Conservation could take cue from economy: Target your investments

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AMES, Iowa -- Can targeting your investments work for conservation as well as economics? Such an approach not only is possible, but also may be more effective when it comes to conservation practices on Iowa's landscape.

A team of Iowa State University researchers is making the economic and environmental case for deploying a portfolio of conservation practices on the land. The goal of the group, supported by the Ecology Initiative at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, is to encourage the strategic use of trees, prairies and other perennials in key parts of the landscape in a way that will result in multiple environmental benefits while causing only a small change in overall agricultural production.

This group has outlined the case in a four-color, peer-reviewed Leopold Center publication, A Targeted Conservation Approach for Improving Environmental Quality. The publication is available from Iowa State University Extension's Online Store, www.extension.iastate.edu/store (search for PMR-1002).

"Not all portions of agricultural landscapes are equally suited to protecting or enhancing environmental quality," said Lisa Schulte Moore, an assistant professor in Natural Resource Ecology and Management who coordinated the publication project. "Of course, we need to maintain the conservation practices we already have, but in this economic climate we also need to be strategic in our efforts to establish new practices where they will have the most impact, such as on land that is marginal for producing commodity crops."

The conservation practices explored by the research team also bring economic opportunities — for hunting leases when wildlife habitat is improved; for switchgrass and trees in emerging carbon and biomass markets; and for agroforestry niche products such as medicinal and culinary herbs.

More importantly, the conservation practices result in major environmental benefits: clean air and water, productive soils, diverse wildlife and plant habitat, and biological controls for crop protection.

The team is leading a multi-year research project at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Jasper County and on nearby private farms. Their work on this project and others confirm multiple environmental benefits from conservation practices that put perennials on the landscape. Here is how those practices contribute to each environmental benefit.

Air quality: Perennial buffers capture airborne particulates and reduce odor transport from livestock production facilities.

Water quality and quantity: Iowa's many streams and rivers provide a way that nutrients, sediment and herbicides are transported from farm fields, but not all agricultural areas contribute equally to water quality degradation. Conservation practices need to be part of a larger system that considers water transport throughout entire watersheds, from upland areas to streams.

Soil quality: Conservation practices can improve soil quality, especially the use of perennial vegetation, by increasing organic matter in the soil. Improved filtration also can reduce flooding and sediment loss.

Reduced inputs: Perennial forage crops like clover and alfalfa used in rotations with annual crops like corn and soybean can maintain or increase production, while reducing needs for purchased inputs. Forage crops also can be used to reduce erosion, increase rainfall infiltration, and maintain or improve soil quality.

Carbon sequestration: Compared to annual crops, perennial plants take up and store greater amounts of carbon dioxide in their plant bodies, especially roots. Incorporating perennials into agricultural landscapes represents one of the most effective means of minimizing the negative impacts of agriculture on climate change.

Habitat: There are strong links between farmland biodiversity and vegetative cover. Likewise, there are ways to promote these habitats in agricultural landscapes by protecting native ecosystems where they remain, creating contiguous patches of native vegetation, and through in-field and edge-of field management.

Biological control and pollination: Conservation practices can provide habitat for more than just the highly visible wildlife, but also for the many small insects that are essential for pest suppression and pollination.

Schulte Moore said that although many Iowans recognize the benefits of soil and water conservation practices, efforts need to be broadened due to changing agricultural markets and new pressures on the environment.

"We have a box full of great tools — conservation tillage, grass waterways, field borders, contour buffers, riparian buffers and filters," she said. "But we also need to adopt a landscape view, use more native plants, build wetlands at the end of tile lines, expand our use of cover crops, and create new markets and policies that help landowners adopt these practices where they will do the most good."

Joining Schulte Moore on the team is Leopold Center Ecology Initiative leader Jeri Neal and members from these ISU departments and organizations: Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering: Matt Helmers; Agricultural Education: Nancy Grudens-Schuck; Center for Agricultural and Rural Development: Cathy Kling; Entomology: Matt O'Neal; Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair of Sustainable Agriculture: Matt Liebman; Iowa Water Center: Rick Cruse; Iowa Geological Survey: Keith Schilling; Natural Resource Ecology and Management: Heidi Asbjornsen, John Tyndall and David Williams; Sociology: J. Gordon Arbuckle, Jr; USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Lab: Cynthia Cambardella and Mark Tomer; U.S. Forest Service: Randy Kolka; and Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge: Pauline Drobney. 

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The Leopold Center was established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act as a research and education center at Iowa State University to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. Iowa State does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

This page was found at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/04-23-2009/conservation-could-take-cue-economy-target-your-investments on 01/21/2013