Work Package 1: State-of-the-art: Connectivity in soil erosion modelling and policy
Objectives
- Survey of how connectivity elements and mitigation strategies are considered in erosion and sediment transport models.
- Determining the state-of-the-art in modelling erosion measures and connectivity and their implementation in national and European policy.
Description of work
Current and frequently-used modelling approaches are reviewed on both i) how connectivity in terms of erosion and sediment transport is conceptually represented and ii) how mitigation strategies are incorporated or implement within those modelling frameworks, respectively. These objectives elaborate how connectivity elements, such as borders of field parcels, land use or linear landscape elements (i.e. roads, ditches, etc.) are considered by the model and how the impacts of mitigation strategies, such as distinct management practices (i.e. tillage, plant cover, etc.), flood detention basins, greening variants (i.e. riparian buffer strips, vegetated water ways) are calculated by the models, respectively. This includes a comparison the modelling approaches that have been applied by the project partner institutions, particularly on how different parameters were chosen, on which data sets those parameters rely and how the different aspects of connectivity were integrated in the modelling approaches. Further, it is evaluated if these frequently-used models are considered to support the design of legal standards. The level of implementation of soil erosion mitigation strategies in the single EU-member states is highlighted to identify backlogs in national policies.
