Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
abandonment of inaccessible and thus unprofi table mountain grasslands
or of an intensifi cation of easily accessible areas. Measures to manage
areas extensively go along with a reduction of mountain pasture staff
and a concomitant reduction of maintenance activities on the mountain
grasslands. This leads to untended grazing if not the complete abandonment
of mountain pasture activities, leaving these areas to natural succession
processes. In contrast, more easily accessible areas are grazed more
intensively or mown several times a year, increasing the yield through
fertilization. In either case, the species composition of the vegetation cover
changes, and with a certain time lag, affects the soil and its stability via
changes in the litter composition (Tasser et al. 2005).
Land use
Agriculture
Agriculture is highly exposed to climate change, as farming activities
directly depend on climatic conditions (Eitzinger et al. 2009). The severity
of the impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector varies by
regions (the arguments in this chapter follow CIPRA 2011). For centuries,
in mountain regions farming has enabled the survival of the population
thereby shaping a cultural landscape. However, economic and social
changes, i.e., industrialization and urbanization, lead in many regions to
a decline in the number of farms. If current trends continue to prevail, it
must be expected that the agricultural sector in the mountain environment
is shrinking further with the risk of depopulation of areas with poor natural
assets and diffi cult access. Support for farming in these marginal areas is
justifi ed by its multifunctional roles, i.e., agriculture not only produces
foodstuff but maintains the cultural landscape (Pruckner 2005). Therefore,
fi nancial support is granted in some countries at varying degrees.
It has to be said that global agricultural systems contribute substantially
to climate change, primarily via emissions of methane (CH 4 ) and
nitrous oxides (N 2 O). Globally, agriculture contributes about 10 to 12%
of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) according to
the common reporting scheme of the UNFCCC (Smith et al. 2007). This
calculation does however not include energy use for fertilizer production
(which is assigned to the manufacturing sector) and for agricultural
machines (ascribed to the transportation sector). Therefore, the total global
GHG emissions from agricultural production are estimated to actually sum
up to a much higher share (ITC and FiBL 2007). In addition, CO 2 emissions
from agricultural soils are not included in the emission balance of the
agricultural sector but in the land use, land-use change and forestry sector
because they originate mainly from land-use changes such as deforestation.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search