Pastureland Conservation Effects Assessment Project: Status and expected outcomes

The economic and environmental value of pastureland can be realized through sustainable land management and animal production practices that support livelihoods and provide multiple ecosystem services. To fully realize multiple ecosystem benefits of soil C sequestration, GHG mitigation, nutrient cycling, and water conservation, pasturelands must be valued as a land use equivalent to other agricultural land uses (Steiner and Franzluebbers 2009). CEAP facilitates the development of a focused national network of USDA ARS and land grant university research locations in partnership with USDA NRCS to address conservation issues on pastureland. Meeting CEAP research objectives will provide quantitative understanding of the environmental outcomes of conservation practices on pastureland. This strong scientific basis will facilitate the development of comprehensive erosion control, nutrient management, and conservation planning technologies, which will in turn reduce environmental impacts from pastureland and provide a foundation for future work.