Measuring ecosystem service change: A case study from a northwest Arkansas dairy farm

Land use change is a major driver of ecosystem service change. Urbanization and agricultural activities play substantial roles in altering the state of ecosystem services. This study examined impact of land use change on ecosystem services in a typical agricultural watershed in northwest Arkansas. Biodiversity and ecosystem services – carbon storage, water yield, nutrient cycling – were mapped and quantified for a typical small dairy farm and its watershed for predevelopment (1800) and current (2006) land-use scenarios. Field-level impacts showed that dairy operations resulted in reduced land use change on ecosystem service loss, compared with the overall watershed. The results also indicated substantial change in carbon storage, water yield, and biodiversity; while nutrient cycling showed a low net change. The methodology illustrates the utility of evaluating impact of land management scenarios (historic, current, potential) on ecosystem services at the field and watershed scale, and the need for standard metrics across landscapes.