Ecosystem services lost to oil and gas in North America. Net primary production reduced in crop and rangelands

Abstract

voir aussi http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150429094832.htm#.VUIcgCxCoos.email Researchers have conducted the first-ever broad-scale scientific assessment of how oil and gas development transforms landscapes across the US and Canada. We estimate that vegetation removal by oil and gas development from 2000 to 2012 reduced NPP by ~4.5 Tg of carbon or 10 Tg of dry biomass across central North America (see the chart on page 402, left).it is likely that NPP loss and its effects (i.e., further loss of forage) will continue to parallel drilling trends and, potentially, may create unforeseen conflicts among agriculture, conservation, and energy. We estimate that the land area occupied by well pads, roads, and storage facilities built from 2000 to 2012 is ~3 million ha, the equivalent land area of three Yellowstone National Parks