ABSTRACT
The agricultural sector is vital to sustainability and conserving the natural environment. The current activities of the agricultural sector are not sustainable because of their impact on critical natural capital, and the international ecological footprint of EC support for agricultural production. The agricultural sector produces pollutants itself, but also acts as a sink for pollutants from other sectors. Indicators presented in this chapter demonstrate that changes in land use and management in recent decades have increased pollution and have acted as one of the major pressures causing loss of biodiversity.
