TALE − Towards multifunctional Agricultural Landscapes in Europe

World-wide increase in human population, market’s globalization, dietary shifts and urbanization are increasing the pressure on natural resources and have become a high priority on the political and scientific agenda. Most of these processes lead to multiple competing demands for land. The resulting demand driven land use changes come at a cost in the form of trade-offs between food or bioenergy production, biodiversity conservation and other ecosystem services (ESS) like clean water, erosion control or soil fertility. Understanding and balancing these trade-offs has a high priority on the policy agenda to promote sustainability and avoid undesirable societal outcomes. By assessing and governing synergies between food production, biodiversity and ecosystem services, TALE will develop related strategies.