Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
DOI 10.1186/s13750-016-0067-6
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL
The mul i unc ional oles o  ege a ed
s ips a oundand wi hinag icul u al ields. A
sys ema ic map p o ocol
Neal Robe Haddaway1*, Colin B own2, Sönke Egge s3, Jonas Jose sson3, B ian K on ang4, Nicola Randall5
and Jaana Uusi‑Kämppä6
Abs ac
Backg ound: Ag icul u e and ag icul u al in ensi ica ion can ha e signi ican nega i e impac s on he en i onmen ,
including nu ien and pes icide leaching, sp eading o pa hogens, soil e osion and educ ion o ecosys em se ices
p o ided by e es ial and aqua ic biodi e si y. The es ablishmen and managemen o ege a ed s ips adjacen
o a med ields (including a ious ield ma gins, bu e s ips and hedge ows) a e key mi iga ion measu es o hese
nega i e en i onmen al impac s and en i onmen al manage s and o he s akeholde s mus o en make decisions
abou how bes o design and implemen ege a ed s ips o a a ie y o di e en ou comes. Howe e , i may be
di icul o ob ain ele an , accu a e and summa ised in o ma ion on he e ec s o implemen a ion and managemen
o ege a ed s ips, e en hough a as body o e idence exis s on mul ipu pose ege a ed s ip in e en ions wi hin
and a ound ields. To imp o e he si ua ion, we desc ibe a me hod o assembling a da abase o ele an esea ch
ela ing o ege a ed s ips unde aken in bo eo‑ empe a e a ming sys ems (a able, pas u e, ho icul u e, o cha ds
and i icul u e), acco ding o he p ima y ques ion: Wha e idence exis s ega ding he e ec s o ield ma gins on
nu ien s, pollu an s, socioeconomics, biodi e si y, and soil e en ion?
Me hods: We will sea ch 13 bibliog aphic da abases, one sea ch engine and 37 websi es o s akeholde o ganisa‑
ions using a p ede ined and es ed sea ch s ing ha ocuses on a comp ehensi e lis o ege a ed s ip synonyms.
Non‑English language sea ches in Danish, Finnish, Ge man, Spanish, and Swedish will also be unde aken using a
web‑based sea ch engine. We will sc een sea ch esul s a i le, abs ac and ull ex le els, eco ding he numbe o
s udies deemed non‑ ele an (wi h easons a ull ex ). A sys ema ic map da abase ha displays he me a‑da a (i.e.
desc ip i e summa y in o ma ion abou se ings and me hods) o ele an s udies will be p oduced ollowing ull ex
assessmen . The sys ema ic map da abase will be displayed as a web‑based geog aphical in o ma ion sys em (GIS).
The na u e and ex en o he e idence base will be discussed.
Keywo ds: Vege a i e s ip, Bu e s ip, Fil e s ip, Bu e , Ag i‑en i onmen , Ag icul u al policy, Mi iga ion,
Ag icul u al pollu ion, Ag icul u al managemen
© 2016 The Au ho (s). This a icle is dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License
(h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium,
p o ided you gi e app op ia e c edi o he o iginal au ho (s) and he sou ce, p o ide a link o he C ea i e Commons license,
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publicdomain/ze o/1.0/) applies o he da a made a ailable in his a icle, unless o he wise s a ed.
Backg ound
The ecological impac s o ag icul u al in ensi ica ion and
change in Eu ope since he Second Wo ld Wa a e well
documen ed and a ec bo h ag icul u al a eas and hei
su ounding sys ems [1]. Biodi e si y, ai and wa e qual-
i y, soil s uc u e and ecology ha e all been a ec ed [2].
Well-documen ed impac s o ag icul u al de elopmen
include: widesp ead nega i e e ec s o he applica ion
o nu ien s in e ilise s (mine al and o ganic) and ag o-
chemicals on soil, and su ace and g ound wa e quali y
[3], emission o N2O as a po en g eenhouse gas [4], and
nega i e e ec s o pes icides on non- a ge in e eb a e
species [5], bi ds [6] and biological con ol po en ial [7]
Open Access
En i onmen al E idence
*Co espondence: neal.hadda[email p o ec ed];
neal_haddaway@ho mail.com
1 Mis a Council o E idence‑Based En i onmen al Managemen (E iEM),
S ockholm En i onmen Ins i u e, Box 24218, 10451 S ockholm, Sweden
Full lis o au ho in o ma ion is a ailable a he end o he a icle
Page 2 o 11
Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
oge he wi h he loss o ecological he e ogenei y a mul-
iple spa ial and empo al scales [8]. The es ablishmen
and managemen o ege a ed s ips (including ield
ma gins, bu e s ips and hedge ows) a e key mi iga ion
measu es o hese nega i e en i onmen al impac s [9].
De ini ion o  ege a ed s ips
He e, we de ine ege a i e s ips as any ege a ed a ea
se -aside om he main c opping egime wi hin o
a ound a ield, and ins alled o he pu poses o bene i -
ing na i e bio a, wa e and ai quali y, socio-econom-
ics, and yield. Examples o such in e en ions include:
hedge ows, ield ma gins, bu e s ips, bee lebanks and
shel e bel s (Fig.1). Fo he pu poses o his e iew, we
ocus on hose in e en ions ha a e pe manen o semi-
pe manen ix u es in ag icul u al landscapes, and he
in e en ions mus he e o e be in place o longe han
12mon hs (see Inclusion C i e ia o u he de ails).
Vege a ed s ips ha e a mul i- unc ionali y ha co e s
a ange o p ocesses, including p o ec ion o wa e qual-
i y in su ace wa e s, habi a imp o emen , biodi e si y,
shading, ca bon seques a ion, low cap u e, biomass
p oduc ion, landscape di e si y, and socie al se ices
[10]. These p ocesses a e ecognised o occu h ough a
sui e o pa hways ha impac socio-economic and en i-
onmen al ou comes (Fig.2).
Vege a ed s ips andwa e low
Many o he ecosys em se ices p o ided by ege a ed
s ips exis because o a educ ion in wa e low ha
occu s due o he p esence o abo eg ound ege a ion,
oo s and soil complexi y.
