Parkland Agroforestry Practices on Biodiversity Conservation- A Review

Abstract

Globally, forests hold more than 75% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity but between 2010 and 2015, about 3.3 million hectares of forest lands were lost. The conversion of forest to agricultural land was a major reason for biodiversity losses in tropic s where most of the world's biodiversity reserves are found. High population growth in the regions causes loss of biodiversity. Currently, biodiversity conservation and mitigation of climate changes are environmental challenges. To reduce deforestation, farmers integrate trees on their farmland to acquire ecological, economic and social benefits from natural forests and woodlands. Thus, the aim of this paper is reviewing the benefit of parkland agroforestry practices on biodiversity conservation. Parkland agroforestry practices have given more emphasis to climate amelioration, fertility improvement, water conservation, and biodiversity improvement. The practice is known by growing scattered trees on farmland by integrating annual crops; which maintains species diversity. Their rich diversity makes them ecologically resilient and provides more and better ecological functions. Parkland agroforestry practices reduce deforestation and pressure on protected forests by providing alternative bioenergy, timber and other forest products from farmers' fields. Moreover, it is used as an ecological corridor allowing species to move between habitats. In other ways, the interactions between tree, crop and livestock components in parkland agroforestry can be positive, negative or neutral. Biodiversity conservation has an effect on ecological interaction under parkland agroforestry. Thus, promoting parkland agroforestry practices plays a role in the conservation of biodiversity in varieties of ways if implemented based on the principles that control leaving bare land.

Agroforestry as a Driver for the Provisioning of Peri-Urban Socio-Ecological Functions: A Trans-Disciplinary Approach

“…Connectivity traits analysis accounted for the positive contribution given by TS linear landscape features insertion and by productive agroforestry-managed patches. The latter act as new medium-quality AGR nodes, which facilitate connectivity and circuitry functions across the agricultural matrix, especially if coupled with NAT woody patches [136,137]. This supports the hypothesis on the pivotal role that in-field agroforestry management can have a balance in supporting landscape ecological processes.…”

A study of composition and diversity variation of avifauna along with different types of agroforestry system in Kibet town, Southern Ethiopia

“…It is recognized as a possible partial solution for biodiversity conservation and improvement [41]. It improves biodiversity as it provides more habitats and food for birds, small mammals, reptiles, earthworms, and insects, which in turn lead to an increase in species diversity as a whole [1].…”