Dynamic Bibliographies
These bibliographies produce dynamic (automatically updating) search results for articles and publications produced on findings from Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) supported studies. They include journal articles, reports and studies by CEAP scientists and researchers, fact sheets and the CEAP bibliographies since its inception in 2003. These bibliographies supplement the CEAP Publications.
Published Bibliographies
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Conservation Effects Assessment Project Bibliographies (brochure), October 2008 (PDF; 0.8 MB)
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These bibliographies offer more than 7,500 citations with abstracts where available, and with Internet addresses for documents available on-line. Hard copies of the bibliographies are available by contacting wqic@nal.usda.gov. |
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Literature Reviews and Syntheses
Cropland
Environmental Benefits of Conservation on Cropland: The Status of Our Knowledge, 2006. A synthesis of the literature to determine what is known and not known about the environmental benefits of applying conservation practices to cropland. The Agricultural Research Service, assisted by the Soil and Water Conservation Society led the review.
Fish and Wildlife
Fish & Wildlife Benefits of Farm Bill Conservation Programs 2000-2005 Update, October 2005. Farm Bill conservation programs are producing numerous and substantial conservation benefits. Benefits accrue directly from practices targeted towards fish and wildlife as well as through indirect benefits such as reductions in sediments in streams and establishment of habitat through practices not specifically targeting wildlife. Many benefits to wildlife have been documented, especially those associated with the Conservation Reserve Program. Many other benefits are suspected, but have not been documented.
Fish and Wildlife Response to Farm Bill Conservation Practices, September 2007. This volume addresses conservation practices that can be used to provide fish and wildlife benefits through the Farm Bill. It does not specifically focus on investigations of actual Farm Bill-funded projects but rather summarizes investigations that have addressed various benefits or impacts to fish and wildlife resources associated with the primary practices utilized for fish and wildlife objectives within Farm Bill programs.
Both documents were published by The Wildlife Society in cooperation with USDA's National Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency.
Grazing Lands
Conservation Benefits of Rangeland Practices: Assessment, Recommendations, and Knowledge Gaps, October 2011. The rangeland literature synthesis provides an unprecedented source of evidence-based information to guide the development and assessment of management practices and conservation programs on the nation’s rangelands. It assesses the effectiveness of seven NRCS-recommended rangeland conservation practices: Prescribed Grazing, Prescribed Fire, Brush Management, Range Planting, Riparian Management Practices, Wildlife Management Practices, and Invasive Plant Management. Also assessed were two cross-cutting issues: A landscape approach to rangeland conservation, and a social and economic assessment of rangeland conservation practices.
Conservation Outcomes from Pastureland and Hayland Practices: Assessment, Recommendations, and Knowledge Gaps, December 2012. The pastureland and hayland literature synthesis provides an unprecedented source of evidence-based information to guide the development and assessment of management practices and conservation programs on the nation’s pastureland and hayland. It assesses the effectiveness of four NRCS-recommended rangeland conservation practices: Forage and Biomass Planting, Prescribed Grazing on Pasturelands, Forage Harvest Management, and Nutrient Management on Pastures and Haylands. Also assessed were two cross-cutting issues: A landscape approach to rangeland conservation, and a social and economic assessment of rangeland conservation practices.
Wetlands
Conservation of Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes of the United States, April 2011. The ten papers in the supplement document the scientific literature summarizing the effects of conservation practices and programs on agricultural wetlands in seven geographic regions of the United States: Piedmont-Coastal Plain, Mississippi Alluvial Valley, the High Plains, Prairie Pothole Region, Glaciated Interior Plains, California's Central Valley, and the Appalachian Region. The full synthesis was published as a supplemental issue of the journal Ecological Applications. A standalone summary (PDF, 2.5 MB) is also available.
Watersheds
NIFA CEAP Watershed Syntheses Study, July 2012. As part of the CEAP Watershed Assessment Studies, USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and NRCS jointly funded 13 projects to evaluate the effects of cropland and pastureland conservation practices on spatial and temporal trends in water quality at the watershed scale. In some projects, participants also investigated social and economic factors that influence implementation and maintenance of practices.
A synthesis project designed to discover common themes among the 13 studies was led by North Carolina State University (NCSU) in conjunction with five other institutions and organizations. Dr. Deanna Osmond, NCSU, is principal investigator for the synthesis study. The lessons learned from this synthesis strengthen the knowledge base for evaluating the impacts of conservation practices on water quality, improving management of agricultural landscapes for improved water resource outcomes, and informing conservation policy. Publications, reports and findings from each project were synthesized as part of the study along with other relevant literature. A book published by the Soil and Water Conservation Society, How to Build Better Agricultural Conservation Programs to Protect Water Quality, details key findings of the Synthesis, discusses each Watershed Study individually, and lists key publications from each project. Summaries and a series of fact sheets of key findings are also available for download.
ARS CEAP Watersheds Review Paper, The Challenge of Documenting Water Quality Benefits of Conservation Practices: A Review of USDA-ARS's Conservation Effects Assessment Project Watershed Studies, Water Science and Technology, July 2011