As su ace uno passes ac oss ield ma gins, he eloc-
i y o low ends o dec ease in esponse o he ype and
densi y o s ip ege a ion as well as o any changes in
slope. This educ ion o low allows suspended sedi-
men o be deposi ed, which dec eases he anspo o
sedimen and so bed nu ien s and o he con aminan s
beyond he s ip. The educ ion also p o ides po en ial
o in il a ion o wa e in o he s ip, dec easing he o al
olume o uno wa e and he associa ed load o dis-
sol ed con aminan s. The e ec i eness o ege a ed s ips
in educing sedimen anspo o -si e is known o a y
wi h he a io o uno a ea o he a ea o he s ip [11]
as well as wi h o he ac o s including soil ype, opog-
aphy, soil–wa e managemen (such as d ainage pipes),
land use, ain all in ensi y and an eceden mois u e con-
di ions [12]. Fo ins ance, nu ien s and pollu an s may
eadily low h ough ege a ed s ips om he soil su ace
and in o d ainage pipes, pa icula ly in clay soils, h ough
mac opo es, c acks and oo channels. This e ec may be
p e alen on any soil ype whe e hea y ain ollows d y
pe iods. Simila ly, he bene icial low educ ion p ope -
ies o ege a ed s ips can be nega ed ei he whe e he
s ips occu on s eep di ch banks, o whe e s eep chan-
nels allow low o be di e ed a ound he s ips.
E ec s onnu ien s ando he con aminan s
Nu ien s and pes icides a e amongs he mos impo an
p essu es on aqua ic ecosys ems, whe e excess inpu s
may de e io a e ecosys em in eg i y and/o h ea en
d inking wa e esou ces [13, 14]. E en s ongly-so bed
compounds, including aecal pa hogens om li es ock
o slu y e ilise applica ions, can ha m su ace wa e
quali y h ough long-dis ance e osi e uno . Manage-
men o hese pollu an losses akes place bo h h ough
baseline egula ions, and by in oducing c oss compli-
ance o gene al binding ules o p o ec ion o ecei ing
wa e bodies [15]: bo h o con ol a sou ce and locally
a ge ed egula ions using incen i es a high isk con am-
inan pa hways. Bu e s ips a e one o he mos com-
monly applied managemen measu es, and a e mainly
Fig. 1 Illus a ion o he a ie y o ege a ed s ips used wi hin and
a ound ields. In e en ions include: in‑ ield s ips such as bee le‑
banks, hedge ows, o es ed shel e bel s, sh ubs, g assy s ips, and
wild lowe ma gins. Illus a ion: Gunilla Hags öm/Fo m Na ion
Fig. 2 Concep ual model o pa hways o impac o ege a ed s ips
wi hin o a ound ields. Illus a ion: Neal Haddaway
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Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
designed and implemen ed o con ol sedimen , phos-
pho us, ni ogen and pes icide losses o o -si e su ace
wa e s [16, 17]. They ha e been shown o be highly e i-
cien o educing nu ien uno om a med ields in
a wide ange o clima e egions ac oss he wo ld [18, 19].
Simila ly, ege a ed s ips in ipa ian zones a e also e ec-
i e a emo ing ni ogen in p oximi y o wa e cou ses,
pa icula ly subsu ace ni ogen, al hough hei e icacy
appea s o be a iable [20]. Gene ally, he e ec i eness o
ege a ed s ips in con olling anspo o mo e soluble
con aminan s is less han o s ongly-so bed chemicals.
The e is also po en ial ha dissol ed con aminan s in il-
a ing in o he ma gin may subsequen ly each su ace
wa e ia subsu ace d ains and/o shallow g oundwa e .
Whe e con aminan s may be emi ed o he ai , as o
pes icide sp aying, ege a ed s ips ha e a dual unc ion-
ali y in inc easing he dis ance be ween he emission
sou ce and ulne able habi a s such as su ace wa e s
o non-c op habi a s, bu also h ough he po en ial
o in e cep ion o sp ay d i . Finally, i is known ha
pha maceu icals used in animal husband y may also be
impo an con aminan s o e es ial en i onmen s
adjacen o ag icul u al ields [e.g. 21]. In such cases,
ege a ed s ips can p o ide a physical ba ie whe e
ope a ions such as sp eading o manu e and biosolids a e
no allowed.
E ec s onbiodi e si y
The widesp ead loss o spa ial landscape he e ogenei y,
associa ed wi h he use o a ew high yielding c op ypes
ac oss la ge uni o m ields [8], is o en iewed as a key
d i e o biodi e si y loss on a able land ac oss Eu ope
[22–24]. Hence, he c ea ion and managemen o a i-
ous ield ma gin habi a s has he po en ial o es o e
habi a di e si y o he bene i o associa ed a mland
biodi e si y [25]. Hedge ows and o he ield ma gin eg-
e a ion ypes ha e been shown o a ec he ichness and
abundance o lo a, in e eb a es and bi ds [26–28]. Fo
ins ance, g assy ield ma gins ha e been shown o p o-
ide impo an e uge and ood o in e eb a es, mam-
mals and bi ds [29, 30]. Ye , hese e ec s may depend on
landscape s uc u e and egional le els o ag icul u al
in ensi ica ion [31]. As a esul measu es a e some imes
implemen ed in landscapes whe e hei e ec s a e small
o e en nega i e [32].
As ield ma gins comp ise a a ie y o di e en ege a-
ion ypes ha a e managed o di e en pu poses, hei
e ec s on biodi e si y and associa ed ecosys em se ices
may a y. Fo ins ance, pollina o habi a enhancemen in
he o m o hedge ows and lowe - ich bu e s ips may
con ibu e o yield on adjacen ields [33] bu also o e all
biodi e si y and biological con ol po en ial in he su -
ounding landscape [34]. Bu e s ips es ablished using
densely plan ed pe ennial g asses may p ima ily bene i
in e eb a es o pes supp ession [35] bu also inc ease
he a ailabili y o sui able nes ing si es o g ound- o ag-
ing a mland bi ds on adjacen c op ields [36]. Howe e ,
he access o o aging oppo uni ies o insec i o ous
bi ds in hese s ips may be subs an ially lowe compa ed
o ma gins plan ed wi h wild lowe mixes [37] o na u-
ally egene a ing ma gins on poo soils wi h a di e se
seed bank (19). A he egional scale hese bene i s may
be pa icula ly aluable in esou ce-poo landscapes [38].
