Landwell

The agricultural sector through its management of a large share of all agricultural and semi-natural landscapes in Norway produces a broad range of ecosystem goods and services (EG&S), of potentially great importance for society. EG&S from these areas include provisioning services (food and food security), regulating services (e.g. carbon sequestration) and a range of cultural services and goods such as landscape aesthetics, tourism and recreation, nature and biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage, in addition to human health and welfare.

Agriculture is quite exposed to climate conditions and climate change exerts accelerating pressures on agricultural and semi-natural landscapes and on their delivery of EG&S. While some positive effects of climate change for agricultural production in Norway are expected (growing season), negative effects of increasing frequencies of extreme weather events, especially increased rainfall and associated floods and landslides, summer droughts and fires, vegetation damage in winters, and even risks of plant diseases and pests, are likely to accelerate over time.

The primary objective of LANDWELL is to the assess the impacts of climate change on the most important welfare effects of market and non-market ecosystem goods and services from agricultural and semi-natural landscapes on the national and regional scales in Norway, and for associated food and tourism industries and livelihoods in selected rural communities.

The key research questions LANDWELL seeks to answer are:

• What are the most likely, important climate impacts on EG&S from agricultural and semi-natural landscapes in Norway?
• What are the resulting climate-induced welfare impacts in Norway and how are they distributed?
• What are the local economic and wider consequences for associated industries and livelihoods of selected, rural communities?

Funder: Norwegian research council (project number 315990)

Period: 2021-2025