Variability in the water footprint of arable crop production across European regions

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A participatory approach for adapting river basins to climate change

Climate change is expected to reduce water availability in the Mediterranean region and water management needs to adapt to future conditions. The aims of this study were (1) to develop a participatory approach for identifying and evaluating management options for river basin climate adaptation and (2) to apply and evaluate the approach in four case-study river basins across the Mediterranean. As part of the approach, a diverse group of stakeholders joined a series of workshops and consultations in four river basins located in Cyprus, Slovenia, Spain and Tunisia. In each river basin, stakeholders expressed their views on challenges in their river basins, as well as options to tackle these challenges. We used the information on challenges, as well as the factors contributing to these challenges to develop a fuzzy cognitive map for each basin. These maps were converted into mathematical models and were used to assess the impact of a total of 102 suggested management options for the four river basins. We linked the options and their estimated impacts with a multi-criteria analysis to identify the most preferred options. The approach was positively evaluated by the participating stakeholders and allowed the link of stakeholders' knowledge and perceptions about their river basin with their preferences for options to adapt the management of their river basins to future conditions

Assessing impacts of soil management measures on ecosystem services

Only a few studies have quantified and measured ecosystem services (ES) specifically related to soil. To address this gap, we have developed and applied a methodology to assess changes in ecosystem services, based on measured or estimated soil property changes that were stimulated by soil management measures (e.g., mulching, terracing, no-till). We applied the ES assessment methodology in 16 case study sites across Europe representing a high diversity of soil threats and land use systems. Various prevention and remediation measures were trialled, and the changes in manageable soil and other natural capital properties were measured and quantified. An Excel tool facilitated data collection, calculation of changes in ecosystem services, and visualization of measured short-term changes and estimated long-term changes at plot level and for the wider area. With this methodology, we were able to successfully collect and compare data on the impact of land management on 15 different ecosystem services from 26 different measures. Overall, the results are positive in terms of the impacts of the trialled measures on ecosystem services, with 18 out of 26 measures having no decrease in any service at the plot level. Although methodological challenges remain, the ES assessment was shown to be a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of the trialled measures, and also served as an input to a stakeholder valuation of ecosystem services at local and sub-national level

Helping stakeholders select and apply appraisal tools to mitigate soil threats: researchers’ experiences from across Europe

Soil improvement measures need to be ecologically credible, socially acceptable and economically affordable if they are to enter widespread use. However, in real world decision contexts not all measures can sufficiently meet these criteria. As such, developing, selecting and using appropriate tools to support more systematic appraisal of soil improvement measures in different decision-making contexts represents an important challenge. Tools differ in their aims, ranging from those focused on appraising issues of cost-effectiveness, wider ecosystem services impacts and adoption barriers/opportunities, to those seeking to foster participatory engagement and social learning. Despite the growing complexity of the decision-support tool landscape, comprehensive guidance for selecting tools that are best suited to appraise soil improvement measures, as well as those well-adapted to enable participatory deployment, has generally been lacking. We address this gap using the experience and survey data from an EU-funded project (RECARE: Preventing and REmediating degradation of soils in Europe through land CARE). RECARE applied different socio-cultural, biophysical and monetary appraisal tools to assess the costs, benefits and adoption of soil improvement measures across Europe. We focused on these appraisal tools and evaluated their performance against three broad attributes that gauge their differences and suitability for widespread deployment to aid stakeholder decision making in soil management. Data were collected using an online questionnaire administered to RECARE researchers. Although some tools worked better than others across case studies, the information collated was used to provide guiding strategies for choosing appropriate tools, considering resources and data availability, characterisation of uncertainty, and the purpose for which a specific soil improvement measure is being developed or promoted. This paper provides insights to others working in practical soil improvement contexts as to why getting the tools right matters. It demonstrates how use of the right tools can add value to decision-making in ameliorating soil threats, supporting the sustainable management of the services that our soil ecosystems provide

Irrigation Water Pricing in Southern Europe and Cyprus: The effects of the EU Common Agricultural Policy and the Water Framework Directive

The agricultural policy adopted by the European Union until recently has contributed to economically inefficient, environmentally unsustainable and socially inequitable management of irrigation water in Southern Europe. The Union’s willingness to tackle these issues in an integrated manner is evident in the reformed Common Agricultural Policy and the Water Framework Directive. This paper aims to critically assess the potential impact and effectiveness of these new policies on irrigation water in Southern European countries. In this context, issues of economic efficiency, environmental sustainability and social equity as well as practical limitations are addressed. The paper concludes that, although water pricing is potentially a very effective tool in terms of economic efficiency, its environmental effectiveness is not guaranteed thus it may not drastically improve water resource management in Southern Europe. The same holds for Cyprus, where water pricing may only be effective if private groundwater extraction is fully monitored and charged by governmental authorities. Moreover, Cyprus needs to shift to a low water consuming agricultural sector by focusing on the cultivation of crops that are consistent with the changing climatic conditions and the increasing water scarcity of the country

Αγρο-οικονομική βελτιστοποίηση της χρήσης νερού στην κυπριακή γεωργία

Agriculture in the Mediterranean region (including Cyprus) is constrained by the limited availability of water resources. The allocation of water for irrigation is expected to decrease in most countries, due to the increasing trend of water demand in the domestic sector and tourism. It is therefore important to utilize these resources efficiently so as to achieve maximum economic returns. For this purpose, an optimization model was developed to allocate the available land and water resources of Cyprus in order to maximize the net annual economic benefit of the agricultural sector. Model simulations for different scenarios of climatic conditions show that crop production in Cyprus has a high potential, despite the limited land and water resources. A potential re-allocation of the crops cultivated, and in particular a shift towards rainfed agriculture under average and dry conditions, will result in higher net economic benefits and sustainable irrigation use

First records of the pest leaf beetle Chrysolina (Chrysolinopsis) americana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in Cyprus - a study initiated from social media

The leaf beetle Chrysolina (Chrysolinopsis) americana (Linnaeus, 1758), commonly known as the Rosemary beetle, is native to some parts of the Mediterranean region. In the last few decades, it has expanded its distribution to new regions in the North and Eastern Mediterranean basin. Chrysolina americana feeds on plants of the Lamiaceae family, such as Rosmarinus officinalis, Lavandula spp., Salvia spp., Thymus spp. and others. Chrysolina americana is considered a pest, as many of its host plants are of commercial importance and are often used as ornamentals in house gardens and green public spaces. In this work, we report the first occurrence of C. americana in Cyprus and we present its establishment, expansion and distribution across the Island, through recordings for the period 2015 – 2020. The study was initiated from a post on a Facebook group, where the species was noticed in Cyprus for the first time, indicating that social media and citizen science can be particularly helpful in biodiversity research

Economic evaluation of green water in cereal crop production: A production function approach

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