In addi ion, bo h a local and egional scales, ege a ed
s ips p o ide aluable linea habi a s ha may p omo e
connec i i y be ween a eas o non-ag icul u al land o
semi-na u al landscapes [39]. Finally, i is impo an o
men ion ha ege a ed s ips a ound and wi hin ields
may also nega i ely impac on c op p oduc ion and bio-
di e si y. This is because ield ma gins ha bou weeds,
pes s and diseases (e.g. i uses), which could po en ially
c ea e a con lic be ween c op p oduc ion and biodi e -
si y conse a ion [9, 40]. Inc eased habi a he e ogene-
i y may also ha e nega i e impac s on some species ha
equi e o p e e la ge, homogeneous en i onmen s, such
as a mland and mig a o y bi ds [41, 42]. Some o hese
homogeneous en i onmen s, commonly conside ed o
be he esul o ag icul u al de elopmen and in ensi ica-
ion, may ep esen na u al sys ems, pa icula ly hose in
cen al and eas e n Eu ope [43].
O he e ec s
Depending on he na u e o hei managemen , ege a ed
s ips can p o ide a ious o he se ices. Fo example,
s ips wi h pe ennial g asses o ees and/o sh ubs, can
coun e soil e osion ia il a ion o la ge sedimen pa -
icles [44, 45], and by inc easing soil s abili y h ough
inc eased oo densi y [46]. Some esou ces om ege-
a ed s ips can be ha es ed pe iodically, such as wood
and odde [16], and s ips a e also used o p o ide nes -
ing and o aging habi a o game bi d popula ions [e.g.
47] al hough ele a ed mo ali y and nes p eda ion can
occu in hese habi a s [48, 49]. A less well-s udied aspec
o ege a ed s ips is hei po en ial o enhance aes-
he ic alues and pe cei ed “na u alness” o ag icul u al
landscapes, especially when ege a ed wi h ees and/o
sh ubs and employed in a eas whe e such ea u es a e
absen [16]. Simila ly, o he alues may be in es iga ed,
including p o ision o game habi a , e ugia o c op pes
p eda o s, and ameni y use o ag icul u al land, o exam-
ple by ho se ide s.
Mul ipu pose ege a ed s ips andcon lic ing objec i es
One key ques ion ela ing o ege a ed s ips as an en i-
onmen al in e en ion on a mland is how o e alua e
mul i unc ional e ec s; ha is, impac s o single s ips on
Page 4 o 11
Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
mul iple ou comes. T ue e alua ion o a eas la ge han
he plo -scale is di icul o unde ake due o di icul ies
in ha ing ep esen a i e con ols. One possibili y o o e -
come la ge-scale e alua ion p oblems is he e o e upscaling
o plo esul s and/o modelling, and in bo h cases collec-
ion o da a om expe imen al s udies conduc ed a ound
he wo ld will be in aluable as a baseline. In hei e iew o
he mul i unc ional ole o ege a ed s ips on a able a ms,
Hacke and Law ence [50] concluded ha al hough di -
e en s ip ypes can p oduce mul iple bene i s, none can
wholly p o ide o all en i onmen al ou comes. One way
o op imise mul iple bene i s om ield ma gins a he ield
and landscapes scale could he e o e be o adjus manage-
men p ac ices locally acco ding o pu pose.
In eali y, howe e , many ege a ed s ips a y in hei
pu pose, me hod o es ablishmen and ongoing manage-
men . Common o ms o ield ma gins include hose ha
a e na u ally egene a ed om unused a mland, hose
sown wi h g ass o wild lowe mixes, hose sown speci i-
cally o a ge o ganisms such as pollina o s (nec a and
pollen mixes) o o wild bi ds (seed mixes), hose ha
a e annually cul i a ed and hose ha a e unmanaged
[50]. The speci ic design and managemen o a ege a ed
s ip may depend on he main eason o he in e en-
ion, and he esul an e icacy o he di e en ou comes
desc ibed abo e may a y acco dingly. Wild lowe s ips,
o example, a e designed o bene i pollina o s such as
bees [29], whe eas densely ege a ed s ips ypically
es ablished by sowing a mix u e o pe ennial g ass spe-
cies adjacen o wa e cou ses, a e p ima ily used o mi i-
ga e soil e osion [51] and educe leaching o nu ien s
and ag o-chemicals [52]. The access o o aging oppo u-
ni ies o insec i o ous bi ds in s ips designed o wa e
p o ec ion may be subs an ially lowe compa ed o s ips
plan ed wi h wild lowe mixes [37] o na u ally egene -
a ing s ips on poo soils wi h a di e se seed bank [30].
Acco dingly, managing ege a ed s ips o biodi e si y
o o di use pollu ion pu poses may en ail e y di e -
en managemen p ac ices, since e ained dissol ed o
pa icula e ma e e en ually accumula es wi hin he
s ip, which in u n may educe he po en ial o biodi-
e si y bene i s. Howe e , emo al o plan ma e ial om
ege a ed s ips could help main ain long- e m e ain-
ing capaci y, a oiding hei ans o ma ion in o nu ien
sou ces, and wi h simul aneous bene i s o lowe nu ien
le els and/o spa se ege a ion o wild lo a and isual
o age s such as bi ds [53]. An addi ional conside a ion
in his con ex ela es o pollu ion swapping [54], whe e
mi iga ion measu es o one pollu an cause an inc ease
in ano he pollu an . In his way, ege a ed s ips o
con olling ni ogen leaching could lead o simul aneous
ans o ma ion o sedimen -bound phospho us in o solu-
ble eac i e phospho us.
