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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Sophie Tindale, Professor Lynn FrewerORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2023, The Author(s). Agriculture in Alpine regions plays an important role for multiple ecosystem services (ES) supplied from permanent grassland (PG). This paper investigates the feasibility of sward renewal, overseeding, and rising plate meters on PG for the Swiss Alpine region and analyses their expected effects on ES supply. Sward renewal and overseeding are management options implemented in response to a decline of grassland yields and nutritive value or sward damage. Rising plate meters focus on increased grass utilisation for improving profitability of grassland farms in a sustainable manner. The aim was to improve the understanding which of these three PG management practices could be promoted to deliver a wide range of agricultural and non-agricultural ESs in the Swiss Alpine region. Through interviews with 75 farmers (including organic and intensive/extensive non-organic farmers) and a Delphi-methodology on a panel of experts (N = 10 experts with different expertise), we found that sward renewal is perceived to have negative effects on biodiversity, carbon storage, flood control, prevention of soil erosion, and prevention of loss of organic matter in Alpine regions. Therefore, sward renewal should not be promoted, although about half of the farmers interviewed had already carried out the practice on plots following severe sward damage in Alpine regions. Overseeding is perceived to have positive effects on biodiversity, prevention of soil erosion, and grass production. Thus, the high level of overseeding that is currently practiced in the Swiss Alpine region is probably sustainable. Rising plate meters do not play a significant role in PG management in the Alpine region because calibration in PG with diverse grassland botanical composition in the Alpine region is too difficult.
Author(s): Mack G, El Benni N, Sporri M, Huguenin-Elie O, Tindale S, Hunter E, Newell Price P, Frewer LJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Environment, Development and Sustainability
Year: 2024
Volume: 26
Pages: 4579-4601
Print publication date: 01/02/2024
Online publication date: 05/01/2023
Acceptance date: 30/12/2022
Date deposited: 02/01/2023
ISSN (print): 1387-585X
ISSN (electronic): 1573-2975
Publisher: Springer Nature
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02899-y
DOI: 10.1007/s10668-022-02899-y
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