Essays on Birdlife

Postnote Briefing Paper

The Issue: To achieve balance between agricultural intensification associated with production of food and environmental protection.

Objective: Assess the implications of land sparing and agricultural intensification. Develop comprehensive strategy for land and biodiversity protection in the framework of two approaches outlined.

Executive Summary:

The current postnote briefing paper addresses the topical issue of biodiversity protection when effectuating agricultural activity in the UK. For the purposes of the current paper, a conceptual model demonstrating detailed structure of the paper was outlined. Two agricultural approaches were considered: land sparing and agricultural intensification. The two approaches were evaluated; potential costs and benefits of these approaches ...

Background

Over the past 100 years, more than 60 percent of world’s wetlands have been destroyed as people search for land to settle on, farm, and establish other types of business investments. Currently, wetlands cover 6 percent of the world’s surface providing a wide array of environmental services, including soil erosion control, water storage and filtration, a buffer against flooding, biodiversity maintenance, nutrient recycling, nursery for fisheries, and carbon storage among others.

However, destruction and drainage of these ecosystems has led to large amounts of carbon emissions equivalent to 40 tons of carbon per hectare per year for degraded swamp ...