Site specific risk mitigation - a framework for environmental management in agricultural landscapes

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Environmental protection measures in agricultural landscapes are commonly implemented using uniform risk mitigation requirements relying on a fixed set of measures despite substantial spatial heterogeneity in exposure conditions. This study evaluates the potentials of a spatially explicit environmental management framework that integrates distance-based exposure reduction combined with recognised technical mitigation measures for plant protection product applications. In addition to application-related technical standards, the paper reflects them for the implementation of such a framework such as the clarification of appropriate governance structures, data and documentation requirements and standards. Using nationwide geospatial datasets from Germany as a conservative and data-rich case study, agricultural fields were classified according to their proximity to aquatic and terrestrial environmental non-target areas. Distance classes were subsequently linked to established spray drift exposure functions and recognised drift reduction technologies in order to assess the interaction between spatial separation and technical mitigation. The analysis revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity in non-target area proximity across agricultural landscapes. Large proportions (86%) of agricultural land were located at considerable distances (&gt; 75 m) from non-target areas, resulting in substantial reductions in potential exposure before the application of additional technical mitigation measures. The results further demonstrated that different combinations of spatial separation and technical mitigation can achieve equivalent overall mitigation levels despite relying on different mitigation pathways. These findings suggest that spatial distance can be considered a quantifiable mitigation resource within environmental management frameworks. By integrating geospatial information with existing mitigation concepts, spatially explicit approaches may support more targeted, transparent and harmonised allocation of environmental protection measures while maintaining established protection goals.</p>