysis shows the significant impact of the PDS and MDM in terms of poverty reduction and calorie intake. While there are large variations across states, the analysis shows that the schemes have not only improved efficiency in the last 2 decades but have also contributed significantly to poverty reduction. Almost half of the poverty reduction in the distribution-sensitive measures such as the squared poverty gap between 2004–2005 and 2009–2010 is explained by the improved efficiency and coverage of these schemes. There is also evidence that the functioning of these schemes, particularly the PDS, has improved in recent years. This is particularly true in states that have followed a universal or quasi-universal coverage along with low cereal prices.

Contents

• Abstract
• Introduction 
• Background
• Food-based Transfers and Poverty Estimates
• A Decomposition Exercise
• Is the PDS Efficient?
• Conclusion
• Appendix
• References

PURCHASE PUBLICATION

ADB Publishing

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE

English

For more information: http://www.adb.org/publications/poverty-and-food-security-india

Read More

Publications: Climate Risks in the Mekong Delta: Ca Mau and Kien Giang Provinces of Viet Nam by ADB (Jul 2013)

Climate Risks in the Mekong Delta: Ca Mau and Kien Giang Provinces of Viet Nam

Date:	July 2013
Type:	Books
Country:	Viet Nam
Subject:	Agriculture and natural resources; Climate change; Environment
ISBN:	978-92-9254-206-1 (print), 978-92-9254-207-8 (web)
Price:	US$28.00 (hard copy)

Description

Why Asia and the Pacific Need Disaster Risk Financing

This report presents the outputs of the Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Study in the Mekong Delta.

The study focuses on vulnerability assessment of two provinces in the Mekong Delta region: Ca Mau and Kien Giang. Using climate change modeling, socioeconomic data, geographic information system analysis, and expert opinion, the study identifies future climate conditions and assesses the effects of future climate scenarios on the natural, social, and economic systems of each district of Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces. It provides provides province and district policy makers with an understanding of the key areas of vulnerability and risk hot spots with regard to climate change up to 2050. It provides practical measures that provincial and district administrations can take to inform and strengthen their climate change adaptation programs.

Contents

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Climate Change Modeling and Emissions Scenarios
• Climate Change Variables
• Climate Change Hazards
• Vulnerability Assessment
• Identifying and Analyzing Future Risk
• Ca Mau Province
• Population Vulnerability
• Poverty Vulnerability
• Agriculture and Livelihoods Vulnerability
• Energy and Industry Vulnerability
• Urban Settlements and Transportation Vulnerability
• Regional Vulnerability Synthesis
• Kien Giang Province
• Population Vulnerability
• Poverty Vulnerability
• Agriculture and Livelihoods Vulnerability
• Energy and Industry Vulnerability
• Urban Settlements and Transportation Vulnerability
• Regional Vulnerability Synthesis
• Bibliography
• Appendixes

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE

English

For more information: 

http://www.adb.org/publications/climate-risks-mekong-delta-ca-mau-and-kien-giang-provinces-viet-nam

Read More

Workshop: Developing Farming Systems for Climate Change Mitigation organized by ADB from 26-30 Aug 2013

Workshop on Developing Farming Systems for Climate Change Mitigation

Colombo, Sri Lanka : 26 August 2013 - 30 August 2013

The workshop aims to enhance the capacity of policymakers in obtaining reliable climate information, choosing planning tools for climate change mitigation, interpretation of risks, and application of resulting knowledge for mainstreaming climate change consideration in agricultural sectoral planning.

It is designed to comprise: 

• Climate change and agricultural productivity: challenges and opportunities;
• Key characteristics of climate smart agriculture for mitigating climate change;
• Policy and institutional frameworks for promoting the development and adoption of new farming systems for climate change mitigation;
• Financing strategies for supporting climate smart development in agriculture sector.

ADBI website

For more information:
http://www.adb.org/news/events/workshop-developing-farming-systems-climate-change-mitigation

Read More

Publication: Floodplain management in temperate regions: is multifunctionality enhancing biodiversity? (Jun 2013)

Floodplain management in temperate regions: is multifunctionality enhancing biodiversity?

