Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation Research Articles

Diversity, Genetic Structure and Relationship with Chilling Requirements of Local Varieties of Apple (Malus spp.) in the Centre for the Conservation of Agricultural Biodiversity of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

Sixty-seven apple tree accessions from the Centre for the Conservation of Agricultural Biodiversity of Tenerife (CCBAT) were molecularly characterised for the first time with 13 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Additionally, previously studied genotypes from the Canary Islands (Tenerife, La Palma and Gran Canaria), Galicia, Asturias and commercial reference varieties were studied to identify possible synonymies and genetic structures, in order to improve the conservation of this genus in the germplasm bank. Thirty-three different genotypes were found in the new accessions analysed (51% clonality): sixteen of them (48%) exclusive to Tenerife, with no genetic coincidence with previous studies, making a total of thirty-three genotypes unique to Tenerife and sixty-five in the whole of the Canary Islands. The analysis of the population structure grouped the apple genotypes into two reconstructed panmictic populations (RPPs), one formed by local varieties or traditional ones (‘Peros’), RPP1, from all the regions studied, and the other formed by local and commercial varieties, RPP2. The RPP1 genotypes identified in Tenerife seem to show better adaptation to low chill, with a positive and significant correlation (0.388, p < 0.01), highlighting the importance of local varieties and the need for their conservation. This is the first study reporting significant correlation between genetic structure and chilling requirements.

Culture and agricultural biodiversity conservation

Farmers’ behavior towards sustainable agricultural production is key to reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture and conserving biodiversity. We investigate the causal effect of culture on pro-environmental behaviors of farmers, and how policy instruments interact with culture to influence behavior. We exploit a unique natural experiment in Switzerland, which consists of two parts. First, there is an inner-Swiss cultural border between German- and French-speaking farmers who share the same natural environment, economy, and institutions, but differ culturally in their norms and values. Second, we exploit the effects of an agri-environmental policy reform that increased the monetary incentives to enroll land into biodiversity conservation. Using a spatial difference-in-discontinuities design and panel census data of all Swiss farms between 2010 and 2017, we show the following findings: Before the reform, farmers on the French-speaking side of the cultural border systematically enrolled less land into biodiversity conservation, compared to the German-speaking side. With increased monetary incentives following the policy reform in 2014, the French-speaking farmers enrolled relatively more additional land than the German-speaking farmers, shrinking the discontinuity. These findings indicate that while there exist cultural differences in pro-environmental behaviors, increased monetary incentives can reduce the importance of cultural differences. We discuss the implications for policy.

The Longevity of Fruit Trees in Basilicata (Southern Italy): Implications for Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation

In the Mediterranean basin, agriculture and other forms of human land use have shaped the environment since ancient times. Intensive and extensive agricultural systems managed with a few cultured plant populations of improved varieties are a widespread reality in many Mediterranean countries. Despite this, historical cultural landscapes still exist in interior and less intensively managed rural areas. There, ancient fruit tree varieties have survived modern cultivation systems, preserving a unique genetic heritage. In this study, we mapped and characterized 106 living fruit trees of ancient varieties in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Tree ages were determined through tree ring measurements and radiocarbon analyses. We uncovered some of the oldest scientifically dated fruit trees in the world. The oldest fruit species were olive (max age 680 ± 57 years), mulberry (647 ± 66 years), chestnut (636 ± 66 years), and pear (467 ± 89 years). These patriarchs hold a unique genetic resource; their preservation and genetic maintenance through agamic propagation are now promoted by the Lucan Agency for the Development and Innovation in Agriculture (ALSIA). Each tree also represents a hub for biodiversity conservation in agrarian ecosystems: their large architecture and time persistence guarantee ecological niches and micro-habitats suitable for flora and fauna species of conservation significance.

Abundance and Population Structure of Small Rodents in Fruit and Berry Farms.

Fruit and berry farms are anthropogenic habitats still inhabited by small mammals, though their presence is constantly affected by agricultural activities. Based on trapping data from 2018-2022, we analyzed the abundance and population structure of the dominant rodent species to assess changes in gender and age ratios by year and habitat, the annual and seasonal dynamics of relative abundance, and the relationship between breeding parameters and abundance. The relative abundance of the dominant species, common vole, yellow-necked mouse, striped field mouse, and bank vole, and their proportion in the investigated community varied according to year, season, and habitat. No outbreaks were recorded during the study period. The abundance of the striped field mouse exhibited a downward trend independently of habitat, while the abundance and proportions of the other three species were habitat-dependent. There was no consistent pattern between litter size and relative abundance in the same or following years. Given the ongoing conflict between biodiversity conservation in Europe and agriculture, the results contribute to a better understanding of the functioning and viability of rodent populations in fruit farms and may be used in agroecology and sustainable farming.

