The Environmental Impacts of Non-food Biomass Production Through Land-Use Changes: Scope, Foci and Methodology of Current Research

Biomass production has developed significantly in the latest decades to meet the growing needs of the bioeconomy sector, a trend which is expected to continue in the near future to substitute dwindling fossil resources. Concerns were recently raised on the consequences of expanding feedstock production on land-use worldwide, prompting a surge in scientific publications. These consequences may be analysed through a three-step causal chain relating drivers of feedstock production, changes in land-use (LUC), and environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity, water resources, soil quality, or atmospheric pollution. Here, we set out to examine how this booming area of research is currently structured in terms of foci, methodologies employed, or types of LUC studied. It appeared especially relevant since this research bears a degree of performativity in that it is likely to influence and shape policies in the realm of the emerging bioeconomy sector.