Iden i ica ion o  he opic
The opic was sugges ed a a gene al s akeholde mee -
ing a anged by MISTRA E iEM on Sep embe 24 h,
2012. Sugges ions o he opic we e made by he Swed-
ish Boa d o Ag icul u e, he Swedish En i onmen al
P o ec ion Agency, he Swedish Minis y o he En i-
onmen , S ensk Sigill, Hushållningssällskape , WWF,
and esea che s om he Cen e o Biodi e si y and
he Depa men o Ecology a he Swedish Uni e si y o
Ag icul u al Sciences. The ocus and scope o he e iew
was na owed and be e de ined du ing a speci ic s ake-
holde e en on Sep embe 1s , 2015.
Objec i e o  he e iew
The aims o his e iew a e o iden i y, colla e, and desc ibe
ele an published esea ch ela ing o he e ec i eness o
ege a ed s ips in and a ound a mland o a wide a ie y
o pu poses, including bu no limi ed o: he enhancemen
o biodi e si y; he educ ion o pes icide and nu ien d i /
uno /leaching; he mi iga ion o soil loss; he educ ion o
pa hogens and oxins; and, socioeconomic alues, such as
p o ision o game habi a and educ ion o c op pes s. The
map will be es ic ed in geog aphical scope o bo eal and
empe a e sys ems (see Inclusion C i e ia below) and will
consis o a epo desc ibing he e iew p ocess, a sea ch-
able da abase desc ibing he iden i ied ele an s udies, and
an in e ac i e, web-based geog aphical in o ma ion sys em
(GIS) displaying he con en s o he da abase.
P ima y ques ion Wha e idence exis s ega d-
ing he e ec s o ield ma gins
on nu ien s, pollu an s, socio-
economics, biodi e si y, and soil
e en ion?
Seconda y ques ion To wha ex en has his esea ch
ocused on mul i-use ege a ed
s ips?
Popula ion Bo eo- empe a e egions as
de ined by he ollowing Köp-
pen-Geige clima e classi ica ion
zones [55]: C a, C b, C c, Csb,
Csc, D a, D b, D c.
In e en ion Vege a ed s ip in e en ions
a ound and wi hin ields used
o a able, g azing and ho icul-
u e, o cha ds and ineya ds,
whe e p esence o a ege a ed
s ip o managemen o he s ip
is in es iga ed.
Compa a o Be o e ege a ed s ip es ab-
lishmen , be o e a change in
ege a ed s ip managemen
Page 5 o 11
Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
( empo al compa isons); no eg-
e a ed s ip, di e en ege a ed
s ip managemen , including
s ip wid h (spa ial compa i-
sons); ou side a ege a ed s ip.
Ou come Ou comes will be included i e a-
i ely as hey a e iden i ied wi hin
he ele an li e a u e and will be
coded acco dingly
Me hods
Sea ches
Bibliog aphic da abases
The ollowing academic ci a ion da abases will be
sea ched o s udies using English sea ch e ms (non-
English a icles, whe e p esen , a e ypically ca alogued
wi h English i les, abs ac s and/o keywo ds):
1. Academic Sea ch P emie (h p://www.ebscohos .
com/academic/academic-sea ch-p emie )
2. Ag icola (h p://www.ag icola.nal.usda.go /)
3. AGRIS: ag icul u al da abase (FAO) (h p://www.
ag is. ao.o g/ag is-sea ch/index.do)
4. Biosis Ci a ions Index (h p://www.wok.mimas.ac.uk/)
5. Di ec o y o Open Access Jou nals (h p://www.doaj.
o g/)
6. PubMed/MEDLINE (h p://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.go /
pubmed)
7. Scopus (h p://www.scopus.com/)
8. Web o Science Co e Collec ions (h p://www.wok.
mimas.ac.uk/)
9. Zoological Reco d (h p://www. homson eu e s.
com/p oduc s_se ices/science/science_p oduc s/a-
z/zoological_ eco d)
10. JSTOR (h p://www.js o .o g/)
11. DART-Eu ope E hesis (h p://www.da -eu ope.eu/
basic-sea ch.php)
12. EThOS (B i ish Lib a y) (h p://www.e hos.bl.uk/
Home.do)
13. Index o Theses Online (h p://www. heses.com/)
Sea ch s ing
The ollowing sea ch s ing will be used as a basis o
sea ches wi hin each o he abo e da abases:
(“ag o o es y bu e *” OR “ba ie s ip*” OR “bee le
bank*” OR bee lebank* OR “bi d co e ba ie *” OR
“bi d co e bo de *” OR “bi d co e bounda *” OR
“bi d co e bu e *” OR “bi d co e il e *” OR “bi d
co e ma gin*” OR “bi d co e s ip*” OR “bi d co e
zone*” OR “bo de s ip*” OR “bounda y bu e *” OR
“bounda y managemen *” OR “bounda y ma gin*”
OR “bounda y s ip*” OR “bu e managemen *” OR
“bu e s ip*” OR bu e s ip* OR “bu e zone*” OR
bu e zone* OR “conse a ion bu e *” OR “conse a-
ion head land*” OR “conse a ion headland*” OR
“coun ou s ip*” OR “c opland bu e *” OR “cul i-
a ed ba ie *” OR “cul i a ed bo de *” OR “cul i-
a ed bounda *” OR “cul i a ed bu e *” OR “cul i-
a ed il e *” OR “cul i a ed ma gin*” OR “cul i a ed
s ip*” OR “cul i a ed zone*” OR “di ch bank*” OR
“ a m bu e *” OR “ a m edge*” OR “ a m in e ace*”
OR “ a mland bu e *” OR “ a mland ma gin*” OR
“ ield bank*” OR “ ield bo de *” OR “ ield bound-
