Socio-Economic and Environmental Implications of Bioenergy Crop Cultivation on Marginal African Drylands and Key Principles for a Sustainable Development

Pérez, Paola Varela; Greiner, Beatrice E.; Cossel, Moritz von

doi:10.3390/earth3020038

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 133 publications

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“…A better understanding of ecosystem services provided by MAL would also result from a thorough evaluation of biodiversity. A comprehensive understanding of the MAL requires an understanding of their ability to provision ecosystem services and their socio-economic situations [33,113,206,207]. The diversification of agroecosystems at landscape level through a purposeful implementation of perennial biomass crops with different growth cycles could increase the agroecosystems' resilience-especially in the face of increasing climate change impacts [42].…”

Section: Benefits and Limitations Of Biodiversity Evaluation On Margi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Managing Biodiversity of European Marginal Agricultural Land for Biodiversity-Friendly Biomass Production

Burland,

von Cossel

2023

Agronomy

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The use of marginal land, especially that which has already been used for agricultural purposes in the past two decades, for biomass cultivation is seen as an important approach for the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. Marginal land can provide many other important ecosystem services than biomass provisioning for bioenergy and biobased products such as erosion mitigation, groundwater protection and nursery services to promote biodiversity. However, marginal land is also often subject to dynamic processes, mostly soil degradation and climate change, which make its fauna and flora particularly vulnerable to land-use changes. This study provides insights into marginal land’s potential biodiversity characterization and critically discusses further steps towards applicable management approaches. Not all commonly used indicators apply to all types of marginal land, especially regarding the site-specific biophysical constraints and the landscape heterogeneity. This is because both the biodiversity and biophysical constraints are sensitive to disturbances. Therefore, when marginal lands are used for biomass production, all available measures should be taken to allow for predominantly positive impacts on local biodiversity, such as a survey of the status quo using camera traps, area mapping, or caterpillar mimics and a forecast of potential biophysical and agrobiological impacts of management.

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Section: Benefits and Limitations Of Biodiversity Evaluation On Margi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Managing Biodiversity of European Marginal Agricultural Land for Biodiversity-Friendly Biomass Production

Burland,

von Cossel

2023

Agronomy

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“…As populations increase and agriculture intensifies, eutrophication of freshwater bodies around the globe, particularly in Africa, is becoming a major challenge [1]. Water quality monitoring is essential to identify water contamination sources and implement best management practices for healthy ecosystems [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another optical property of water, TUR, scatters and absorbs light rather than transmitting it. Total dissolved and suspended solids are responsible for most of the scattering, whereas absorption is controlled by Chl-a and colored dissolved or particulate matter [1]. TUR and total suspended solids are important variables in many studies due to their linkage with incoming sunlight, affecting photosynthesis for the growth of algae and plankton in water bodies [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Optical Water Quality Indicators from Remote Sensing Using Machine Learning Algorithms in Tropical Highlands of Ethiopia

et al. 2023

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Water quality degradation of freshwater bodies is a concern worldwide, particularly in Africa, where data are scarce and standard water quality monitoring is expensive. This study explored the use of remote sensing imagery and machine learning (ML) algorithms as an alternative to standard field measuring for monitoring water quality in large and remote areas constrained by logistics and finance. Six machine learning (ML) algorithms integrated with Landsat 8 imagery were evaluated for their accuracy in predicting three optically active water quality indicators observed monthly in the period from August 2016 to April 2022: turbidity (TUR), total dissolved solids (TDS) and Chlorophyll a (Chl-a). The six ML algorithms studied were the artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine regression (SVM), random forest regression (RF), XGBoost regression (XGB), AdaBoost regression (AB), and gradient boosting regression (GB) algorithms. XGB performed best at predicting Chl-a, with an R2 of 0.78, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.78, mean absolute relative error (MARE) of 0.082 and root mean squared error (RMSE) of 9.79 µg/L. RF performed best at predicting TDS (with an R2 of 0.79, NSE of 0.80, MARE of 0.082, and RMSE of 12.30 mg/L) and TUR (with an R2 of 0.80, NSE of 0.81, and MARE of 0.072 and RMSE of 7.82 NTU). The main challenges were data size, sampling frequency, and sampling resolution. To overcome the data limitation, we used a K-fold cross validation technique that could obtain the most out of the limited data to build a robust model. Furthermore, we also employed stratified sampling techniques to improve the ML modeling for turbidity. Thus, this study shows the possibility of monitoring water quality in large freshwater bodies with limited observed data using remote sensing integrated with ML algorithms, potentially enhancing decision making.

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“…Secondly, by explicitly including in our analysis the role of women and gender equality, we aimed to highlight the fundamental contribution of these drivers to the consolidation of the bioeconomy and its further development. To date, a very limited number of studies have revealed the nexus between the role of women and gender equality and the bioeconomy progress (see, e.g., [ 21 , 22 ]). However, none of these studies emphasized the importance of women and gender equality in creating added value in the bioeconomy sphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into the Sustainable Development of the Bioeconomy at the European Level, in the Context of the Desired Clean Environment

Diaconaşu

Bostan

Căutișanu

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The increasing awareness of the impact of global climate change has brought bio-based projects back into consideration. Thus, having as supports the reality of the troubling scenario that threatens the entire ecosystem and the up-to-date theoretical discourse and debate on sustainable development, this article aims to investigate the socio-economic and institutional determinants that trigger the dynamics of the bioeconomy value added indicator—a valuable instrument developed and recently launched by the EU’s BioMonitor project. Using a panel corrected standard errors framework, we find that investment in human development along with innovation, the growing role of women and sound public governance have a positive effect on the transition towards a durable and resilient bioeconomy at the European level. This naturally implies that a combination of social and technological innovation can ensure the rise of a sustainable bioeconomy.

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Socio-Economic and Environmental Implications of Bioenergy Crop Cultivation on Marginal African Drylands and Key Principles for a Sustainable Development

Cited by 6 publications

References 133 publications

Towards Managing Biodiversity of European Marginal Agricultural Land for Biodiversity-Friendly Biomass Production

Towards Managing Biodiversity of European Marginal Agricultural Land for Biodiversity-Friendly Biomass Production

Predicting Optical Water Quality Indicators from Remote Sensing Using Machine Learning Algorithms in Tropical Highlands of Ethiopia

Insights into the Sustainable Development of the Bioeconomy at the European Level, in the Context of the Desired Clean Environment

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