The Big Picture: Prospects for Ecological Engineering to Guide the Delivery of Ecosystem Services in Global Agriculture

摘要: Feeding an estimated nine billion people by the year 2050 will be challenging. Though controversy surrounds extent to which food production needs increase, versus a focus on distributional issues and reduced waste, there is need reduce environmental impacts of current farming practices avoid further depletion biodiversity. Over last century, biodiversity loss has accompanied agricultural intensification so business-as-usual scenario gives little cause for optimism. In decade, studies in many countries have demonstrated benefits “alternative” systems that can as productive conventional agriculture per-hectare basis, despite requiring fewer pesticides fertilizers. These employ ecological whereby ecosystem services such nutrient provisioning, natural pest control, enhanced pollination replace anthropogenic inputs. Enhancement these not confined planned diversity multiple crops but includes other taxa farmlands important complements nature reserves protected areas. Ecological engineering one approach guide diversification deliver based evidence base offers significant scope win–win future are more strongly supported whilst simultaneously motivating farmers accommodate