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Rural land systems both support and hinder the Sustainable Development Goals across Europe

Nicholas, Kimberly A. LU orcid and Scown, Murray LU (2024) In Communications Earth and Environment 5(1).
Abstract

Achieving sustainable rural land systems, including farms and forestry, is essential to achieve the European Union’s goal of fair and healthy food systems while becoming climate-neutral and halting biodiversity loss. Here we quantitatively assess the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of rural land systems in Europe using spatial hotspot analyses based on 15 environmental and 9 social sustainability indicators from the European Sustainable Development Goals and the Common Agricultural Policy. We find high subsidy support for under-performing sustainability areas and low sustainability performance in areas producing the most calories. However, we identified two brightspots with good environmental and socioeconomic performance... (More)

Achieving sustainable rural land systems, including farms and forestry, is essential to achieve the European Union’s goal of fair and healthy food systems while becoming climate-neutral and halting biodiversity loss. Here we quantitatively assess the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of rural land systems in Europe using spatial hotspot analyses based on 15 environmental and 9 social sustainability indicators from the European Sustainable Development Goals and the Common Agricultural Policy. We find high subsidy support for under-performing sustainability areas and low sustainability performance in areas producing the most calories. However, we identified two brightspots with good environmental and socioeconomic performance (Nordics and Central Europe), and five dragspots hindering sustainability: the Balkans, the Lowlands, Northern Italy, Southern Italy and Malta, and Southern Spain. Redirecting support to reward social and environmental benefits from land use can help achieve sustainability goals.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Communications Earth and Environment
volume
5
issue
1
article number
692
publisher
Springer Nature
external identifiers
  • scopus:85209799692
ISSN
2662-4435
DOI
10.1038/s43247-024-01736-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
76f8e73b-28a2-437a-b946-62f6e5c27daa
date added to LUP
2025-01-09 09:17:10
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:19:13
@article{76f8e73b-28a2-437a-b946-62f6e5c27daa,
  abstract     = {{<p>Achieving sustainable rural land systems, including farms and forestry, is essential to achieve the European Union’s goal of fair and healthy food systems while becoming climate-neutral and halting biodiversity loss. Here we quantitatively assess the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of rural land systems in Europe using spatial hotspot analyses based on 15 environmental and 9 social sustainability indicators from the European Sustainable Development Goals and the Common Agricultural Policy. We find high subsidy support for under-performing sustainability areas and low sustainability performance in areas producing the most calories. However, we identified two brightspots with good environmental and socioeconomic performance (Nordics and Central Europe), and five dragspots hindering sustainability: the Balkans, the Lowlands, Northern Italy, Southern Italy and Malta, and Southern Spain. Redirecting support to reward social and environmental benefits from land use can help achieve sustainability goals.</p>}},
  author       = {{Nicholas, Kimberly A. and Scown, Murray}},
  issn         = {{2662-4435}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Nature}},
  series       = {{Communications Earth and Environment}},
  title        = {{Rural land systems both support and hinder the Sustainable Development Goals across Europe}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01736-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s43247-024-01736-6}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}