A study on type, volume and governance of ecosystem services in Bulgarian farms

Bachev, Hrabrin (2021): A study on type, volume and governance of ecosystem services in Bulgarian farms.

Abstract

The products and the variety of direct and indirect benefits that humans receive from nature and the various ecosystems (agricultural, forest, grass, mountain, river, marine, etc.) are commonly known as ecosystem services. Agricultural ecosystems of different types and their specific “agro-ecosystem” services are among the most widespread in the world. In recent years increasing attention is given to the system of (“good”) governance as a key to achieving public, collective, corporate, and private goals in relation to conservation and improvement of (agro)ecosystem services. Nevertheless, in Bulgaria, like in many other countries, there are few studies on the amount and importance of agro-ecosystem services, and the specific mechanisms, modes, factors, and efficiency of their management. This chapter tries to fill the gap and presents the results of a large-scale study on the structure and governance of diverse ecosystem services of Bulgarian farms. Firstly, it identifies the type, amount, and importance of various (provisional, economic, recreational, aesthetic, cultural, educational, supporting, water and air purification, biodiversity preservation, climate regulation, etc.) ecosystem services maintained and “produced” by the Bulgarian farms of different juridical type, size, specialization, and location. The study has found out that country’s farms provide a great number of essential ecosystem services among which provisioning food and feed, and conservation of elements of the natural environment prevail. Secondly, it identifies and assesses the efficiency and complementarities of specific modes and mechanisms of governance of ecosystem services used by the Bulgarian farms. The study had found out that a great variety of private, market, collective, public and hybrid modes of governance of farm activity related to agroecosystem services are applied. There is significant differentiation of employed managerial forms depending on the type of ecosystem services and the specialization of agricultural holdings. Furthermore, the management of agroecosystem services is associated with a considerable increase in the production and transaction costs of participating farms as well as big socio-economic and environmental effects for agricultural holdings and other parties. The factors that mostly stimulate the activity of Bulgarian agricultural producers for protection of (agro)ecosystems and their services are participation in public support programs, access to farmers' advice, professional training, available information, and innovation received direct subsidies from EU and national government, personal conviction and satisfaction, positive experience of others, long-term and immediate benefits for the farm, and integration with suppliers, buyers, and processors. The suggested holistic and interdisciplinary framework for analyzing the system of management of agro-ecosystem services is to be further extended and improved, and more widely and periodically applied in the future. The latter requires systematic in-depth multidisciplinary research in this new area, as well as the collection of original micro- and macro information on ecosystem survives, and forms, efficiency, and factors of their management. The accuracy of analyzes is to be improved by increasing representativeness through enlarging the number of surveyed farms and related agents, applying statistical methods, special "training" of participants, etc. as well as improving the official system for collecting agricultural, agro-economic, and agri-environmental information in the country.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: ecosystem services, agriculture, type, amount, governance, importance, Bulgaria
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q12 - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q13 - Agricultural Markets and Marketing ; Cooperatives ; Agribusiness; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q14 - Agricultural Finance; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q15 - Land Ownership and Tenure ; Land Reform ; Land Use ; Irrigation ; Agriculture and Environment; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q18 - Agricultural Policy ; Food Policy; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q2 - Renewable Resources and Conservation; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q3 - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics

References

Башев Х. (2009): Управление на услугите на агро-екосистемите, Икономика и управление на селското стопанство No 6, 3-20.

Башев Х. (2012): Ефективност на фермите и аграрните организации, Икономическа мисъл, бр. 4, 46-77.

Башев Х. (2014): Екоуправление в селското стопанство, Икономическа мисъл, бр.1, 29-55.

Башев Х. (2015): Подход за оценка на устойчивостта на земеделските стопанства, сп.Икономика и управление на селското стопанство, 3, 12-36.

Башев Х. (2018): Въздействие На Пазарните, Частните, Колективните И Хибридните Форми На Управление Върху Аграрната Устойчивост В България, Икономика 21 8 (2), 131-176.

Башев Х., Б. Иванов, Д. Тотева (2019): Оценка на устойчивостта на основните подотрасли на българското селско стопанство, Икономика и управление на селското стопанство, 2, 34-50.

Башев Х., Б. Иванов, Д. Тотева (2019): Оценка на социално-икономическата и екологична устойчивост на аграрните екосистеми в България, Икономическа мисъл, бр.2, 33-56.

Башев Х., Б. Иванов, Д. Митова, П. Маринов, К. Тодорова, А. Митов (2020): ПОДХОД ЗА ОЦЕНКА НА УПРАВЛЕНИЕТО НА УСЛУГИТЕ НА АГРОЕКОСИСТЕМИТЕ В БЪЛГАРИЯ, ИАИ – София.