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.environmentalevidencejournal.org/content/2/1/10

Received:	13 August 2012
Accepted:	10 May 2013
Published:	23 May 2013

© 2013 Schindler et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Background

Floodplains are among the most diverse, dynamic, productive and populated but also the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Threats are mainly related to human activities that alter the landscape and disrupt fluvial processes to obtain benefits related to multiple ecosystem services (ESS). Floodplain management therefore requires close coordination among interest groups with competing claims and poses multi-dimensional challenges to policy-makers and project managers. The European Commission proposed in its recent Biodiversity Strategy to maintain and enhance European ecosystems and their services by establishing green infrastructure (GI). GI is assumed to provide multiple ecosystem functions and services including the conservation of biodiversity in the same spatial area. However, evidence for biodiversity benefits of multifunctional floodplain management is scattered and has not been synthesised.

Methods/design

This protocol specifies the methods for conducting a systematic review to answer the following policy-relevant questions: a) what is the impact of floodplain management measures on biodiversity; b) how does the impact vary according to the level of multifunctionality of the measures; c) is there a difference in the biodiversity impact of floodplain management across taxa; d) what is the effect of the time since implementation on the impact of the most important measures; and e) are there any other factors that significantly modify the biodiversity impact of floodplain management measures? Within this systematic review we will assess multifunctionality in terms of ESS that are affected by an implemented intervention. Biodiversity indicators included in this systematic review will be related to the diversity, richness and abundance of species, other taxa or functional groups. We will consider if organisms are typical for and native to natural floodplain ecosystems. Specific inclusion criteria have been developed and the wide range of quality of primary literature will be evaluated with a tailor-made system for assessing susceptibility to bias and the reliability of the studies. The review is intended to bridge the science-policy interface and will provide a useful synthesis of knowledge for decision-makers at all governance levels.

Keywords: 

Biodiversity; Multifunctionality; Floodplain management; Green infrastructure; European Commission Biodiversity Strategy 2020; Biodiversity knowledge; Ecosystem services; Flood prevention; River restoration; Systematic review; Science-policy interface; Science-practice interface

Background

The European Commission proposed in its recent Biodiversity Strategy to maintain and enhance European ecosystems and their services by 2020 by establishing green infrastructure (GI) and restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems [1]. The package of actions designed to respond to this challenge included the need to ensure no net loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services by EU-funded projects, priority setting regarding restoration, and promoting the use of GI [1]. GI is defined as the network of natural and semi-natural areas, features and green spaces in rural and urban, terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine areas [2]. This includes for instance areas of high nature value such as protected areas, floodplains, wetlands and natural forests, natural landscape features that can act as corridors for wildlife, artificial features such as eco-ducts or eco-bridges, and multifunctional zones where land uses are favoured that help maintain or restore healthy biodiverse ecosystems [3,4]. The European Commission emphasizes the ability of GI to perform multiple functions in the same spatial area, thus sustaining a range of benefits by delivering multiple ecosystem services (ESS) such as air and water purification and climate regulation [5,6]. ESS represent the benefits human populations derive, directly or indirectly, from ecosystem functions [7], and both functions and benefits might be affected through interventions, such as reconnection of natural areas and improvement of overall ecological quality of the countryside. A combination of the delivery of multiple ESS including the conservation of biodiversity could lead to win-win situations and thus present an efficient way of achieving long-term nature conservation [8]. Knowledge generation to promote understanding of such situations is a current research priority in conservation biology, applied ecology, and environmental sciences [9,10]. Within this systematic review we will assess multifunctionality in terms of ESS that are affected by an implemented intervention.

Floodplains develop adjacent to river channels and can be described as low-relief Earth surfaces composed of fluvial deposits [11,12] that are frequently flooded (active floodplains) or formerly flooded (morphological floodplains) and are an integral part of catchments [13]. While hosting important natural assets and high levels of biodiversity[14-16], they have been used since ancient times by human populations, who attempted to maximize the benefits they gained by interventions such as irrigation channels and dikes [17]. In many parts of the world, human activities have altered the landscape and disrupted fluvial processes to the extent that floodplains are among the world´s most threatened ecosystems [18-20]. Floodplains are good examples for multifunctional landscapes and GI and their management requires close coordination among agriculture, water use, hydrological engineering, mineral extraction, energy production, nature conservation and spatial planning [21] and poses multi-dimensional challenges to policy-makers and project managers [22]. Flood protection is particularly important in light of an increasing frequency and amplitude of flood events throughout Europe, resulting in casualties and damage [23,24]. Restoration of a river and its adjacent floodplain might generate many benefits for nature and society, including alternative economic activities, improved flood prevention, richer biodiversity and aesthetically appealing landscapes and particular recreational opportunities. However, information on implementation and outcomes of such projects is often inaccessible [25].

