Agricultural systems as well as other ecosystems generate ecosystem services, i.e., societal benefits from
ecological processes. These services include, for example, nutrient reduction that leads to water quality
improvements in some wetlands and climatic regulation through recycling of precipitation in rain
forests. While agriculture has increased ‘provisioning’ ecosystem services, such as food, fiber and timber
production, it has, through time, substantially impacted other ecosystem services. Here we review the
trade-offs among ecosystem services that have been generated by agriculture-induced changes to water
quality and quantity in downstream aquatic systems, wetlands and terrestrial systems. We highlight
emerging issues that need urgent attention in research and policy making. We identify three main
strategies by which agricultural water management can deal with these large trade-offs: (a) improving
water management practices on agricultural lands, (b) better linkage with management of downstream
aquatic ecosystems, and (c) paying more attention to how water can be managed to create
multifunctional agro-ecosystems. This can only be done if ecological landscape processes are better
understood, and the values of ecosystem services other than food production are also recognized.
Agricultural systems as well as other ecosystems generate ecosystem services, i.e., societal benefits fromecological processes. These services include, for example, nutrient reduction that leads to water qualityimprovements in some wetlands and climatic regulation through recycling of precipitation in rainforests. While agriculture has increased ‘provisioning’ ecosystem services, such as food, fiber and timberproduction, it has, through time, substantially impacted other ecosystem services. Here we review thetrade-offs among ecosystem services that have been generated by agriculture-induced changes to waterquality and quantity in downstream aquatic systems, wetlands and terrestrial systems. We highlightemerging issues that need urgent attention in research and policy making. We identify three mainstrategies by which agricultural water management can deal with these large trade-offs: (a) improvingwater management practices on agricultural lands, (b) better linkage with management of downstreamaquatic ecosystems, and (c) paying more attention to how water can be managed to createmultifunctional agro-ecosystems. This can only be done if ecological landscape processes are betterunderstood, and the values of ecosystem services other than food production are also recognized.
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