Abstract
Biodiversity conservation in current era of increasing global climate change and rapid land degradation is a major challenge globally. Agroforestry is an important land use system addressing biodiversity conservation and enhancing social and environmental goals. However, there is scarcity of empirical evidence on contributions of agroforestry for conservation of biodiversity and reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> emission. This paper aimed to provide empirical information on the role of agroforestry for conservation of flora and fauna biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The result revealed agroforestry has contributed huge role in conservation of fauna and flora diversity and mitigation of CO<sub>2</sub> than open cereal based agriculture. Trees in agroforestry are the important component in conservation and mitigation of climate change effects. Binding CO<sub>2</sub> through biomass and soil, reducing other causes for CO<sub>2</sub> emission such as deforestation and microclimate modification are major climate change mitigation actions. Provision of numerous other ecosystem services to people and their agroecosystem such as provisioning services (shelter, food, fodder, etc.), regulating services (pest and diseases control, modification of microclimate, reducing wind effect, etc.) and supporting services (nutrient cycling) help them build the resilience towards changing climate effects. Hence, responsible bodies must consider the huge potential of agroforestry in their conservation and climate change mitigation and adaption strategy.
Highlights
The above evidence showed agroforestry is very hopeful in mitigating climate change due to its continuous increasing in occupying majority of land surface and with diverse potential of sequestrating carbon in soil, above ground and even in atmosphere when compared to other open non-tree agricultural land
Agroforestry systems have played an important function in conservation of both flora and fauna, reducing CO2 emission and enhancing the resilience of people and their agroecosystem to climate variability and change
The tree components in agroforestry serve a key role in provision of diverse ecosystem function and services
Summary
They form the foundation for vast array of ecosystem services including climate change mitigation and adaptation. Agroforestry as integrated land uses system has suggested as a potential to simultaneously safeguard agriculture productivity, reduce biodiversity loss and mitigation and adaptation of climate change effects [5]. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the role of agroforestry in conservation of floral and faunal diversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation in contemporary situation when rapid biodiversity loss and climate change are perplexing and suggested future prospect. 2. Potential of Agroforestry for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation woody species of diverse plant categories for fulfilling the subsistence and cash needs [14]. Rare/threatened species, such as Baphia nitida, Cordia africana, Manilkara hexandra, Prunus africana, Pygeum africanum and Rhus glutinosa were categorized as vulnerable in the wild, and need of conservation priority
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