Башев Х. (2020): ПОДХОД ЗА АНАЛИЗ И УСЪВЪРШЕНСТВАНЕ НА УПРАВЛЕНИЕТО НА УСЛУГИТЕ НА АГРО-ЕКОСИТЕМИТЕ, Икономика и управление на селското стопанство, бр. 3, 27-48.

Башев Х. (2020): ДЕФИНИРАНЕ, АНАЛИЗИРАНЕ И УСЪВЪРШЕНСТВАНЕ НА УПРАВЛЕНИЕТО НА УСЛУГИТЕ НА АГРО-ЕКОСИТЕМИТЕ, Икономическа мисъл, бр. 4, 3-30.

Башев Х., Б. Иванов, Д. Митова, И. Боевски, П. Маринов, А. Саров, Д. Цвяткова, К. Костенаров, Д. Ванев (2021): МЕХАНИЗМИ И ФОРМИ НА УПРАВЛЕНИЕ НА АГРОЕКОСИСТЕМНИТЕ УСЛУГИ В БЪЛГАРИЯ, ИАИ.

ИАОС (2020): Екосистеми и екосистемни услуги, Изпълнителната агенция по околна среда (ИАОС).

Йорданов Я., Д. Михалев, В. Василев, С. Братанова- Дончева, К. Гочева, Н. Чипев (2017): Методика за оценка и картиране на състоянието на земеделските екосистеми и техните услуги в българия, ИАОС.

Казакова Я. (2016): Земеделие с висока природна стойност (обучение, иновации, знания), УНСС.

Недков С. (2016): КОНЦЕПЦИЯ ЗА Екосистемни услуги, Презентация, работна среща 31 май 2016г.

Николов С. (2018): Екосистемни услуги и тяхното оценяване – кратък преглед, Journal of the Bulgarian Geographical Society, Volume 39, 51–54.

Тодорова К. (2017): Управление на риска от наводнения чрез екосистемни услуги от земеделските стопанства, Дисертация, УНСС.

WWF (2019): Екосистемите и техните „услуги”, WWF.

Чипев Н., Св. Братанова - Дончева, К. Гочева, М. Жиянски, М. Мондешка, Я. Йорданов, И. Апостолова, Д. Сопотлиева, Н. Велев, Е. Рафаилова, Й. Узунов, В. Карамфилов, Радка Фикова, Ст. Вергиев (2017): Методологична рамка за оценка и картиране на състоянието на екосистемите и екосистемните услуги в българия ръководство за мониторинг на състоянието и развитието на екосистемите и екосистемните услуги, ИАОС.

Adhikari B. and G. Boag (2013): Designing payments for ecosystem services schemes: some considerations, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2013, 5:72–77.

Allen J., J.y DuVander, I. Kubiszewski, E. Ostrom (2011): Institutions for Managing Ecosystem Services Solutions, Vol. 2, 6, 44-49.

Baba A., G Tayfur, O Gunduz, K Howard, M Friedel, A Chambel (2011): Climate Change and its Effects on Water Resources, Issues of National and Global Security, Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Bachev H. (2000): Bulgarian Experience in Transformation of Farm Structures, Farm Management and Rural Planning, 181-196.

Bachev H. (2002): Study on land supply in Bulgarian farms, Farm Management and Rural Planning 3, 189-203.

Bachev H. (2004): Governing of Finance Supply in Bulgarian Farms, MPRA & SSRN.

Bachev H. (2006): Governing of Bulgarian Farms–Modes, Efficiency, Impact of EU Accession, in Agriculture in the Face of Changing Markets, Institutions and Policies: Challenges and Strategies, IAMO, 133-149.

Bachev H. (2007): Governing of Agrarian Sustainability, ICFAI Journal of Environmental Law 6 (2), 7-25.

Bachev H. (2009): Governing of Agro-ecosystem Services. Modes, Efficiency, Perspectives, VDM Verlag.

Bachev H. (2010): Governance of Agrarian Sustainability, New York: Nova Science Publisher.

Bachev H. (2009): Mechanisms of governance of sustainble development, Journal of Applied Economic Sciences (JAES) 4 (08), 169-184.

Bachev H (2011): Management of Agro-Ecosystem Services: Framework of Analysis, Case of Bulgaria, in J. Daniels (editor), Advances in Environmental Research. Vol. 17, New York: Nova Science, 119-164.

Bachev H (2011): Water governance in Bulgarian agriculture, in Climate Change and its Effects on Water Resources, Springer, 215-224.

Bachev H. (2012): Governing of Agro-Ecosystem Services in Bulgaria, in A. Rezitis (editor), Research Topics in Agricultural and Applied Economics, Vol. 3, Bentham Science Publisher, 94-129.

