Traditional oases in Northern Africa as multifunctional agroforestry systems: a systematic literature review of the provided Ecosystem Services and of the main vulnerabilities

Abstract

Traditional oases represent unique forms of adaptation to extreme environmental conditions, developed through the centuries by local farmers to support their livelihood, combining different crops (date palms, fruit trees, vegetables and fodder) with livestock breeding. Despite their social, economic and cultural importance, these agroforestry systems are currently facing multiple socio-environmental threats. The aim of the paper is to investigate the variety of Ecosystem Services (ES) and the main threats related to traditional oases in Northern Africa through a systematic literature review. The search returned 257 relevant papers published from 2005 to March 2022, mostly focusing on Tunisian oases (37%), followed by Algerian (23%), Moroccan (19%), Egyptian (17%), and Libyan (4%). Provisioning Services, in particular Genetic diversity, agrobiodiversity and biodiversity, are the most cited ES (36% of the papers) followed by Cultural Services, mainly represented by Traditional knowledge systems, cultural heritage and sense of place (17%), while Regulating Services are less considered. Results highlighted that water related issues (desertification, drought, salinization or overexploitation) represent the main threat, followed by decrease of agrobiodiversity, primarily due to the spread of monocultures of commercial date varieties, and by social transformations (depopulation, traditional knowledge and cultural heritage loss). The literature review proved that traditional oases are still crucial for the livelihood of local communities since they still provide many ES. Local experiences related to sustainable development and tourism, or innovative solutions to valorize local products and byproducts, could be important for replication in other traditional oases to contribute to the wellbeing of local communities and to the preservation of these agroecosystems.

Integration of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Remote Sensing to Assess Threats to Preservation of the Oases: Case of Al Ain, UAE

“…On average, each palm needs approximately 1093 gallons per month. Santoro [47] also found that the main threat to traditional oases in Northern Africa is water with related issues (desertification, drought, salinization, or overexploitation), whereas the most pressing threat to the US and Mexican date industries is the South American Palm Weevil (SPW) [48]. Other threats identified from the survey were urban expansion (human impact) and soil and palm diseases (Red Palm Weevil (RPW)) (Table 4).…”

Determinants of the Agroforestry Practices in Mana Districts, Oromyia Region, Ethiopia

“…The fruit trees like Carica papaya (Caricaceae), bananas, and fodder trees like Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata) are commonly also grown near the home. The household head in Rwanda who planted and used L. leucocephala and C. calothyrsus for fodder in their home gardens increased their milk production (Santoro, 2023). Moreover it is also dung for manure, which further improved crop production and household income (Wolpert et al, 2022).…”

Approaches to Enhance Sugar Content in Foods: Is the Date Palm Fruit a Natural Alternative to Sweeteners?

“…Promoting climate-resistant foods such as the date palm aligns with the UN’s Zero Hunger goal, as the date palm seems less affected by climate change [ 86 , 91 ]. Palm groves combat desertification, create a microclimate, preserving agrobiodiversity and support various animal species, benefiting local communities [ 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 ]. Intensive date palm cultivation brings environmental challenges, e.g., leading to soil salinization [ 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 ] or reduced livestock presence [ 102 ].…”