Evidence for biodiversity effects of the GI approach and particularly of multifunctional floodplain management is scattered and has not been synthesised [21]. This issue is of particular relevance for large lowland floodplains, where due to high human population densities a variety of ecosystem services are in demand while at the same time floodplain biodiversity is driven by dynamic biophysical processes and feedback mechanisms over broad spatial and temporal scales [13,17]. As climate is an important factor for ecological processes, floodplains situated in climates comparable to those occurring in Europe are of particular relevance for this review that aims to support European decision-making. Floodplain interventions are very diverse [26] and in this scientific review we will hierarchically categorize the encountered interventions with respect to their main aims and effects. The interventions also differ strongly regarding the frequency of their implementation and the degree to which their impact on biodiversity has been assessed or results published in accessible formats [25]. This must be considered when interpreting the results of this review. The level of multifunctionality of interventions can be assessed in terms of their effects on ESS. For instance, several restoration measures aiming at a dynamic habitat mosaic are supposed to additionally increase the provision of ESS, such as water purification and lifecycle maintenance, habitat and gene pool protection [13]. Suitable indicators of biodiversity include measures such as the diversity or abundance of species, taxonomic or functional groups [27-30]. The effects of the floodplain management measures on biodiversity will be prone to several factors, the most obvious being the considered taxa and the time since intervention. Floodplain management measures can have very different effects on different taxa, for instance, a water enhancement scheme for the Danube floodplain within the city limits of Vienna showed positive effects on dragonflies and molluscs, while no significant impact was observed for fish [31]. Time since intervention is a crucial parameter, and depending on several factors, such as availability of propagules for population establishment, an intervention might show its effects only after a considerable time span [32].

Objective of the review

In this systematic review we aim to synthesise evidence in response to a two-part primary question dealing with the effects of multifunctional floodplain management on biodiversity. We will further assess three secondary questions dealing with the main causes of heterogeneity in patterns detected.

Primary question

What is the impact of floodplain management measures on biodiversity and how does the impact vary according to the level of multifunctionality of the measures?

The question contains the following components:

Population: floodplains and rivers, including all ecosystems that are located in the morphological floodplain and linked to the hydrological regime of the river.

Intervention: floodplain management measures, commonly related to production and transport (e.g. water or mineral extraction, navigational infrastructure), water regulation and flood protection, conservation and restoration as well as recreation activities (see Methods section for further examples).

Comparator: the previous state of the floodplain before the implementation of the intervention, the original natural state of the floodplain, or the state of the floodplain after another kind of intervention.

Outcome: change in biodiversity indicators (diversity and abundance indicators of species or other groups of organisms).

Secondary questions

a) How does the biodiversity impact of floodplain management differ across taxa?

b) What is the effect of the time since implementation on the impact of floodplain management measures?

c) Which other factors significantly modify the biodiversity impact of floodplain management measures?

Methods

Searches

Database search terms and languages

Three categories of search terms will be applied, corresponding to the categories of the questions, i.e. population, intervention and outcome (Tables  1, 2 and 3). The comparator will not be included for the search itself but as an inclusion criterion. We aim to perform the search in the two main databases for scientific literature, i.e. Scopus and Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge (formerly ISI Web of Knowledge). The main search terms for each category will be complemented by alternative terms deemed by the review team to have similar significance given the terms have been applied in several key papers [26,33-35]. Among the three categories, the terms will be linked with the Boolean operator ‘AND’. Within the three categories, the terms will be linked with the Boolean operator ‘OR’. In the “outcome-group”, the main search term “biodiversity” will be complemented by a combination of (i) any of the four terms “diversity”, “richness”, “abundance”, and “density” AND (ii) any of many alternative terms for “species”, such as “genus”, “taxon”, “plant”, “tree”, “bird”, “insect”, “macrozoobenthos”, etc. (Table  3). To be considered, studies will have to contain one term for each of the three categories in either title, keywords and abstract or topic for the Scopus or Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge databases, respectively.

For more information: http://www.environmentalevidencejournal.org/content/2/1/10

Read More