a y*” OR “ ield bu e *” OR “ ield edge*” OR “ ield
in e ace*” OR “ ield ma gin*” OR “ il e ma gin*”
OR “ il e s ip*” OR “ il e s ip*” OR il e s ip* OR
“ il e zone*” OR “ il e zone*” OR il e zone* OR
“* lowe ba ie *” OR “* lowe bo de *” OR “* lowe
bounda *” OR “* lowe bu e *” OR “* lowe il e *”
OR “* lowe ma gin*” OR “* lowe s ip*” OR
“* lowe zone*” OR “ o es ba ie *” OR “ o es bo -
de *” OR “ o es bounda *” OR “ o es bu e *” OR
“ o es il e *” OR “ o es ma gin*” OR “ o es s ip*”
OR “ o es zone*” OR “ o es ed ba ie *” OR “ o -
es ed bo de *” OR “ o es ed bounda *” OR “ o es ed
bu e *” OR “ o es ed il e *” OR “ o es ed ma gin*”
OR “ o es ed s ip*” OR “ o es ed zone*” OR “g ass
wa e way*” OR “g ass wa e way*” OR “*g ass ba -
ie *” OR “*g ass bo de *” OR “*g ass bounda *” OR
“*g ass bu e *” OR “*g ass il e *” OR “*g ass ma -
gin*” OR “*g ass s ip*” OR “*g ass zone*” OR
“g assed ba ie *” OR “g assed bo de *” OR “g assed
bounda *” OR “g assed bu e *” OR “g assed il e *”
OR “g assed ma gin*” OR “g assed s ip*” OR
“g assed wa e way*” OR “g assed wa e way*” OR
“g assed zone*” OR “g assy ba ie *” OR “g assy bo -
de *” OR “g assy bounda *” OR “g assy bu e *” OR
“g assy il e *” OR “g assy ma gin*” OR “g assy
s ip*” OR “g assy wa e way*” OR “g assy wa e -
way*” OR “g assy zone*” OR “g azed ba ie *” OR
“g azed bo de *” OR “g azed bounda *” OR “g azed
bu e *” OR “g azed il e *” OR “g azed ma gin*” OR
“g azed s ip*” OR “g azed zone*” OR “hedge ow*”
OR hedge ow* OR “he bacious ba ie *” OR “he ba-
cious bo de *” OR “he bacious bounda *” OR “he -
bacious bu e *” OR “he bacious il e *” OR “he ba-
cious ma gin*” OR “he bacious s ip*” OR
“he bacious zone*” OR “managed ba ie *” OR
“managed bo de *” OR “managed bounda *” OR
“managed bu e *” OR “managed edge*” OR “man-
aged il e *” OR “managed ma gin*” OR “managed
s ip*” OR “managed zone*” OR “ma gin s ip*” OR
“nec a ba ie *” OR “nec a bo de *” OR “nec a
bounda *” OR “nec a bu e *” OR “nec a il e *”

Page 6 o 11
Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
OR “nec a ma gin*” OR “nec a s ip*” OR “nec a
s ip*” OR “nec a zone*” OR “nonc opped ba ie *”
OR “non-c opped ba ie *” OR “nonc opped bo -
de *” OR “non-c opped bo de *” OR “nonc opped
bounda *” OR “non-c opped bounda *” OR “non-
c opped bu e *” OR “non-c opped bu e *” OR “non-
c opped il e *” OR “non-c opped il e *” OR “non-
c opped ma gin*” OR “non-c opped ma gin*” OR
“nonc opped s ip*” OR “non-c opped s ip*” OR
“nonc opped zone*” OR “non-c opped zone*” OR
“pe ennial ba ie *” OR “pe ennial bo de *” OR
“pe ennial bounda *” OR “pe ennial bu e *” OR
“pe ennial il e *” OR “pe ennial ma gin*” OR “pe -
ennial s ip*” OR “pe ennial zone*” OR “pe manen
bo de *” OR “pe manen bu e *” OR “pe manen
ma gin*” OR “pe manen s ip*” OR “plan ba ie *”
OR “plan bo de *” OR “plan bounda *” OR “plan
bu e *” OR “plan il e *” OR “plan ma gin*” OR
“plan s ip*” OR “plan zone*” OR “plan ed ba -
ie *” OR “plan ed bo de *” OR “plan ed bounda *”
OR “plan ed bu e *” OR “plan ed il e *” OR
“plan ed ma gin*” OR “plan ed s ip*” OR “plan ed
zone*” OR “pollen ba ie *” OR “pollen bo de *” OR
“pollen bounda *” OR “pollen bu e *” OR “pollen
il e *” OR “pollen ma gin*” OR “pollen s ip*” OR
“pollen zone*” OR “ ipa ian ba ie *” OR “ ipa ian
bo de *” OR “ ipa ian bounda *” OR “ ipa ian
bu e *” OR “ ipa ian il e *” OR “ ipa ian ma gin*”
OR “ ipa ian s ip*” OR “ ipa ian zone*” OR “ i e
ba ie *” OR “ i e bo de *” OR “ i e bu e *” OR
“ i e ma gin*” OR “se aside bo de *” OR “se -aside
bo de *” OR “se aside bu e *” OR “se -aside bu e *”
OR “se aside ma gin*” OR “se -aside ma gin*” OR
“shel e bel *” OR shel e bel * OR “sown ba ie *”
OR “sown bo de *” OR “sown bounda *” OR “sown
bu e *” OR “sown il e *” OR “sown ma gin*” OR
“sown s ip*” OR “sown zone*” OR “s e ile s ip*” OR
“s eam ba ie *” OR “s eam bo de *” OR “s eam
bu e *” OR “s eam ma gin*” OR “s ip manage-
men ” OR “s ip ege a ion” OR “s ip-managemen ”
OR “unc opped ba ie *” OR “un-c opped ba ie *”
OR “unc opped bo de *” OR “un-c opped bo de *”
OR “unc opped bounda *” OR “un-c opped
bounda *” OR “unc opped bu e *” OR “un-c opped
bu e *” OR “unc opped il e *” OR “un-c opped il-
e *” OR “unc opped ma gin*” OR “un-c opped
ma gin*” OR “unc opped s ip*” OR “un-c opped
s ip*” OR “unc opped zone*” OR “un-c opped
zone*” OR “uncul i a ed ba ie *” OR “uncul i a ed
bo de *” OR “uncul i a ed bounda *” OR “uncul i-
a ed bu e *” OR “uncul i a ed il e *” OR “uncul i-
a ed ma gin*” OR “uncul i a ed s ip*” OR “uncul-
i a ed zone*” OR “unmanaged ba ie *” OR
