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A conceptual framework for landscape-based environmental risk assessment (ERA) of pesticides

Tarazona, Jose V. ; de Alba-Gonzalez, Mercedes ; Bedos, Carole ; Benoit, Pierre ; Bertrand, Colette ; Crouzet, Olivier ; Dagès, Cécile ; Dorne, Jean Lou CM ; Fernandez-Agudo, Ana and Focks, Andreas , et al. (2024) In Environment International 191.
Abstract

While pesticide use is subject to strict regulatory oversight worldwide, it remains a main concern for environmental protection, including biodiversity conservation. This is partly due to the current regulatory approach that relies on separate assessments for each single pesticide, crop use, and non-target organism group at local scales. Such assessments tend to overlook the combined effects of overall pesticide usage at larger spatial scales. Integrative landscape-based approaches are emerging, enabling the consideration of agricultural management, the environmental characteristics, and the combined effects of pesticides applied in a same or in different crops within an area. These developments offer the opportunity to deliver... (More)

While pesticide use is subject to strict regulatory oversight worldwide, it remains a main concern for environmental protection, including biodiversity conservation. This is partly due to the current regulatory approach that relies on separate assessments for each single pesticide, crop use, and non-target organism group at local scales. Such assessments tend to overlook the combined effects of overall pesticide usage at larger spatial scales. Integrative landscape-based approaches are emerging, enabling the consideration of agricultural management, the environmental characteristics, and the combined effects of pesticides applied in a same or in different crops within an area. These developments offer the opportunity to deliver informative risk predictions relevant for different decision contexts including their connection to larger spatial scales and to combine environmental risks of pesticides, with those from other environmental stressors. We discuss the needs, challenges, opportunities and available tools for implementing landscape-based approaches for prospective and retrospective pesticide Environmental Risk Assessments (ERA). A set of “building blocks” that emerged from the discussions have been integrated into a conceptual framework. The framework includes elements to facilitate its implementation, in particular: flexibility to address the needs of relevant users and stakeholders; means to address the inherent complexity of environmental systems; connections to make use of and integrate data derived from monitoring programs; and options for validation and approaches to facilitate future use in a regulatory context. The conceptual model can be applied to existing ERA methodologies, facilitating its comparability, and highlighting interoperability drivers at landscape level. The benefits of landscape-based pesticide ERA extend beyond regulation. Linking and validating risk predictions with relevant environmental impacts under a solid science-based approach will support the setting of protection goals and the formulation of sustainable agricultural strategies. Moreover, landscape ERA offers a communication tool on realistic pesticide impacts in a multistressors environment for stakeholders and citizens.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Biodiversity, Ecological framework, Functional ecotoxicology, Landscape, Modelling, Pesticide exposure and effects
in
Environment International
volume
191
article number
108999
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85203633084
  • pmid:39276592
ISSN
0160-4120
DOI
10.1016/j.envint.2024.108999
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1b9cda42-180a-4800-9902-f23f0a5ab286
date added to LUP
2024-11-18 12:31:14
date last changed
2025-07-15 21:18:46
@article{1b9cda42-180a-4800-9902-f23f0a5ab286,
  abstract     = {{<p>While pesticide use is subject to strict regulatory oversight worldwide, it remains a main concern for environmental protection, including biodiversity conservation. This is partly due to the current regulatory approach that relies on separate assessments for each single pesticide, crop use, and non-target organism group at local scales. Such assessments tend to overlook the combined effects of overall pesticide usage at larger spatial scales. Integrative landscape-based approaches are emerging, enabling the consideration of agricultural management, the environmental characteristics, and the combined effects of pesticides applied in a same or in different crops within an area. These developments offer the opportunity to deliver informative risk predictions relevant for different decision contexts including their connection to larger spatial scales and to combine environmental risks of pesticides, with those from other environmental stressors. We discuss the needs, challenges, opportunities and available tools for implementing landscape-based approaches for prospective and retrospective pesticide Environmental Risk Assessments (ERA). A set of “building blocks” that emerged from the discussions have been integrated into a conceptual framework. The framework includes elements to facilitate its implementation, in particular: flexibility to address the needs of relevant users and stakeholders; means to address the inherent complexity of environmental systems; connections to make use of and integrate data derived from monitoring programs; and options for validation and approaches to facilitate future use in a regulatory context. The conceptual model can be applied to existing ERA methodologies, facilitating its comparability, and highlighting interoperability drivers at landscape level. The benefits of landscape-based pesticide ERA extend beyond regulation. Linking and validating risk predictions with relevant environmental impacts under a solid science-based approach will support the setting of protection goals and the formulation of sustainable agricultural strategies. Moreover, landscape ERA offers a communication tool on realistic pesticide impacts in a multistressors environment for stakeholders and citizens.</p>}},
  author       = {{Tarazona, Jose V. and de Alba-Gonzalez, Mercedes and Bedos, Carole and Benoit, Pierre and Bertrand, Colette and Crouzet, Olivier and Dagès, Cécile and Dorne, Jean Lou CM and Fernandez-Agudo, Ana and Focks, Andreas and Gonzalez-Caballero, Maria del Carmen and Kroll, Alexandra and Liess, Matthias and Loureiro, Susana and Ortiz-Santaliestra, Manuel E. and Rasmussen, Jes J. and Royauté, Raphaël and Rundlöf, Maj and Schäfer, Ralf B. and Short, Stephen and Siddique, Ayesha and Sousa, José Paulo and Spurgeon, Dave and Staub, Pierre François and Topping, Chris J. and Voltz, Marc and Axelman, Johan and Aldrich, Annette and Duquesne, Sabine and Mazerolles, Vanessa and Devos, Yann}},
  issn         = {{0160-4120}},
  keywords     = {{Biodiversity; Ecological framework; Functional ecotoxicology; Landscape; Modelling; Pesticide exposure and effects}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Environment International}},
  title        = {{A conceptual framework for landscape-based environmental risk assessment (ERA) of pesticides}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108999}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.envint.2024.108999}},
  volume       = {{191}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}