WC132 SeptOct 2023 - Magazine - Page 25
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management practices; bioenergy
solutions, such as using manure and
Working landscapes merge human activity
food waste in bioreactors to produce
with ecological preservation for economic and
renewable energy and fertilizer; and
wetland restoration and protection.
environmental harmony.
While it is well established that each
of these solutions has the potential to
reduce greenhouse emissions, there
is relatively little known regarding
which solutions will work best in what location to
maximize benefits for both climate and water.
Conservation agriculture holds great promise as a
beneficial land management approach. Practices like
reduced tillage, diversified crop rotations, and cover
crops offer significant co-benefits such as enhanced
crop productivity, soil health improvement, and increased carbon storage. However, implementing these
practices requires substantial investments of time and
resources. Furthermore, not all practices yield equal
results at every location, necessitating further research
to comprehend the full range of trade-offs and determine the most suitable practices for different farms.
“It is important to evaluate the net benefits derived
from these practices, including their impact on
nitrous oxide emissions, a significant greenhouse gas.
This information is necessary to evaluate potential
and climate objectives to create a win-win scenario.
net-zero roadmaps for agriculture,” says co-investigator Claudia Wagner-Riddle, with University of
The third set of solutions focuses on wetlands
Guelph, and internationally acclaimed expert on
which often play a key role in reducing water pollution from agricultural runoff. These ecosystems
greenhouse gas emissions. “This project provides an
improve water quality by removing nutrients from
opportunity to do so by collaborating with a multidisciplinary team.”
surface water and capturing them in the sediment
“These days, bioenergy is widely discussed as a
and plants, or releasing them as a gas to the atmosphere. Wetlands are also commonly recognized for
potential climate solution,” explains Basu. “Livestock
providing numerous other benefits to people and namanure is one of the primary contributors to water
ture. They can store large amounts of carbon, support
and air pollution from working landscapes. But if we
biodiversity, provide vital habitat for various species,
can find ways to convert the excess nutrients from
protect communities from flooding, and maintain
manure into biogas, we can effectively reduce greenhouse emissions while generating renewable energy.
minimal water levels during droughts.
Simultaneously, this process can help mitigate water
“At the same time, we know wetlands emit greenhouse gasses, notably methane, which is a highly
pollution caused by the land application of excess
potent greenhouse gas,” says Pascal Badiou, project
manure.”
partner and research scientist for Ducks Unlimited
Nevertheless, the feasibility of large-scale biogas
Canada. “Governments around the world and in
adoption in the Great Lakes and Prairie regions
Canada have regularly struggled to adequately protect
remains uncertain. To address this knowledge gap,
and restore wetlands because other land uses have
SOLUTIONSCAPES will develop spatial models
been viewed as being more economically viable, such
that provide blueprints for identifying the optimal
as urban development and agriculture.”
locations of biodigesters across the landscape, considering economic feasibility as well as water quality
SOLUTIONSCAPES will explicitly consider
and greenhouse gas emissions. In other words, we are
the synergies and tradeoffs associated with wetland
looking for opportunities where the addition of bioprotection and restoration (e.g., phosphorus removal
digesters on the landscape can advance multiple water
or higher methane emissions) to identify areas on the
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