Bachev H. (2012): Competitiveness of Bulgarian farms in conditions of EU CAP implementation, SSRN &MPRA.

Bachev H. (2014): Environmental management in agriculture, Economic Tought, Икономическа мисъл, 1, 56-79.

Bashev H. (2016): Defining and assessment of the sustainability of farms, Economic Studies Journal, 158-188.

Bachev H. (2017): Socio-economic and environmental sustainability of Bulgarian farms, Agricultural and resource economics: international scientific e-journal, 3 (2), 5-21.

Bachev H. (2018): The Sustainability of Farming Enterprises in Bulgaria, Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Bachev H. (2018): Institutional environment and climate change impacts on sustainability of Bulgarian agriculture, Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 24 (4), 523-536.

Bachev H. (2020): Defining, analyzing and improving the governance of agroecosystem services, Economic Thought, 4, 31-55.

Bachev H. (2020): Defining, analyzing and improving the governance of agroecosystem services, Economic Thought, 4, 31-55.

Bachev H. (2020): Understanding and improving the governance of ecosystem services: The case of agriculture, Journal of Economics Bibliography, Volume 7, Issue 3, 170-195.

Bachev H. (2020): Understanding, evaluating and improving the system of governance of agro-ecosystem service, Exploratory Environmental Science Research,Vol.1, Issue 1, 96-114.

Bachev H. (2020): About the Governance of Agro-ecosystem Services, Open Journal of Economics and Commerce, Volume 3, Issue 1, 24-36.

Bachev H. (2021): A Study on Amount and Importance of Ecosystem Services from Bulgarian Agriculture, Journal of Business Analytics and Data Visualization, Volume-2, Issue-1, 7-27.

Bachev H. (2021): MODES OF GOVERNANCE FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN BULGARIAN FARMS, Икономически изследвания, Economic Studies, Volume 30 (8),145-174.

Bachev H. (2021): Agro-ecosystem services management of Bulgarian farms, Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 27 (No 6) 2021, 1023–1038.

Bachev H., M Tsuji (2001): Governing of Agrarian Transactions, Management and Rural Planning II, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 185-202.

Bachev H., T. Nanseki (2008): Risk Governance in Bulgarian Dairy Farming, paper presented at the 12th Congress of the European Association of Agricultural Economists “People, Food and Environments–Global Trends and European Strategies”, 26-29 August 2008, Ghent.

Bachev H., T. Nanseki (2008): Risk governance in Bulgarian dairy farming, MPRA.

Bachev H., T. Nanseki (2007): Environmental management in Bulgarian agriculture–risks, modes, major challenges, Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture of Kyushu University 53, 363-373.

Bachev H., F Ito (2014): Implications of Fukushima Nuclear Disaster for Japanese Agri-food Chains, International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics 2 (1), 95-120.

Bachev H. and D. Terziev (2018): A study on agrarian sustainability impact of governance modes in Bulgaria, Journal of Applied Economic Sciences 13 (1).

Bachev H. and D. Terziev (2019): Sustainability of Agricultural Industries in Bulgaria, Journal of Applied Economic Sciences, Volume 14, Issue 1.

Bachev H., B.Ivanov and A.Sarov (2020): Unpacking Governance Sustainability of Bulgarian Agriculture, Икономически изследвания, 6, 106-137.

Bachev H., B.Ivanov, A. Sarov (2020): Why and How to Assess the “Governance” Aspect of Agrarian Sustainability ­ The Case of Bulgaria, Agricultural Research Updates. Volume 30, Editors P. Gorawala and S. Mandhatri, Nova Science Publisher, 49-104.

Bachev H. (2021): Assessing and Improving the Governance of Agroecosystem Services, P. Gorawala, S. Mandhatri (Editors) Agricultural Research Updates. Volume 33, 53-92.

Bachev H., B.Ivanov and A.Sarov (2021): Assessing Governance Aspect of Agrarian Sustainability in Bulgaria, Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2.

Boelee, E. (Editor) (2013): Managing water and agroecosystems for food security, CABI.

De Groot R., Wilson M, Boumans R. (2002): A typology for the description, classification and valuation of ecosystem functions goods services. Ecol Econ 41:393–408.

EEA (2015): Ecosystem services in the EU, European Environment Agency.

FAO (2016): Mainstreaming ecosystem services and biodiversity into agricultural production and management in East Africa, Technical guidance document, FAO.

Fremier A., F. DeClerck, N.Bosque-Pérez, N. Carmona, R, Hill, T. Joyal, L. Keesecker, P. Klos, A. Martínez-Salinas, R. Niemeyer, A. Sanfiorenzo, K. Welsh, J. Wulfhorst (2013): Understanding Spatiotemporal Lags in Ecosystem Services to Improve Incentives, BioScience Vol. 63 No. 6.

