Registration 9:45-10:30 am – Friday 23rd Sept at Oxford Martin School

A meeting of the British Ecological Society’s Agricultural Ecology and Forest Ecology special interest groups, co-sponsored by Earthwatch Institute and the Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests.

University of Oxford, Oxford Martin School, 23rd September 2016

Abandonment of marginally productive land is taking place at an unprecedented scale worldwide. This rapid form of land-use change has uncertain implications for ecosystem services, including carbon storage and water regulation, nitrogen cycling and soil integrity. Rewilding has been identified as an conservation opportunity for abandoned agricultural land, but such initiatives may have uncertain outcomes for the biodiversity and cultural heritage of semi-natural landscapes, which often have an ancient human management legacy.

The meeting will present evidence around the opportunities and risks of these land-use changes for former agricultural landscapes. Our debate will identify how the greatest benefits of agricultural abandonment can be realised, while identifying areas where this process has the potential to cause environmental harm. The meeting will encourage dialogue towards developing a new framework to identify and protect such vulnerable areas from future changes.

Registration: http://bit.ly/1rykUsc

More info: ajones@earthwatch.org.uk

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