Quantitative evaluation of the spatial resilience to the B. oleae pest in olive grove socio-ecological landscapes at different scales

Abstract

Spatial resilience quantification can be a useful tool for land planning and management in agricultural systems to predict the appropriate control of disturbances such as pest infections. We proposed an index of spatial resilience based on landscape indicators related to the abundance of the most important pest of Mediterranean olive groves, Bactrocera oleae. The index was applied in two olive regions in Andalusia, Estepa and Sierra de Segura. Additionally, spatial resilience was measured at different spatial scales to verify its capacity as an indicator and to provide appropriate solutions for each type of stakeholder. The spatial scales were: i) circular areas of 1500m radius that involved farms and a wide area of their spatial context, ii) municipalities, and iii) the entire region (a quality production-designated area). At all scales, the calculated spatial resilience was lower in Estepa than in Sierra de Segura because of the proportion of olive groves in Estepa, the size of their patches, and their spatial connectivity promoting a greater homogeneity of the landscape; additionally, the proportion of scrubland areas and the fragmentation of the landscape were smaller. Finally, we discussed the direct implications of spatial resilience for land planning to favour pest control and indirect implications for the conservation of biodiversity in the framework of a sustainable agricultural production of olive groves. The application of the spatial resilience index would contribute to an objective assessment of the ecological quality of the agricultural landscape, a basic requirement for the perception of environmental subsidies by farmers from different administrations.