USDA conservation program and practice effects on wetland ecosystem services in the Prairie Pothole Region

Abstract

Implementation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) has resulted in the restoration of >2 million ha of wetland and grassland habitats in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Restoration of habitats through these programs provides diverse ecosystem services to society, but few investigators have evaluated the environmental benefits achieved by these programs. We describe changes in wetland processes, functions, and ecosystem services that occur when wetlands and adjacent uplands on agricultural lands are restored through Farm Bill conservation programs. At the scale of wetland catchments, projects have had positive impacts on water storage, reduction in sedimentation and nutrient loading, plant biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat. However, lack of information on the geographic location of restored catchments relative to landscape‐level factors (e.g., watershed, proximity to rivers and lakes) limits interpretation of ecosystem services that operate at multiple scales such as floodwater retention, water quality improvement, and wildlife habitat suitability. Considerable opportunity exists for the USDA to incorporate important landscape factors to better target conservation practices and programs to optimize diverse ecosystem services. Restoration of hydrologic processes within wetlands (e.g., hydroperiod, water level dynamics) also requires a better understanding of the influence of conservation cover composition and structure, and management practices that occur in uplands surrounding wetlands. Although conservation programs have enhanced delivery of ecosystem services in the PPR, the use of programs to provide long‐term critical ecosystem services is uncertain because when contracts (especially CRP) expire, economic incentives may favor conversion of land to crop production, rather than reenrollment. As demands for agricultural products (food, fiber, biofuel) increase, Farm Bill conservation programs will become increasingly important to ensure provisioning of ecosystem services to society, especially in agriculturally dominated landscapes. Thus, continued development and support for conservation programs legislated through the Farm Bill will require a more comprehensive understanding of wetland ecological services to better evaluate program achievements relative to conservation goals.

Land use and wetland drainage affect water levels and dynamics of remaining wetlands

“…2007) increases in agricultural commodity prices (Gleason et al 2008(Gleason et al , 2011. We expected that crops or soil tillage would affect wetland hydrology (Euliss and Mushet 1996, Voldseth et al 2007).…”

Effects of land use on greenhouse gas fluxes and soil properties of wetland catchments in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America

“…The PPR is characterized by relatively small (often b5 ha), highly productive, mineral-soil wetlands dispersed throughout an agriculture-dominated landscape, and prairie pothole wetlands have potential to be important ecosystems in terms of the North American carbon balance (Bridgham et al, 2006;Euliss et al, 2006;Badiou et al, 2011). Studies from North America, including the PPR, have shown that minimally disturbed wetland catchments in native grasslands have relatively high soil OC levels, and soils of wetland catchments in an agricultural setting are capable of sequestering OC when restored to a similar natural state (Follett et al, 2001;Desjardins et al, 2005;Euliss et al, 2006;Gleason et al, 2008Gleason et al, , 2011Badiou et al, 2011). Consequently, natural resource organizations have promoted the benefits of conservation and restoration programs for moderating atmospheric GHG levels, as well as for providing numerous other ecosystem services (Gebhart et al, 1994;Litynski et al, 2006;Gleason et al, 2008;PCOR, 2008;Hansen, 2009;Brinson and Eckles, 2011;Gleason et al, 2011).…”

“…Studies from North America, including the PPR, have shown that minimally disturbed wetland catchments in native grasslands have relatively high soil OC levels, and soils of wetland catchments in an agricultural setting are capable of sequestering OC when restored to a similar natural state (Follett et al, 2001;Desjardins et al, 2005;Euliss et al, 2006;Gleason et al, 2008Gleason et al, , 2011Badiou et al, 2011). Consequently, natural resource organizations have promoted the benefits of conservation and restoration programs for moderating atmospheric GHG levels, as well as for providing numerous other ecosystem services (Gebhart et al, 1994;Litynski et al, 2006;Gleason et al, 2008;PCOR, 2008;Hansen, 2009;Brinson and Eckles, 2011;Gleason et al, 2011). However, abiotic conditions that promote OC sequestration in soils also can be conducive for the production of methane (CH 4 ), a potent GHG that may offset the benefits of increased Fig.…”

Review: Redesigning Canadian prairie cropping systems for profitability, sustainability, and resilience

“…Additional benefits of these permanent landscape features can include other ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, soil C sequestration, capture of sediment and nutrients in run-off, water filtration, and enhancement of the local and regional water cycles (van de Kamp and Hayashi 1998;Pretty 2008;Smukler et al 2010;Gleason et al 2011;Liebman and Schulte 2015); provisioning services such as fruit or forage production from these landscape features themselves (Zink 2010); and increased productivity from surrounding cropland (Morandin and Winston 2006;Liebman and Schulte 2015). Disproportionately large ecological benefits may be realized by converting small areas of cropland to herbaceous perennial vegetation, creating unique habitats throughout the farm, or using a few key species of woody plants in the farm landscape (Smukler et al 2010;Liebman and Schulte 2015).…”