1. Ecosystem service supply and vulnerability to global change in Europe
- Author
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Schroter, Dagmar, Cramer, Wolfgang, Leemans, Rik, Prentice, I. Colin, Araujo, Miguel B., Arnell, Nigel W., Bondeau, Alberte, Bugmann, Harald, Carter, Timothy R., Gracia, Carlos A., de la Vega-Leinert, Anne C., Erhard, Markus, Ewert, Frank, Glendining, Margaret, House, Joanna I., Kankaanpaa, Susanna, Klein, Richard J.T., Lavorel, Sandra, Lindner, Marcus, Metzger, Marc J., Meyer, Jeannette, Mitchell, Timothy D., Reginster, Isabelle, Rounsevell, Mark, Sabate, Santi, Sitch, Stephen, Smith, Ben, Smith, Jo, Smith, Pete, Sykes, Martin T., Thonicke, Kirsten, Thuiller, Wilfried, Tuck, Gill, Zaehle, Sonke, and Zierl, Barbel
- Subjects
Europe -- Natural history -- Environmental aspects ,Ecosystems -- Research -- Protection and preservation -- Environmental aspects -- Analysis ,Climatic changes -- Research -- Analysis -- Environmental aspects -- Protection and preservation ,Science and technology - Abstract
Global change will alter the supply of ecosystem services that are vital for human well-being. To investigate ecosystem service supply during the 21st century, we used a range of ecosystem models and scenarios of climate and land-use change to conduct a Europe-wide assessment. Large changes in climate and land use typically resulted in large changes in ecosystem service supply. Some of these trends may be positive (for example, increases in forest area and productivity) or offer opportunities (for example, 'surplus land' for agricultural extensification and bioenergy production). However. many changes increase vulnerability as a result of a decreasing supply of ecosystem services (for example, declining soil fertility, declining water availability, increasing risk of forest fires), especially in the Mediterranean and mountain regions., To sustain a future in which the Earth's life-support systems are maintained and human needs are met, human activities must first be recognized as an integral component of ecosystems (1, [...]
- Published
- 2005