“unmanaged bo de *” OR “unmanaged bounda *”
OR “unmanaged bu e *” OR “unmanaged il e *”
OR “unmanaged ma gin*” OR “unmanaged s ip*”
OR “unmanaged zone*” OR “unploughed ba ie *”
OR “un-ploughed ba ie *” OR “unploughed bo -
de *” OR “un-ploughed bo de *” OR “unploughed
bounda *” OR “un-ploughed bounda *” OR
“unploughed bu e *” OR “un-ploughed bu e *” OR
“unploughed il e *” OR “un-ploughed il e *” OR
“unploughed ma gin*” OR “un-ploughed ma gin*”
OR “unploughed s ip*” OR “un-ploughed s ip*” OR
“unploughed zone*” OR “un-ploughed zone*” OR
“ ege a ed ba ie *” OR “ ege a ed bo de *” OR
“ ege a ed bounda *” OR “ ege a ed bu e *” OR
“ ege a ed il e *” OR “ ege a ed ma gin*” OR “ ege-
a ed s ip*” OR “ ege a ed wa e way*” OR “ ege-
a ed wa e way*” OR “ ege a ed zone*” OR “ ege a-
ion ba ie *” OR “ ege a ion bo de *” OR
“ ege a ion bounda *” OR “ ege a ion bu e *” OR
“ ege a ion il e *” OR “ ege a ion ma gin*” OR
“ ege a ion s ip*” OR “ ege a ion zone*” OR “ ege-
a i e ba ie *” OR “ ege a i e bo de *” OR “ ege a-
i e bounda *” OR “ ege a i e bu e *” OR “ ege a-
i e il e *” OR “ ege a i e ma gin*” OR “ ege a i e
s ip*” OR “ ege a i e wa e way*” OR “ ege a i e
wa e way*” OR “ ege a i e zone*” OR “wa e way
bo de *” OR “wa e way bu e *” OR “wa e way
ma ing*” OR “wa e way bo de *” OR “wa e way
bu e *” OR “wa e way ma gin*” OR “weed s ip” OR
“weeded ba ie *” OR “weeded bo de *” OR “weeded
bounda *” OR “weeded bu e *” OR “weeded il e *”
OR “weeded ma gin*” OR “weeded s ip*” OR
“weeded zone*” OR “weedy ba ie *” OR “weedy bo -
de *” OR “weedy bounda *” OR “weedy bu e *” OR
“weedy il e *” OR “weedy ma gin*” OR “weedy
s ip*” OR “weedy zone*” OR “widli e s ip*” OR
“wildli e co ido *” OR “wind bu e *” OR “wood
ba ie *” OR “wood bo de *” OR “wood bounda *”
OR “wood bu e *” OR “wood il e *” OR “wood ma -
gin*” OR “wood s ip*” OR “wood zone*” OR
“wooded ba ie *” OR “wooded bo de *” OR
“wooded bounda *” OR “wooded bu e *” OR
“wooded il e *” OR “wooded ma gin*” OR “wooded
s ip*” OR “wooded zone*” OR “woody ba ie *” OR
“woody bo de *” OR “woody bounda *” OR “woody
bu e *” OR “woody il e *” OR “woody ma gin*” OR
“woody s ip*” OR “woody zone*”) AND (“ag o-eco-
sys em*” OR ag oecosys em* OR ag icul * OR
ag onom* OR a able* OR c op* OR cul i a * OR
a m* OR ield* OR g assland* OR “g ass land*” OR
ho icul * OR meadow* OR o cha d* OR plan a-
ion* OR anch* OR ineya d* OR pas u e* OR ca -
le* OR g az*) OR “ ipa ian bu e ”
Page 7 o 11
Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
Sea ch e ms we e iden i ied h ough a scoping p o-
cess. Fi s ly, we gene a ed a lis o 120 a icles known by
he e iew au ho s o be ele an o he opic. The i les,
keywo ds and abs ac s we e hen subjec ed o ex ual
analysis o iden i y he mos equen ly occu ing wo ds.
Key e ms we e hen selec ed om his lis and added o
a p e-exis ing lis gene a ed by he e iew au ho s. Key
e ms we e hen used o p obe he i les and keywo ds o
a icles in he abo e lis o iden i y common co-loca o s
(i.e. wo ds loca ed nex o key e ms in he ex ). Com-
mon pai s (i.e. any pai o wo ds ha equen ly occu
oge he in he co pus) we e also iden i ied. All key e ms
we e hen assembled and es ed bo h indi idually and in
combina ion. Te ms ha esul ed in e y la ge numbe s
o esul s bu ha we e also subjec i ely assessed as ha -
ing low ele ance (i.e. he e ms ‘ s’, ‘bz’, ‘bzs’, ‘ bz’) we e
excluded om he inal sea ch s ing. See Addi ional
ile1 o de ails o sea ch s ing de elopmen .
The sea ch yielded a o al o 10,263 esul s in Web o
Science Co e Collec ion using a ‘ opic wo d’ sea ch on
22/12/2015. Abs ac and i le le el sc eening demon-
s a ed ha a subsample o he sea ch esul s had a p o-
po ional ele ance o 31% (n=100).
Specialis sea ches
Sea ches o g ey li e a u e will be pe o med in wo key
ways (in addi ion o he sea ches as pa o he ci a ion
da abase sea ches abo e; i.e. hesis da abases and Scopus).
Fi s ly, sea ches will be pe o med using an ex ensi e (i.e.
downloading and assessing he i s 1000 esul s) i le-
only sea ch o Google Schola (h p://www.schola .google.
ca/in l/en/schola /abou .h ml) (see Web-based Sea ch
Engine Sea ches, below), which has been p o en o e u n
a high pe cen age o g ey li e a u e (c. 37%; [56]).
Secondly, he websi es o he ollowing o ganisa ions
will be que ied and downloaded using web c awling so -
wa e [56]:
1. Aa hus Uni e si y, Depa men o Ag oecology
(h p://www.au.dk/en/, h p://www.ag o.au.dk/en/).
2. Columbia Basin Ag icul u al Resea ch Cen e
(h p://www.cba c.aes.o egons a e.edu/long_ e m_
pubs).
