Household Differentiation and On-farm Conservation of Biodiversity by Indigenous Households in Xishuangbanna, China

Abstract

With diversification of field type among households in same eco-environment and social situation, even in the same ecosystem, merging household socio-economics with biodiversity initiative values to determine incentives and optimum strategy of on-farm conservation of biodiversity. Botany survey of agroecosystems at landscape level in Daka and Baka, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China, as well as household differentiation of biodiversity in agroecosystem and on-farm conservation strategy merging household socio-economic characters were studied. There were 73 families 179 species distributed in 0.1 ha of different agroecosystems in Daka, and 70 families 166 species distributed in 0.08 ha different agroecosystems of Baka respectively. The cosmopolitan families, such as Gramineae and Compositae decreased the percentage of tropical families and subtropical families. Botany survey among 12 random selected households from Daka in 46 sampling plots of different agroecosystems showed significant differentiation of the species richness indices of natural biodiversity and agrobiodiversity as there were differences of cognition and utilization of plant species besides management practices among households. Dengrogram using the Ward method of hierarchical cluster analysis based on annual questionnaire interview of 60% household from 1998 to 2001 in Daka showed disparity among different households’ socio-economics which underpins management diversity. There were significant correlation coefficients between household socio-economics and species richness indices of different agroecosystems. Fallow size had significant positive correlation coefficients with species richness index of rubber plantation. By contraries, production input had negative correlation coefficients with species richness index of upland rice field. Meanwhile, cereal crop income had significant positive correlation coefficient with agro-species richness index of rubber plantation. By contraries, other income such as off-farm income had negative correlation coefficients with agro-species richness index of rubber plantation. Innovations of the expert farmer on agrobiodiversity on farm conservation were admiration.