E
cosystem
servicesdelivered
Provisioning
Regulation & maintenance
Cultural
Abiotic
C
ontribution
topolicyobjectives
Water Framework Directive
Floods Directive
Birds & Habitats Directive
2020 Biodiversity Strategy
P
otential
biophysicaleffects
Runoff
Reducing pollution
Soil conservation
Habitat
Climate Change
High
Low
Medium
None
Studies in Canada show that traditional terracing can
reduce runoff
by 25% of growing season rainfall; tests in Italy resulted in an increase of runoff storage by 50%. These
impacts contribute to reducing flood risk in areas of high slopes. The reduction in runoff and greater infiltration rates also indicate a benefit for the filtration of pollutants.
Traditional terracing has a significant impact on
controlling erosion and sediment
loss. Thanks to maintenance of the existing terrace walls, soil loss reduction can reach
19t/ha/yr (Canada) to 61.6t/ha/yr (Malaysia), which is more than 95% in both cases. Traditional terracing thus contributes to improving the hydromorphology status of surface
water, and preventing status deterioration by reducing consequent sediment delivery.
Traditional terracing provides a better protection for ecosystems and makes agriculture more sustainable by maintaining soil cover of slopes and reducing impacts from runoff.
Preservation of traditional terracing can protect the established biodiversity associated with that system.
Traditional terracing finally contributes to the cultural
heritage and landscape
character of some areas. Abandonment and subsequent disrepair is the main risk to this measure.
This may also result in homogenisation of these landscapes.
