Sustainability Indicators of Biomass Production in Agroforestry Systems

Abstract

Production of biomass for bioenergy will depend on the sustainability of the production resource-base: the soil, water, air and the diversity of the ecosystem as a whole. For soil, potential sustainability indicators, including soil nitrogen and phosphorus, total organic matter, components associated with soil erosion and bulk density are discussed. Indicators related to the water resource water quality, water availability index, nitrate levels in water and biological oxygen demand are also discussed. Greenhouse gases and their sequestration potentials are discussed for maintaining atmospheric air quality. For biodiversity, a biodiversity index and soil biota index were selected as potential indicators. In addition to the production resource-base, the paper also discusses the importance of economic and social sustainability indices. To summarize, we are suggesting that a common method of visualizing the above indicated indices is to generate amoeba diagrams. This paper also provides a review on the term 'sustainability' and specific indicators, with metrics where possible, are described as candidates for inclusion as potential indicators appropriate for agroforestry based bioenergy systems in Canada. Three agroforestry based bioenergy systems are described and specific indicators are discussed within the bounds of these systems.

How to Evaluate the Sustainability of Short-Term Cultures for Biomass Production? An Application From Ne Romania

“…A more appropriate method because more related with the poplar plantation specificities is that proposed by Thevathasan et al (2014). In this paper, the authors make first a synthesis of what the sustainability means (Table 1), and then, they argued for a set of indicators applying purposely to monitor the sustainability of the short-rotation woody crop production.…”

“…A second important methodological choice is related with the reference state. In the absence of distinct values that can be considered as threshold of sustainability (Thevathasan et al, 2014), we have chosen a scenario-based assessment, e.g. we have recorded and compared the level of several indices for the short-term poplar plantation and for alternative (or past) land uses (regular agricultural crops specific for the region, pastures, abandoned land, recently cultivated lands with long-term forest plantations).…”

“…From a social aspect, the sustainability is related with how biomass production is perceived by society (Hall, 2002). Thevathasan et al (2014) argue the need to include economic and social dimensions along with environmental considerations when defining sustainability. The relationship between these three aspects (economic, ecologic, social) determine the two main paradigms of the sustainability (Pearce et al, 1989;Smith and McDonald, 1998).…”

“…Nevertheless, the study recommends more research in the area of the contingent valuation of biodiversity in different conditions not only with natural forest ecosystems are to be replaced by poplar plantations. When the three aspects are considered to be subordinated each other, the economic sustainability can not be achieved without social sustainability, and the maintenance of ecological processes (Thevathasan et al, 2014). Understanding the sustainability in this case focuses in a central ethical postulate that is justice (Helmholtz concept, detailed by Hartmuth et al, 2008; philosophical bases laid down by Rawls, 1999).…”

Sustainability Indicators for Biobased Product Manufacturing: A Systematic Review

“…There are interlinkages among GHGs and other environmental categories. Secondary functions such as shipping and transportation (overhead), trade, national self-reliance (in terms of food, energy, economic development), and effects on biodiversity (e.g., as a result of land use change from natural to cultivation, shrinkage in land area resulting in loss of food availability for local organisms, increase in human-wildlife conflict) influence GHG data (Karvonen et al, 2017;Nourmohamadi Shalke et al, 2017;Smith et al, 2017;Thevathasan et al, 2014;Valdez-Vazquez et al, 2017). Manufacturing setups must consider emissions embodied within the production process, raw materials procured, and technology used (Doran et al, 2016;Heslouin et al, 2017;Rasmussen et al, 2017).…”