Natural Carbon Sinks Linked to Pastoral Activity in S Spain: A Territorial Evaluation Methodology for Mediterranean Goat Grazing Systems

Abstract

Exploring and developing new tools for the accounting and management of natural C sinks will provide a closer, more accurate option to remark the importance of such sinks in relation to livestock production, helping to support the persistence of some seriously endangered traditional, environmentally sustainable livestock farming. Following both precision and usability criteria, two main C sink databases covering the Andalusian region (S Spain) were developed from the Spanish Land Parcel Identification System (SIGPAC, coarse resolution) and the Spanish Information System on Land Cover (SIOSE, finer resolution) land use classes. Particular C sink factors based on growth rates for individual plant species were associated with detailed vegetation maps and, further, were linked to Land Use and Covers cartography across the region. In addition, eight ruminant farms were exhaustively studied in situ and used as a control. Results were compared with the obtained through the application of the developed C sink databases, and with the commonly used Petersen methodology. The sink capacity of vegetation associated with farms varied from 0.25 to 1.37 t CO2 ha−1 year−1, depending on the plant species composition and abundance. All the approaches showed significant differences from the control. C sink values were significantly higher when applying SIGPAC-based C sink database to farms, while values from the SIOSE and Petersen methodology approaches provided more moderate values, closer to the control. SIGPAC and Petersen approaches showed higher usability but presented lower precision due to a poor definition of plant cover. SIOSE-based C sink database provided suitable values able to be adapted to reality and used by farmers. In this regard, further research efforts to improve the adjustment of results and ease of use are required. The present approach means a methodological advance in the estimation of the C sink capacity associated with pastoral livestock farms, able to be incorporated into the CF calculation in contrasted areas worldwide, in the frame of the ‘eco-schemes’ being recently under development through the EU CAP.

Ecosystem Services Provided by Pastoral Husbandry: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…The success of grazing management will depend on how well the increase in livestock efficiency is balanced with the need to maintain the chemical, physical, hydrological and biological properties of each type of soil (a key element of the ecosystem). It is important to note that, although the capacity of vegetation to act as a carbon sink is well documented in the literature [38,40,41], grazing lands associated with livestock production, which could significantly balance the net greenhouse gas emissions emission values, has been rarely considered to date [40]. This is due, to a large extent, to the difficulties in measuring it.…”

A Comparative Analysis of Carbon Footprint in the Andalusian Autochthonous Dairy Goat Production Systems

“…In parallel to the GHG emissions, carbon sink by vegetation was calculated for the farming systems with associated territories for feeding (ISC, GS, and PS), according to the methodology proposed by Muñoz-Vallés et al [ 8 ]. SIOSE-based C sink was used to obtain the values of the natural vegetation of each ecosystem used by the goats.…”

“…SIOSE-based C sink was used to obtain the values of the natural vegetation of each ecosystem used by the goats. Regarding crops, a maximum standard sink value of 0.1 kg of CO 2 per m 2 and year was applied [ 8 ].…”

“…As a result, GHG emission intensity (expressed as emissions per unit of animal product) can vary considerably between production units, even in similar production systems. To all this must be added the difficulty of taking into account the carbon sink ability of the soil and vegetation during the CF calculation, in particular in those farms that have a territorial basis for the use of livestock [ 8 , 9 ].…”

“…In this sense, pasture-based carbon sequestration can mitigate, to varying degrees, the GHG emitted by the livestock it feeds as well [ 13 , 14 ]. Previous studies have shown that taking carbon sinks into account in the net GHG emission balance significantly reduces emissions per unit of product on farms with land-based grazing [ 6 , 8 , 15 ].…”