Vision and objectives

SAPES vision is that the scientific knowledge and tools produced by our research environment will be used for guiding the development of a sustainable agriculture where biodiversity and ecosystem services are managed as assets to society. Our integration of knowledge of ecological and socio-economic processes at scales from farms to regions will result in several synergies.

First we determine consequences of agricultural land-use at multiple scales on biodiversity, to understand trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services.

Secondly, interactions among organisms producing ecosystem services are examined, for example between above- and below-ground organisms and different trophic levels.

Thirdly, we explore win-win opportunities for integrating biodiversity conservation with agricultural production to benefit ecosystem services.

Fourthly, land use modelling based on farmers' decision-making under different governance regimes is improved through interaction with stakeholders and mutual learning.

Finally, we combine economic and ecological modelling to value ecosystem services and predict how alternative governance regimes will affect future land use and ecosystem services under different scenarios about the future.

Our interdisciplinary approach integrates the chain governance–land use–landscape structure–biodiversity–ecosystem services, to create state-of-the-art decision support tools to aid adaptive governance of agro-ecosystems.