Monitoring the Environmental Impact of the Bioeconomy: Indicators and Models for Ex-Post and Ex-Ante Evaluation in Agriculture

The transformation towards a sustainable bioeconomy presents new challenges and opportunities for the agricultural sector. This paper investigates how the environmental impacts of this transformation can be effectively monitored using existing agricultural models and sustainability indicators. Drawing on comprehensive model and indicator reviews from the SYMOBIO project, we identify a set of suitable models and propose a harmonised set of 21 SMART-aligned indicators for immediate use for national and regional monitoring. The key findings highlight strong capabilities for modelling GHG and nutrient indicators, persistent gaps in biodiversity and water indicators, and the need for improved methods for using biomass as well as for representing scenario-based spatially disaggregated approaches. The findings highlight the importance of having harmonised indicators, quantitative targets, and integrated monitoring systems in place. The results mark an intermediate step in the ongoing development of national bioeconomy monitoring in Germany.