Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 113813 |
| Journal | Ecological indicators |
| Volume | 177 |
| Early online date | 27 Jun 2025 |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2025 |
Abstract
Human well-being strongly relies on agroecosystems in good condition to ensure food security and a sustainable Ecosystem Services (ES) supply. However, agroecosystems face growing threats from environmental pressures, increasing the need for conservation and restoration measures. Their targeted and efficient implementation requires reliable, comprehensive and standardized methods to assess and monitor agroecosystem condition. To support such integrated assessments, we aimed to identify a set of suitable agroecosystem condition indicators. We applied the UN System of Environmental Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA), to support standardized assessments. In a literature review, we identified the most relevant agroecosystem characteristics based on expert knowledge and current practice. Subsequently, we applied the SEEA EA selection criteria to filter the most suitable indicators and datasets under conceptual and practical aspects. Finally, we mapped the selected indicators and checked the entire set for redundancies. We used the Federal State of Lower Saxony (Germany) as an exemplary study area, including both agricultural croplands and grasslands. The review revealed 19 relevant physical, chemical, compositional, structural, functional and landscape agroecosystem state characteristics. The subsequent filtering process resulted in a comprehensive set of nine ecosystem condition indicators. The selected indicators are suitable to support comprehensive agroecosystem condition assessments for various purposes. However, high-resolution data availability remains a key limiting factor, restricting the suitability of the selected indicators to regional-scale assessments. While the indicator set already can support monitoring procedures, future research is needed to define reference levels and to calculate condition indicators with a normative meaning.
Keywords
- Croplands, Degradation, Ecological condition, Ecosystem characteristics, Grasslands, Restoration, Selection criteria
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Decision Sciences(all)
- General Decision Sciences
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
Sustainable Development Goals
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Ecological indicators, Vol. 177, 113813, 08.2025.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards standardized ecosystem condition assessments
T2 - Selecting agroecosystem condition indicators based on SEEA EA with an example application in Lower Saxony, Germany
AU - Bank, Emily
AU - Lange, Sabine
AU - Czúcz, Bálint
AU - Hinsch, Malte
AU - Burkhard, Benjamin
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors
PY - 2025/8
Y1 - 2025/8
N2 - Human well-being strongly relies on agroecosystems in good condition to ensure food security and a sustainable Ecosystem Services (ES) supply. However, agroecosystems face growing threats from environmental pressures, increasing the need for conservation and restoration measures. Their targeted and efficient implementation requires reliable, comprehensive and standardized methods to assess and monitor agroecosystem condition. To support such integrated assessments, we aimed to identify a set of suitable agroecosystem condition indicators. We applied the UN System of Environmental Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA), to support standardized assessments. In a literature review, we identified the most relevant agroecosystem characteristics based on expert knowledge and current practice. Subsequently, we applied the SEEA EA selection criteria to filter the most suitable indicators and datasets under conceptual and practical aspects. Finally, we mapped the selected indicators and checked the entire set for redundancies. We used the Federal State of Lower Saxony (Germany) as an exemplary study area, including both agricultural croplands and grasslands. The review revealed 19 relevant physical, chemical, compositional, structural, functional and landscape agroecosystem state characteristics. The subsequent filtering process resulted in a comprehensive set of nine ecosystem condition indicators. The selected indicators are suitable to support comprehensive agroecosystem condition assessments for various purposes. However, high-resolution data availability remains a key limiting factor, restricting the suitability of the selected indicators to regional-scale assessments. While the indicator set already can support monitoring procedures, future research is needed to define reference levels and to calculate condition indicators with a normative meaning.
AB - Human well-being strongly relies on agroecosystems in good condition to ensure food security and a sustainable Ecosystem Services (ES) supply. However, agroecosystems face growing threats from environmental pressures, increasing the need for conservation and restoration measures. Their targeted and efficient implementation requires reliable, comprehensive and standardized methods to assess and monitor agroecosystem condition. To support such integrated assessments, we aimed to identify a set of suitable agroecosystem condition indicators. We applied the UN System of Environmental Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA), to support standardized assessments. In a literature review, we identified the most relevant agroecosystem characteristics based on expert knowledge and current practice. Subsequently, we applied the SEEA EA selection criteria to filter the most suitable indicators and datasets under conceptual and practical aspects. Finally, we mapped the selected indicators and checked the entire set for redundancies. We used the Federal State of Lower Saxony (Germany) as an exemplary study area, including both agricultural croplands and grasslands. The review revealed 19 relevant physical, chemical, compositional, structural, functional and landscape agroecosystem state characteristics. The subsequent filtering process resulted in a comprehensive set of nine ecosystem condition indicators. The selected indicators are suitable to support comprehensive agroecosystem condition assessments for various purposes. However, high-resolution data availability remains a key limiting factor, restricting the suitability of the selected indicators to regional-scale assessments. While the indicator set already can support monitoring procedures, future research is needed to define reference levels and to calculate condition indicators with a normative meaning.
KW - Croplands
KW - Degradation
KW - Ecological condition
KW - Ecosystem characteristics
KW - Grasslands
KW - Restoration
KW - Selection criteria
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105009255383&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113813
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113813
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105009255383
VL - 177
JO - Ecological indicators
JF - Ecological indicators
SN - 1470-160X
M1 - 113813
ER -