The impacts of land use change on key ecosystem services

There is increasing awareness of the important benefits that ecosystems provide and growing concern that these ecosystem services are being degraded as a result of human activities. This was the subject of a recent study by Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), in collaboration with Alterra, for DG Environment. The study examined the potential impacts of land use change to 2030 on four land services, namely food production, water (retention and quality), soil carbon and biodiversity. In particular, it focussed on the impacts of four pressures: soil sealing, habitat fragmentation, agricultural intensification/marginalisation and the loss of permanent grassland.
http://www.ieep.eu/newsletter/newsletter7.php