3. Eu opean En i onmen Agency (h p://www.eea.eu opa.
eu/).
4. Eu opean Soil Po al (h p://www.eusoils.j c.ec.eu opa.
eu).
5. GRACEne , USDA Ag icul u al Resea ch Se ice
(h p://www.a s.usda.go / esea ch/p og ams/p o-
g ams.h m?np_code=212&docid=21223).
6. Ro hams ed Resea ch (h p://www. o hams ed.ac.uk/).
7. Soilse ice (h p://www4.lu.se/o.o.i.s/26761).
8. Swedish Boa d o Ag icul u e (h p://www.jo d-
b uks e ke .se).
9. Swedish En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency (h p://
www.na u a ds e ke .se).
10. Swedish Uni e si y o Ag icul u al Sciences (h p://
www.slu.se).
11. UC Da is, Ag icul u al Sus ainabili y Ins i u e
(h p://www.l as.ucda is.edu/).
12. Uni e si y o Copenhagen (h p://www.ku.dk/eng-
lish).
13. Uni e si y o Illinois, Depa men o C op Sciences
(h p://www.c opsci.illinois.edu/ esea ch/mo ow).
14. USDA Ag icul u al Resea ch Se ice (h p://www.
a s.usda.go / esea ch/p og ams/p og ams.h m?np_
code=211&docid=22480).
15. Wo ld Bank (h p://www.wo ldbank.o g/ e e ence/).
16. Adas (h p://www.adas.uk/).
17. INI A (h p://www.inia.es/IniaPo al/ e P esen a-
cion.ac ion).
18. INRA (h p://www.in a. /).
19. A alis (h p://www.a alisins i u du ege al. /
index.h ml).
20. IR STEA (h p://www.i s ea. /accueil).
21. OPER A (h p://www.ope a esea ch.eu/).
22. SER A-17 (h p://se a17.o g/).
23. Hyd o ekniska Sällskape (h p://www.hyd o ekni-
skasallskape .se/).
24. Wageningen Uni e si y (h p://www.wageningenu .
nl/en/wageningen-uni e si y.h m).
25. Al e a (Wageningen Uni e si y) (h p://www.wage-
ningenu .nl/en/Expe ise-Se ices/Resea ch-Ins i-
u es/al e a.h m).
26. G eppa Nä ingen (h p://www.g eppa.nu).
27. Na ional Fa me s Union (h p://www.n uonline.
com/home/).
28. RSPB (h p://www. spb.o g.uk/).
29. NABU (h ps://www.nabu.de/).
30. Eu opean C op P o ec ion Associa ion (h p://www.
ecpa.eu/).
31. LUKE (h p://www.juku i.luke. i/).
32. SYKE (h p://www.syke. i/ i-FI/Julkaisu ).
33. Aal o Uni e si y (h p://www.o alib. i/ kk/julkai-
see/).
34. These us (h ps://www. heseus. i/).
35. ARTO (h ps://www.a o.linneane . i/ web /
sea chBasic?sk= i_FI).
36. VII KK I (h p://www.e iikki.hulib.helsinki. i/).
37. Hankehaa i (h p://www.hankehaa i. i/).
In e ne sea ches
Ti le-only sea ches in Google Schola will be pe -
o med o a ange o key in e en ion sea ch e ms ha
Page 8 o 11
Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
indi idually e u ned mo e han 100 sea ch esul s in
Web o Science du ing scoping. De ails o hese sea ches
a e p o ided in Addi ional ile1. Sea ches will be pe -
o med in English, F ench, Spanish, Swedish, Ge man,
Finnish and Danish. Only he i s 1000 esul s a e iew-
able wi hin Google Schola , bu hese eco ds will be
downloaded in o a da abase o la e sc eening using he
me hod ou lined in Haddaway e al. [56].
Supplemen a y sea ches
The esul s o he abo e sea ches will be es ed o com-
p ehensi eness by compa ing a p ede ined es lis o
114 s udies agains he combined esul s o ensu e all o
hese ele an s udies a e ound. This checking will be
pe o med i e a i ely a he s a o he sea ching p ocess
and he s a egy will be adap ed should addi ional e ms
be iden i ied o inclusion in he sea ch s ing. In addi-
ion, he bibliog aphies o all ele an e iews iden i ied
h ough sea ching will be sc eened o e ie e any po en-
ially ele an s udies missed by he sea ch s a egy.
Sc eening
All a icles iden i ied h ough sea ching will be sc eened a
i le, abs ac and hen ull ex le els o ele ance using
p ede ined inclusion c i e ia (de ailed below). Consis ency
in he applica ion o he inclusion c i e ia will be es ed by
compa ing ag eemen be ween wo e iewe s a abs ac
le el sc eening, using a subse o 200 abs ac s. Disag ee-
men s will be discussed and he inclusion c i e ia e ined
whe e necessa y. Ag eemen will be es ed o mally using
a kappa es [57], and i ag eemen sco e alls below 0.6,
indica ing mode a e ag eemen , a hi d e iewe will be
consul ed and a u he 200 abs ac s sc eened ollowing
discussion o disag eemen s. Following abs ac sc eening,
po en ially ele an s udies will be e ie ed in ull ex .
Unob ainable a icles will be lis ed in he inal epo . All
sc eened ull ex s ha a e excluded om he e iew will
be lis ed along wi h exclusion easons in he inal epo .
Inclusion c i e ia
Rele an subjec s Bo eo- empe a e
egions as de ined by
he ollowing Köppen-
Geige clima e classi i-
ca ion zones [55]: C a
[wa m empe a e]; C b
and C c [ma i ime em-
pe a e o oceanic]; Csb
[d y summe o Medi-
e anean]; Csc [d y
summe ma i ime subal-
pine]; D a [ho summe
con inen al]; D b [wa m
summe con inen al o
hemibo eal]; and, D c
[con inen al suba c ic o
bo eal ( aiga)].
Rele an in e en ions Vege a ed s ip in e -
en ions in o a ound
ields used o a able,
g azing and ho icul-
u e, o cha ds and ine-
ya ds, whe e p esence
o a ege a ed s ip o
managemen o he s ip
is in es iga ed.
