Nutrient Retention and Ecosystem Services of Managed Agricultural Landscapes of the Upper Midwest, USA
Citation:
Forshay, Ken, T. Newcomer-Johnson, S. Shifflett, AND S. Schaff. Nutrient Retention and Ecosystem Services of Managed Agricultural Landscapes of the Upper Midwest, USA. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/600/F-18/384, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Different types of wetlands, such as restored and farmed wetlands, have an important role in maintaining environmental integrity, ecosystem services, and public health. This fact sheet provides an overview of a collaborative research approach being used to measure ecosystem service benefits and tradeoffs by developing partnerships between ORD, Region 7, and Iowa’s stakeholders. Strengthening these relationships is critical to understanding how land management practices in states like Iowa can have both a local impact and an impact on Gulf Coast Hypoxia. This effort is of interest to stakeholders in Iowa, Region 7, and in the Mississippi River Basin.
Description:
The state of Iowa has set an ambitious goal to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loading by 45% and maintain agricultural production while providing critical ecosystem services across these landscapes. As our understanding of the close relationship between agricultural practices and benefits from restored systems improve, interest in the potential ecosystem services derived from landscape depressions, farmed wetlands, and restored wetlands. This fact sheet provides an overview of a collaborative research approach that would measure ecosystem service benefits and tradeoffs by developing partnerships between ORD, Region 7, and Iowa’s stakeholders. Background for the project, state partners, and next steps are discussed.