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This study deals with approaches for a social-ecological friendly European bioeconomy based on biomass from industrial crops cultivated on marginal agricultural land. The selected crops to be investigated are: Biomass sorghum, camelina, cardoon, castor, crambe, Ethiopian mustard, giant reed, hemp, lupin, miscanthus, pennycress, poplar, reed canary grass, safflower, Siberian elm, switchgrass, tall wheatgrass, wild sugarcane, and willow. The research question focused on the overall crop growth suitability under low-input management. The study assessed: (i) How the growth suitability of industrial crops can be defined under the given natural constraints of European marginal agricultural lands; and (ii) which agricultural practices are required for marginal agricultural land low-input systems (MALLIS). For the growth-suitability analysis, available thresholds and growth requirements of the selected industrial crops were defined. The marginal agricultural land was categorized according to the agro-ecological zone (AEZ) concept in combination with the marginality constraints, so-called ‘marginal agro-ecological zones’ (M-AEZ). It was found that both large marginal agricultural areas and numerous agricultural practices are available for industrial crop cultivation on European marginal agricultural lands. These results help to further describe the suitability of industrial crops for the development of social-ecologically friendly MALLIS in Europe.

Sustainable biofuels are an important tool for the decarbonisation of transport. This is especially true in aviation, maritime, and heavy-duty sectors with limited short-term alternatives. Their use by conventional transport fleets requires few changes to the existing infrastructure and engines, and thus their integration can be smooth and relatively rapid. Provision of feedstock should comply with sustainability principles for (i) producing additional biomass without distorting food and feed markets and (ii) addressing challenges for ecosystem services, including biodiversity, and soil quality. This paper performs a meta-analysis of current research for low indirect land use change (ILUC) risk biomass crops for sustainable biofuels that benefited either from improved agricultural practices or from cultivation in unused, abandoned, or severely degraded land. Two categories of biomass crops are considered here: oil and lignocellulosic. The findings confirm that there are significant opportunities to cultivate these crops in European agro-ecological zones with sustainable agronomic practices both in farming land and in land with natural constraints (unused, abandoned, and degraded land). These could produce additional low environmental impact feedstocks for biofuels and deliver economic benefits to farmers.

Increasing lignocellulosic feedstock for advanced biofuels can tackle the decarbonization of the transport sector. Dedicated biomass produced alongside food systems with low indirect land use change (iLUC) impact can broaden the feedstock availability, thus streamlining the supply chains. The objective of this study was the design and evaluation of advanced ethanol value chains for the Emilia‐Romagna region based on low iLUC feedstock. Two dedicated lignocellulosic crops (biomass sorghum and sunn hemp) were evaluated in double cropping systems alongside food crop residues (corn stover and wheat straw) as sources to simulate the value chains. A parcel‐level regional analysis was carried out, then the LocaGIStics2.0 model was used for the spatial design and review of the biomass delivery chain options regarding cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the different feedstock mixes. Literature data on bioethanol production from similar feedstocks were used to estimate yields, process costs, and GHG emissions of a biorefinery process based on these biomasses. Within the chain options, GHG emissions were overly sensitive to cultivation input, mostly N‐fertilization. This considered, GHG emissions resulted similar across different feedstock with straw/stover (averaging 13 g CO2eq MJ−1 fuel), sunn hemp (14 g CO2eq MJ−1 fuel), and biomass sorghum (16 g CO2eq MJ−1 fuel). On the other hand, the bioethanol produced from biomass sorghum (608 € Mg−1 of bioethanol) was cheaper compared with straw (632 € Mg−1), sunn hemp (672 € Mg−1), and stover (710 € Mg−1). The bioethanol cost ranged from 0.0017 to 0.020 € MJ−1 fuel depending on the feedstock, with operations and maintenance impacting up to 90% of the final cost. In summary, a single bioethanol plant with an annual capacity of 250,000 Mg of biomass could replace from 5% to 7% of the Emilia‐Romagna's ethanol fuel consumption, depending on the applied sourcing scenario. Increasing lignocellulosic feedstock for advanced biofuels can help decarbonize the transport sector. The study evaluated two dedicated crops (biomass sorghum and sunn hemp) alongside food crop residues (corn stover and wheat straw) to simulate value chains. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were similar across feedstocks (13–16 g CO2eq MJ−1 fuel). Biomass sorghum produced cheaper bioethanol (608 € Mg−1) compared to straw, sunn hemp, and stover. A single bioethanol plant could replace 5%–7% of Emilia‐Romagna's ethanol fuel consumption. Operations and maintenance significantly impacted costs.

