Key Issues Regarding Impact of Agriculture on Environment

1
Key Issues Regarding Impact of Agriculture on
Environment

• Soil Quality and Erosion
• Water Quality and Scarcity
• Air Quality
• Biodiversity
• Landscape and Cultural Heritage

2
Soil

• Erosion is natural process but human activity
  can cause the process to accelerate.
• Slow it down by implementing conservation
  methods, retaining hedgerows, not overgrazing
  land.
• Irelands risk low vs Spain other Mediterranean
  countries.
• Soil Quality affected by overgrazing and use of
  fertilizers and pesticides.

3
Water

• Scarcity due to over abstraction
• 47 of Europes total land is used for
  agriculture.
• Main agricultural input (irrigation etc.)
• Climate change in Southern Europe.
• Quality issues related largely to pesticide and
  fertilizer use.
• Fish kills and contamination of drinking water.
• Nitrate measure General decrease in Europe but
  significant increase in Ireland.
• Nitrates Directive limit on amount applied to
  land

4
Air

• Acid Rain
• Caused by nitrogen oxide and ammonia emissions.
• Acidification of freshwater
• Eutrophication of marine ecosystems
• Europe general decrease in ammonia emissions
• Ireland slight increase
• Greenhouse Effect
• Methane (cattle) and Nitrous Oxides (nitrogen
  based fertilizers).
• Ireland share GHGs attributed to agriculture
  fell by 7 between 1990-2003, but still 3 times
  EU average.
• Agenda 2000 and Kyoto Protocol Agreement

5
Biodiversity

• Causes direct habitat loss or degradation of
  habitats
• Forest management can have negative impact.
• WWF Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 1999.
• Predicts loss of up to 50 of worlds species by
  2050.
• Birdlife International
• 43 of bird species have unfavourable
  conservation statuses.
• EU
• Large number of animal species classified between
  critically endangered and vulnerable.
• Legislation is in place allowing the protection
  of endangered species, but many are not protected
  at European level.

6
Final Remarks

• Ireland
• Inappropriate use of fertilizers.
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Europe not so clear.
• Forward looking?
• Water scarcity climate change and weather
  volatility
• Soil and Landscape increased production of
  biofuels from energy crops
• Tourism in new member states implications for
  water quality, soil, wildlife and landscape.