There are no substitutes for micronutrients which are indispensable for plant growth and the human diet; nevertheless low concentrations of these elements in African soils are looming and a cause for concern. In this PBL study, we determined the potential size of the demand...
A PBL study explores how a lack of soil micronutrients puts countries in Sub-Sahara Africa at risk. A range of metals and minerals is essential to sustainably increase agricultural production. Though needed in small quantities, they are not substitutable in plant growth, and...
The pressure on land is growing in many regions of the world, due to the increasing demand for arable crops, meat and dairy products, bio-energy and timber, and is exacerbated by land degradation and climate change. This policy report provides scenario projections for the...
The occurrence of many species in the EU is expected to further decline, making it difficult to reach the 2050 policy vision. This study elaborates four ‘perspectives’ on the future of nature in the EU, in search for new approaches. The study concludes with topics for debate...
As part of the Openness project, new EU scenarios focusing on natural capital and ecosystem services were developed. These were applied at different regional socio-environmental conditions. Stakeholders evaluated scenarios mostly positive regarding applicability and usefulness.
Reducing hunger while staying within planetary boundaries of pollution, land use and fresh water use is one of the most urgent sustainable development goals. It is imperative to understand future food demand, the agricultural system, and the interactions with other natural...
Phosphorus (P) plays a vital role in global crop production and food security. In this study, we investigate the changes in soil P pool inventories calibrated from historical countrywide crop P uptake, using a 0.5-by-0.5 degree spatially explicit model for the period 1900–2010.
Many high-income countries have experienced excessive nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs from fertilizer and animal manure in crop production in the 1970s and 1980s. Landscapes have a nutrient memory, with soil residual P reserves that can be used by subsequent crops,...
Many lakes around the world suffer from nuisance algal blooms and biodiversity loss, caused by excess nutrient loading. Recent studies indicate that these problems are aggravated by the ongoing global climate change.This urges for reinforcement of eutrophication combatment...
In this paper the P cycle in anthropic systems is analyzed with an original multiscale approach (world region, country, and large basin scales) in two contrasting world regions representative of different trajectories in socioeconomic development for the 1961–2009 period:...
