methods_statement

Grasslands in Germany support a great variety of ecosystem services ranging from climate regulation and water retention to the supply of forage crops for livestock farming. Grasslands are therefore a vital part of the agricultural landscape. However, traditional pasture management, with its benefits for ecosystem service provision, decreases as intensive livestock farming systems rely on protein-rich soy and silage for highly industrialized milk and meat production. GreenGrass aims to halt and reverse this process by developing and implementing new technologies thereby harmonizing livestock farming and the sustainable provision of grassland ecosystem services. In GreenGrass, an interdisciplinary team of scientists works together with partners from practice. GreenGrass integrates pioneering technologies such as virtual herding with drone and satellite remote sensing thereby controlling the animal’s movement in the landscape. Our research group focuses on the integrated analysis of high-resolution Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 time series. We will provide spatially and temporally consistent information on grassland phenology and available biomass resources. Moreover, we will develop novel approaches to analyze the role of grasslands within the wider landscape matrix. Results from satellite and drone remote sensing, and ecological and economical models will be incorporated into a multilevel information system for optimizing pasture management, the provision of ecosystem services, and economic revenue. GreenGrass involves all relevant stakeholders in three regional Living Labs throughout the project. Thereby, GreenGrass ensures to develop innovations and technologies in accordance under real-world conditions and requirements.

Funding

BMBF, FKZ 031B0734I

Project members

Patrick Hostert (principle investigator)

Katja Kowalski (correspondence)