In the context of increased pressures on land for food and non‐food production, it is relevant to understand better, which land resources have become unused and abandoned and where these lands are. Data on where these lands are and what their extend is are not collected in regular statistics. In this paper, we present an approach to detect signs of abandonment in cropping land using radar coherence data. The methodology was tested in the Spanish regions of Albacete and Soria where agricultural land abandonment is a common process. The results show that land abandonment detection using radar coherence data works well for the region of Albacete in arable lands. The radar‐based analysis is a relatively simple method to detect land abandonment in an early to longer term state and can therefore be applied once developed and tested further in other regions to larger areas of the EU where land abandonment is serious and needs monitoring and policy response. The applicability of the method to Soria and Emilia Romagna (Italy) regions shows that there are still challenges to overcome to make the method more widely applicable for detecting land abandonment in other environmental zones of Europe. Lack of reliable training and validation data, like Land Parcel Identification Systems data, in regions is one of the challenges in this respect. An approach to detect signs of abandonment in cropping land using radar coherence data is presented and results discussed. Radar based analysis is a relatively cheap method to detect land abandonment in an early to longer term state and can therefore be applied once developed and tested further in other regions to larger areas of the EU where land abandonment is serious and needs monitoring and policy response.

Patches of semi-natural vegetation, encompassing both woody vegetation and grassland, located within larger areas of agricultural land, are acknowledged to play an important role in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service supply. In spite of its relevance, semi-natural vegetation in agricultural land (SENAGRI) has never been mapped at the EU spatial extent. To recover from this information lack, the original contribution of this paper is twofold. First, it delivers the first 1 km resolution continuous map of abundance of SENAGRI features at the EU scale. Second, it provides an EU region-based assessment of the correlation between the SENAGRI map and existing maps of ecosystem service supplies. The proposed mapping system adopts a convergence-of-evidence approach, whose inputs are multi-resolution geospatial information/data sources, like the 25 m resolution satellite Image 2000/Image 2006 mosaics, to be mapped by the fully automatic Spectral Rule-based preliminary Classifier (SRC), and several ancillary classification maps, like the 1 ha-resolution CORINE Land Cover (CLC) 2006 map and the 25 m resolution European Forest 2006 map. Validation of the SENAGRI output map with the Land Use and land Cover Area frame Sampling (LUCAS) 2006 reference data set reveals that the SENAGRI map accuracy is superior to those of the individual classification maps adopted as input. A region-specific analysis at the EU scale shows that: (i) correlation between SENAGRI abundance and regulating ecosystem services is significant (R2 = 0.67) and (ii) almost no correlation is found between SENAGRI abundance and provisioning ecosystem services. Finally, agricultural land in EU regions is parameterized by SENAGRI abundance, provisioning and regulating ecosystem services supply data. These EU region-specific values reveal that, within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), a portfolio of agro-environmental schemes is recommended to ensure agro-ecosystem sustainability, in compliance with the EU Strategy for Biodiversity to 2020 and the targets of the CAP post-2013.

Livestock remains the world's largest user of land and is strongly related to grassland and feed-crop production. Assessments of environmental impacts of livestock farming require detailed knowledge of the presence of livestock, farming practices, and environmental conditions. The present Europe-wide livestock distribution information is generally restricted to a spatial resolution of NUTS 2 (province level). This paper presents a modelling approach to determine the spatial distribution of livestock at the landscape level. Location factors for livestock occurrence were explored and applied to consistent and harmonized EU-wide regional statistics to produce a detailed spatial distribution of livestock numbers. Both an expert-based and an empirical approach were applied in order to disaggregate the data to grid level. The resulting livestock maps were validated. Results differ between the two downscaling approaches but also between livestock types and countries. While both the expert-based and empirical approach are equally suited to modelling herbivores, in general, the spatial distribution of monogastrics can be better modelled by applying the empirical approach.

Carbon neutrality in the transport sector is a key challenge for the growing bioeconomy as the share of biofuels has stagnated over the past decade. This can be attributed to basic economics and a lack of a robust market for these technologies. Consequently, more sustainable biomass supply concepts are required that reduce negative impacts on the environment and at the same time promote environmental services for sustainable agricultural cropping systems including erosion prevention, soil fertility improvement, greenhouse gas mitigation, and carbon sequestration. One promising concept is the cultivation of perennial biomass crops such as Miscanthus (Miscanthus Andersson) as biofuel feedstock. In this study, the multiple environmental services provided by Miscanthus are first explored and subsequently monetized. Then the integration of Miscanthus cultivation for biomass production into European agricultural systems is assessed. One hectare of Miscanthus provides society with environmental services to a value of 1,200 to 4,183 € a−1. These services are even more pronounced when cultivation takes place on marginal agricultural land. The integration of Miscanthus into existing agricultural practices aids both conservation and further optimization of socio‐economic welfare and landscape diversification. As these environmental services are more beneficial to the public than the Miscanthus farmers, subsidies are required to close the gap between biofuels and biodiversity that are calculated based on the provision of environmental services. Similar approaches to that developed in this study may be suitable for the implementation of other biomass cropping systems and therefore help foster the transition to a bioeconomy. Plain Language Summary The transition to a nonfossil transport sector is one of the most difficult and at the same time crucial challenges of the growing bioeconomy. In order to provide enough sustainably sourced biomass for biofuel production, a vast range of requirements need to be fulfilled—first and foremost the use of marginal agricultural land under low‐input conditions. Only in this way is it possible to avoid land use conflicts with food crop cultivation and biodiversity conservation. However, the utilization of marginal agricultural land often entails economic disadvantages for farmers. These financial losses should be compensated for by the public sector, as long as the cropping system provides environmental services such as groundwater protection, climate regulation, moderation of extreme weather events, and habitat functions. Monetizing the environmental services using concrete examples is still uncharted scientific territory; existing promotion concepts must be assessed as underdeveloped. Key Points Environmental services of the perennial lignocellulosic crop Miscanthus were monetized for marginal agricultural land in Germany Monetary value of Miscanthus cultivation accounts for 1,200–4,183 € a−1, three times higher than the value of the raw material for biofuel Monetizing environmental services bridges the gap between biofuels and biodiversity by promoting the use of second generation biofuels