Ivanov B., H Bachev (2021): Convergent analysis of waste water practices among EU countries, Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science 27 (2), 289-296.

Gao H., T. Fu, J. Liu, H. Liang and L. Han (2018): Ecosystem Services Management Based on Differentiation and Regionalization along Vertical Gradient, China, Sustainability, 10, 986.

Garbach K., J. Milder, M Montenegroand, F. DeClerck (2014): Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Agroecosystems, Elsevier.

Gemmill-Herren B. (2018): Pollination Services to Agriculture Sustaining and enhancing a key ecosystem service, Routledge.

Grigorova Y. & Kazakova Y. (2008): High Nature Value farmlands: Recognizing the importance of South East European landscapes, Case study report, Western Stara Planina, WWF (EFNCP).

Habib T., S. Heckbert, J. Wilson, A.Vandenbroeck, J. and D. Farr (2016): Impacts of land-use management on ecosystem services and biodiversity: an agent-based modelling approach. PeerJ 4:e2814.

INRA (2017): A framework for assessing ecosystem services from human-impacted ecosystems. EFESE,

Kanianska R. (2019): Agriculture and Its Impact on Land‐Use, Environment, and Ecosystem Services, INTECH.

Laurans Y. and L.Mermet (2014): Ecosystem services economic valuation, decision-support system or advocacy? Ecosystem Services, Vol. 7, 98-105.

Lescourret F., D. Magda, G. Richard, A. Adam-Blondon, M. Bardy, J. Baudry, I. Doussan, B. Dumont, F. Lefèvre, I. Litrico, R. Martin-Clouaire, B. Montuelle, S. Pellerin, M. Plantegenest, E. Tancoigne, A.Thomas, H. Guyomard, J. Soussana (2015): A social–ecological approach to managing multiple agro-ecosystem services, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Vol. 14, 68-75.

Marta-Pedroso C., L. Laporta, I. Gama, T. Domingos (2018): Economic valuation and mapping of Ecosystem Services in the context of protected area management, One Ecosystem 3: e26722,

Munang R., I. Thiaw, K. Alverson, J. Liu and Z. Han (2013): The role of ecosystem services in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5:47–52.

MEA (2005): Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Ecosystems and Human Well-being, Island Press, Washington, DC.

Mykhailova L., N Stoyanets, A Mykhailov, T Kharchenko, H Bachev (2018): Sustainable development of the Ukrainian agrarian sector: perspectives and challenges, Problems and Perspectives in Management, 16, 3, 28-39.

Novikova A., L. Rocchi, V. Vitunskienė (2017): Assessing the benefit of the agroecosystem services: Lithuanian preferences using a latent class approach, Land Use Policy, Vol. 68, 277-286.

Nunes P., P. Kumar, T. Dedeurwaerdere (2014): Handbook on the Economics of Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.

Petteri V., D. D’Amato, M. Forsius, P. Angelstam, C. Baessler, P. Balvanera, B. Boldgiv, P. Bourgeron, J. Dick, R. Kanka, S. Klotz, M. Maass, V. Melecis, P. Petrık, H. Shibata, J. Tang, J. Thompson and S. Zacharias (2013): Using long-term ecosystem service and biodiversity data to study the impacts and adaptation options in response to climate change: insights from the global ILTER sites network, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2013, 5:53–66.

Power, A. (2010): Ecosystem services and agriculture: Tradeoffs and synergies. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 365, 2959–2971.

Scholes R, B. Reyers, R. Biggs, M. Spierenburg and A. Duriappah (2013): Multi-scale and cross-scale assessments of social–ecological systems and their ecosystem services, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5:16–25.

Todorova K. (2017): Adoption of ecosystem-based measures in farmlands – new opportunities for flood risk management, Trakia Journal of Sciences, Vol. 15, 1, 152-157.

Tsiafouli M., E. Drakou, A. Orgiazzi, K. Hedlund and K. Ritz (2017): Optimizing the Delivery of Multiple Ecosystem Goods and Services in Agricultural Systems, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, vol.5, art. 9715

UN (2005). The Millennium Development Goals Report. United Nations, New York.

Van Oudenhoven, A. (2020): Quantifying the effects of management on ecosystem services, https://www.wur.nl/en/show/Quantifying-the-effects-of-management-on-ecosystem-services.htm

Wang S., B. Fu, Y. Wei, C. Lyle (2013): Ecosystem services management: an integrated approach, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5:11–15.

Wood S., D. Karp, F. DeClerck, C. Kremen, S. Naeem, C. Palm (2015): Functional traits in agriculture: agrobiodiversity and ecosystem services, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 1–9.

Zhan J. (Editor) (2015): Impacts of Land-use Change on Ecosystem Services, Springer.