Managing agricultural landscapes for ecosystem services under uncertain futures

The project builds on current research efforts to establish the scientific basis and applicability of ecological intensification of agricultural landscapes in different regions of Europe. Ecosystem service models for pollination, biological control, soil fertility and crop productivity are increasingly used to link investments in natural capital (maintaining populations of beneficial insects, soil carbon) to expected benefits. A major challenge is the quantification and communication of uncertainty that stems from transferring models from one region to another, from the current climatic and socio-economic context to the future, as well as from year-to-year variability.
The project will address these limitations for ecosystem services in cropping systems and aims to increase the knowledge in the field of ecosystem services delivery, especially for pollination.