Abstract
Agroforestry systems contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity in tropical landscapes. In the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, conservational functional group richness was significantly higher in an agrosilvopastoral system than that of an agrisilvicultural or aquasilvicultural system or monoculture plantation. A compilation of nine studies undertaken in Africa, Latin America and Asia indicated that animal diversity is highest in cocoa agroforests that have high plant diversity, structurally complex canopies, and abundant surrounding forest cover. Three assumptions support expected agroforestry effects on biodiversity conservation. First, it is assumed that the adoption of agroforestry practices by farmers induces a reduction of the pressure of deforestation on additional land. Second, agroforestry systems provide new habitats and resources for local plant and animal species that are in part dependent on the forest for survival, and could not survive in a purely agricultural landscape. Third, the value of the conservation of remnants of natural vegetation is greater if the remains are embedded in a landscape dominated by agroforestry elements. This only holds true if the surrounding matrix consists of crop fields or pastureland largely enriched with tree cover.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Angelsen A, Kaimowitz D (2004) Is agroforestry likely to reduce deforestation? In: Schroth G, da Fonseca GAB, Harvey CA, Vasconcelos HL, Gascon C, Izac AM (eds) Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes. Island Press, Washington DC, USA, pp 87–106
Atangana AR, Beaulieu J, Khasa DP (2010) Wild genetic diversity preservation in a small-sized first-generation breeding population of Allanblackia floribunda (Clusiaceae). Tree Genet Genomes 6(1):127–136
Bennett AF, Radford JQ, Haslem A (2006) Properties of land mosaics: Implications for nature conservation in agricultural environments. Biol Conser 133(2):250–264
Bhagwat SA, Willis KJ, Birks HJB, Whittaker RJ (2008) Agroforestry: a refuge for tropical diversity? Trends Ecol Evol 23(5):261–267
Griffith DM (2000) Agroforestry: a refuge for tropical biodiversity after fire. Conserv Biol 14(1):325–326
Huang W, Luukkanen O, Johanson S, Kaarakka V, Räisänen S, Vihemäki H (2002) Agroforestry for biodiversity conservation of nature reserves: functional group identification and analyses. Agrofor Syst 55:65–72
Leakey RRB (1998) Agroforestry for biodiversity in farming systems. In: Collins WW, Qualset Co (eds) Biodiversity in agroecosystems. Advances in Agroecology, CRC Press, pp 127–145
Peltier R, Bisiaux F, Dubiez E, Marien J-N, Muliele J-C, Proces P, et Vermeulen C (2010) De la culture itinérante sur brûlis aux jachères enrichies productrices de charbon de bois, en Rep. Dem. Congo. ISDA, Montpellier, France
Perfecto I, Vandermeer J (2008) Biodiversity conservation in tropical agroecosystems. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1134:173–200
Sanchez PA, Benites JR (1987) Low-input cropping for acid soils of the humid tropics. Science 238(4833):1521–1527
Schroth G, da Fonseca GAB, Harvey CA, Vasconcelos HL, Gascon C, Izac AM (2004) Introduction: The role of agroforestry in biodiversity conservation in tropical landscapes. In: Schroth G, da Fonseca GAB, Harvey CA, Vasconcelos HL, Gascon C, Izac AM (eds) Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes. Island Press, Washington DC, USA, pp 1–14
Schroth G, Harvey CA (2007) Biodiversity conservation in cocoa production landscapes: an overview. Biodivers Conserv 16:2237–2244
Sonwa DJ, Nkongmeneck BA, Weise SF, Tchatat M, Adesina AA, Janssens MJJ (2007) Diversity of plants in cocoa agroforests in the humid forest zone of Southern Cameroon. Biodivers Conserv 16:2385–2400
Schure J, Assembe Mvondo S, Awono A, Ingram V, Lescuyer G, Sonwa D, Somorin O (2010). L’état de l’art du bois énergie en RDC: Analyse institutionnelle et socio économique de la filière bois énergie. Projet Makala—EuropeAid DCI-ENV/2008/151–384
Steffan-Dewenter I, Kessler M, Barkmann J, Bos MM, Buchori D, Erasmi S, Faust H, Gerold G, Glenk K et al. (2007) Tradeoffs between income, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning during tropical rainforest conversion and agroforestry intensification. PNAS 104(12):4973–4978
Schroth G, da Fonseca GAB, Harvey CA, Gascon C, Vasconcelos HL, Izac AMN (2004) Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscape. Island Press, Wasington
Tchoundjeu Z, Asaah EK, Anegbeh PO, Degrande A, Mbile P, Facheux C, Tsobeng A, Atangana AR, Ngo Mpeck ML Simons AJ (2006) Putting participatory domestication into practice in West and Central Africa. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods 16:53–69
Torquebiau E (1992) Are tropical homegardens sustainable? Agric Ecosyst Environ 41:189–207
Whitacre DF, Schulze M, Seavy N (1995) Habitat affinities of a central American forest avifauna: implications for conservation in Neotropical slash-and-burn farming landscapes. Technical report to the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program. The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Atangana, A., Khasa, D., Chang, S., Degrande, A. (2014). Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Landscapes. In: Tropical Agroforestry. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7723-1_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7723-1_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7722-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7723-1
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)