The agricultural landscape of many parts of the country, particularly the uplands and west, are comprised of a diverse mix of land types of varying capacities for food production and a broad range of ecosystem services. The Burren context presents a unique opportunity to investigate the potential for improved integration where a system for payments for ecosystem services exist alongside developed agricultural markets. In this project we propose to take an ecosystem services modelling approach combined with farm-level bio-economic models to investigate optimal farming systems that maximise the potential of semi-natural and improved agricultural areas of diverse farms. This research is funded through a Teagasc Walsh Fellowship (2020-2024) and is conducted through partnership between GMIT and Teagasc.
Contact: Dr James Moran