Rele an compa a o s Be o e ege a ed s ip
es ablishmen , be o e a
change in ege a ed s ip
managemen ( empo al
compa isons); no eg-
e a ed s ip, di e en
ege a ed s ip manage-
men , including s ip
wid h (spa ial compa i-
sons); ou side a ege-
a ed s ip.
Rele an ou comes Ou comes will be
included i e a i ely
as hey a e iden i ied
wi hin he ele an
li e a u e and will be
coded acco dingly. Ou -
comes will include bu
a e no es ic ed o:
e es ial and aqua ic
biodi e si y (including
connec i i y); nu ien
uno o leaching; pes-
icide uno , leaching
o d i ; soil e en ion;
socioeconomics.
Rele an ypes o s udy design P ima y esea ch s ud-
ies in ol ing ield-based
expe imen al manipula-
ions and obse a ions.
In e en ions mus ha e
been in place o 12
mon hs o mo e. Man-
agemen in e en ions
wi hin ields ha a e
e ec ed upon exis -
ing c ops (such as co e
c ops, in e c opping, e c.)
Page 9 o 11
Haddaway e al. En i on E id (2016) 5:18
will no be conside ed.
Fu he mo e, only di ec
e idence o he impac s
o ege a ed s ips
will be included in he
map: i.e. no indi ec
e idence, such as he
abili y o a bo de spe-
cies g own elsewhe e
o al e an ou come.
Modelling s udies will
be included whe e hey
p o ide p ima y da a.
Labo a o y s udies will
no be included. Rele an
e iews and me a-anal-
yses will be eco ded in
a sepa a e da abase.
Rele an languages All languages included
whe e possible. S udies
in languages no able
o be ansla ed will be
included in a sepa a e
supplemen a y da abase.
C i ical app aisal
C i ical app aisal will no be unde aken wi hin his map,
since he measu emen me hods will a y subs an ially
ac oss di e en ou comes. A e y basic quali y assess-
men will be unde aken in he o m o a ‘ ee ex ’ me a-
da a a iable whe e a b ie desc ip ion o he s udy quali y
will be made, lagging up clea ly un eliable esea ch ha
should be excluded, o se ious de iciencies ha should be
poin ed ou in hose s udies ha emain in he map.
Da a coding s a egy
Me a-da a (i.e. desc ip i e da a ega ding he me h-
ods and se ing o each s udy) will be ex ac ed om
included, ele an s udies and en e ed in o a sea chable
da abase. In addi ion, he da abase will be popula ed wi h
a numbe o a iables, each gi en a ca ego y acco ding
o a p ede e mined s a egy (also known as coding). This
da abase will o m one o he main ou pu s o he e iew
and will be supplied as a supplemen a y ile along wi h
a help ile. Consis ency o da a ex ac ion ac oss eam
membe s will be conduc ed using a subse o 100 s udies
o ensu e complex da a a e ex ac ed eliably.
The ollowing in o ma ion will be en e ed in o he sys-
ema ic map da abase o all included s udies ha a e
a ailable and deemed as ele an a ull ex . The ollow-
ing ypes o in o ma ion will be eco ded (see Addi ional
ile 2 o u he de ails): au ho email add ess, s udy
loca ion, soil managemen p ac ices, soil desc ip ion,
a m managemen p ac ices, ege a ed s ip desc ip ion,
ege a ed s ip managemen , s udy design, expe imen al
design, sampling design, measu ed ou come, da a loca-
ion, and c i ical app aisal commen s.
S udy mapping andp esen a ion
The da abase will be accompanied by a epo ha
desc ibes he e iew p ocess and he e idence base, iden-
i ying possible knowledge gaps (i.e. sub opics equi ing
u he p ima y esea ch), knowledge glu s (i.e. sub opics
wi h enough e idence and in e es o wa an a sys em-
a ic e iew), and bes p ac ices in esea ch me hodology.
Pa icula a en ion will be paid o s udies ha desc ibe
ege a ed s ips es ablished o mul iple pu poses (e.g.
biodi e si y and nu ien e en ion). In addi ion, he da a-
base will be displayed isually in he o m o a geog aphical
in o ma ion sys em (GIS) ha maps s udies by hei loca-
ion ac oss a ca og aphical map. This GIS will be made
a ailable ia he E iEM websi e (h p://www.e iem.se).
Abb e ia ion
N2O: ni ous oxide.
Au ho s’ con ibu ions
This e iew p o ocol is based on a d a w i en by NRH. All au ho s assis ed
in edi ing and e ising he d a . All au ho s ead and app o ed he inal
manusc ip .
Au ho de ails
1 Mis a Council o E idence‑Based En i onmen al Managemen (E iEM),
S ockholm En i onmen Ins i u e, Box 24218, 10451 S ockholm, Sweden.
2 En i onmen Depa men , Uni e si y o Yo k, Yo k YO10 5DD, UK. 3 Depa ‑
men o Ecology, Swedish Uni e si y o Ag icul u al Sciences, 75007 Uppsala,
Sweden. 4 Depa men o Bioscience, Aa hus Uni e si y, 8600 Silkebo g, Den‑
ma k. 5 Ha pe Adams Uni e si y, Newpo TF10 8NB, UK. 6 Na u al Resou ces
Ins i u e Finland (Luke), 31600 Jokioinen, Finland.
Acknowledgemen s
The au ho s hank wo anonymous e iewe s whose ad ice imp o ed his
p o ocol.
Compe ing in e es s
The au ho s decla e ha hey ha e no compe ing in e es s. Au ho s o
esea ch s udies included in his e iew will no be in ol ed in any decisions
ega ding hei own wo k.
A ailabili y o da a and ma e ials
A lis o excluded s udies a ull ex , a lis o unob ainable and un‑ ansla ed
a icles, a lis o ele an e iews and me a‑analyses, he sys ema ic map
da abase, and he GIS will be included as supplemen a y iles wi h he inal
e iew epo .
Addi ional iles
Addi ional ile1. Sea ch s a egy de elopmen .
Addi ional ile2. Coding ool.