European Permanent Grasslands: A Systematic Review of Economic Drivers of Change, Including a Detailed Analysis of the Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, and UK
John Elliott,
Sophie Tindale,
Samantha Outhwaite,
Fiona Nicholson,
Paul Newell-Price,
Novieta H. Sari,
Erik Hunter,
Pedro Sánchez-Zamora,
Shan Jin,
Rosa Gallardo-Cobos,
Simona Miškolci,
Lynn J. Frewer
Affiliations
John Elliott
RSK ADAS Limited, 4205 Park Approach, Leeds LS15 8GB, UK
Sophie Tindale
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Samantha Outhwaite
RSK ADAS Limited, 4205 Park Approach, Leeds LS15 8GB, UK
Fiona Nicholson
RSK ADAS Limited, 4205 Park Approach, Leeds LS15 8GB, UK
Paul Newell-Price
RSK ADAS Limited, 4205 Park Approach, Leeds LS15 8GB, UK
Novieta H. Sari
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Erik Hunter
Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 88, SE-230 53 Alnarp, Sweden
Pedro Sánchez-Zamora
Department of Agricultural Economics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering (ETSIAM), University of Córdoba, Rabanales University Campus, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Shan Jin
Faculty of Business and Law, School of Strategy, Marketing and Innovation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2UP, UK
Rosa Gallardo-Cobos
Department of Agricultural Economics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering (ETSIAM), University of Córdoba, Rabanales University Campus, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Simona Miškolci
Department of Regional and Business Economics (FRDIS), Mendel University in Brno, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Lynn J. Frewer
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Permanent grasslands (PG) feature in the European rural landscape and represent a major agricultural production resource. They support multiple non-provisioning ecosystem services (ES), including climate regulation, flood control, biodiversity, and pollination. PG are at risk of loss or degradation due to agricultural land use and land management changes. The objective of this systematic review is to identify the main economic influences shaping management and maintenance of PG, and the risks and opportunities for delivery of a range of ES. A total of 51 papers were included. Relevant policy interventions and economic drivers are identified in relation to how they shape the management of EU grasslands over time and across farming systems, countries, or biogeographic zones. A high reliance on public payments from the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with uneven impact on mitigating PG losses and associated ES provisions, was identified, which needs to be considered in relation to ongoing CAP reform. There is a gap in the literature regarding economic tipping points for change. Future research needs to identify and map ES provisions by PG along with trade-offs and synergies, and link this to policy. There are substantive challenges to maintaining Europe’s PG area and management, which must be addressed through EU-wide instruments.