Intensification of farming practices is still a major driver of biodiversity loss in Europe, despite the implementation of policies that aim to reverse this trend. A conceptual framework called MIRABEL was previously developed that enabled a qualitative and expert-based assessment of the impact of agricultural intensification on ecologically valuable habitats. We present a quantitative update of the previous assessment that uses newly available pan-European spatially explicit data on pressures and habitats at risk. This quantitative assessment shows that the number of calcareous grasslands potentially at risk of eutrophication and overgrazing is rapidly increasing in Europe. Decreases in nitrogen surpluses and stocking densities that occurred between 1990 and 2000 have rarely led to values that were below the ecological thresholds. At the same time, a substantial proportion of calcareous grassland that has so far experienced low values for indicators of farming intensification has faced increases between 1990 and 2000 and could well become at high risk from farming intensification in the near future. As such, this assessment is an early warning signal, especially for habitats located in areas that have traditionally been farmed extensively. When comparing the outcome of this assessment with the previous qualitative MIRABEL assessment, it appears that if pan-European data are useful to assess the intensity of the pressures, more work is needed to identify regional variations in the response of biodiversity to such pressures. This is where a qualitative approach based on regional expertise should be used to complement data-driven assessments.

To support progress towards the transition to a circular economy, the ability to measure circularity is essential. The consideration of the role biobased products can play in this transition is however still largely lacking in the current development of circularity monitoring approaches. The first step in coming to a suitable monitoring framework for biobased products is to define circular economy principles. In this paper, specific characteristics of biobased products were considered in defining six circular economy principles for biobased products: (1). Reduce reliance on fossil resources, (2). Use resources efficiently, (3). Valorize waste and residues, (4). Regenerate, (5). Recirculate and (6). Extend the high-quality use of biomass. In order to evaluate the circularity performance of biobased products with respect to these principles, what needs to be measured was defined considering both intrinsic circularity and impact of this circularity. The intrinsic indicators provide a measure of success in implementation of these circularity principles, and the latter impacts of circularity, i.e., impact of closing the loops on accumulation of hazardous substances and impact of circularity on sustainability (environmental, economic and social). Yet, to unlock the potential of a sustainable circular bioeconomy, strong accompanying measures are required.

Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023–27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes. Despite significant research and development (R&D) investment over decades in herbaceous and coppiced woody PBCs, deployment has largely stagnated due to social, economic and policy uncertainties. This paper identifies the challenges in creating policies that are acceptable to all actors. Development will need to be informed by measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other environmental, economic and social metrics. It discusses interlinked issues that must be considered in the expansion of PBC production: (i) available land; (ii) yield potential; (iii) integration into farming systems; (iv) R&D requirements; (v) utilisation options; and (vi) market systems and the socio‐economic environment. It makes policy recommendations that would enable greater PBC deployment: (1) incentivise farmers and land managers through specific policy measures, including carbon pricing, to allocate their less productive and less profitable land for uses which deliver demonstrable greenhouse gas reductions; (2) enable greenhouse gas mitigation markets to develop and offer secure contracts for commercial developers of verifiable low‐carbon bioenergy and bioproducts; (3) support innovation in biomass utilisation value chains; and (4) continue long‐term, strategic R&D and education for positive environmental, economic and social sustainability impacts. Perennial biomass crops (PBCs) can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (2023–27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes. Despite significant research and development (R&D) investment over decades in herbaceous and coppiced woody PBCs, deployment has largely stagnated due to social, economic and policy uncertainties. This paper identifies the challenges in creating policies that are acceptable to all actors and discusses the interlinked issues: (i) available land; (ii) yield potential; (iii) integration into farming systems; (iv) R&D requirements; (v) utilisation options; and (vi) market systems and the socio‐economic environment.