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
Potential improvements in soil physical properties (compaction, bulk density) resulting from reduced livestock numbers can lead to
decrease runoff rates
through both reduced
surface flow (-50%) and greater infiltration (+400%). Catchment level changes in livestock management together with other measures would thus contribute to flood risk reduction.
Increased vegetation cover and improved soil structure would result in smaller areas of bare soil; this would reduce the risk of
erosion
and consequent sediment delivery, thus
improving the hydromorphology status of surface water and providing better protection for ecosystems.
Reduced stocking densities would directly reduce the output from fields but that might be offset at the broader farm level through increased use of housing.
Pollutants loads
at the field scale may be both reduced by lower livestock numbers and increased filtration due to greater vegetation and infiltration. This contributes to preventing water status
deterioration.
Reduced stocking density can improve sustainability particularly with respect to
soil quality.
However, if the viability of livestock production in marginal areas is reduced there
may be a risk of
land abandonment
with negative environmental impacts, such as risks to traditional biodiversity.