Rural Land Concentration & Protected Areas: Recent Trends from Montana and Greater Yellowstone

Where agricultural land use and biodiversity conservation values overlap, conservation science has tended to focus on the challenges posed by land ownership fragmentation. However, the dynamics of land concentration also affect rural landscapes and economies upon which biodiversity conservation increasingly depends. In this study, we provide a methodological approach to measuring concentration using parcel-level data to generate a description of private landownership trends at the boundary of the Northern Rockies and the Northern Great Plains, two ecoregions of global conservation significance. Across our 25m-acre study region in Montana, USA concentration in large land ownership increased by 7 percent between 2005 and 2018. Growth of a county’s largest landholding through the agglomeration of properties into a single mega-estate emerges as a recurring trend. Other drivers contribute to concentration, suggesting a mix of conservation opportunities and challenges that merits further research and consideration by academic and resource management stakeholders.

Response of endangered bird species to land-use changes in an agricultural landscape in Germany

Land-use intensification in agroecosystems has led to population declines in many taxonomic groups, especially farmland birds. Two contrasting conservation strategies have therefore been proposed: land sharing (the integration of biodiversity conservation in low-intensity agriculture) and land sparing (the spatial separation of high-yielding agriculture and areas for conservation). Despite the large academic interest in this field, only few studies have taken into account stakeholders’ perspectives of these strategies when assessing conservation implications. We modeled the effects of three land-use scenarios (a business-as-usual, a land-sharing, and a land-sparing scenario), developed together with regional stakeholders, on the habitat area of 13 regionally endangered bird species in the Middle Mulde River Basin (Saxony, Germany). We used random forest models based on environmental variables relating to land-use/cover, climate and soil characteristics, occurrence of linear landscape elements (hedges and tree rows), and distance to water and major roads. Responses to the three land-use scenarios were species-specific, but extensively managed permanent grassland and the density of forest edges were positively associated with the occurrence of most bird species. Overall, the land-sharing scenario provided the largest breeding habitat area: 76% of the species had a significant (p < 0.05) increase in breeding habitat, and none showed a significant decrease. Our findings confirm that balancing the different, often contrasting habitat requirements of multiple species is a key challenge in conservation and landscape management. Land sharing, which local stakeholders identified as the most desirable scenario, is a promising strategy for the conservation of endangered birds in agricultural landscapes like our study region.

Traditional Production Landscapes for Sustainable Development Mainstreaming Agricultural Biodiversity in East Java Indonesia

Abstract: Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity. Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional East Java production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities’ response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in traditional East Java production landscapes and (ii) opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in smallholder traditional East Java farming systems. Results indicate that the top-down decision-making regime is the least effective towards achieving sustainable development in traditional East Java farming landscapes and that farmers’ experiential knowledge on participatory biodiversity management, maintenance and use for sustainable development are of critical importance to East Java’s agriculture and economy. Reclaiming agriculture’s spiritual roots through organic farming and locally grown food emerged as key, including the need for designing and implementing a more sovereign food system. Revisiting traditional smallholder farming under the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned for repurposing East Java’s agricultural policy are also highlighted.

Policies and practices of central and sub-national governments for seed commons formation in Japan: will the seeds of the varieties collected and developed be shared?

ABSTRACT Proponents of agroecology and food sovereignty are trying to form seed commons as a framework against the formal seed systems established by governments. However, we argue that the formation of seed commons should not be considered as a dichotomy that distinguishes between the government and stakeholders, including farmers, but rather as a dichotomy that divides the scope of activities into those regulated by law and those that can be determined by farmers at their own discretion. Japan, like many other countries, is a signatory to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, both of which contain important elements for the conservation of agricultural biodiversity and agroecology at the national and local level. Based on the proposed dichotomy, this study aims to explore the possibility of creating seed commons for seed sharing in Japan. We clarify the policies and actual conditions surrounding the access and use of seeds and explore the possibility of creating seed commons.

The Significance of Traditional Culture for Agricultural Biodiversity—Experiences from GIAHS

Agricultural biodiversity has a high importance in social-cultural, economic, and environmental aspects, and can help in adapting to and withstanding climate change. Conserving the GIAHS sites and the important components within them can help conserve the agricultural biodiversity and traditional agricultural culture of the whole country. This study considered Ifugao Rice Terraces, Dong's Rice-Fish-Duck System, and Hani Rice Terraces System as three examples which show that traditional culture can be used to protect agricultural biodiversity, while as a carrier of traditional culture, agricultural biodiversity also conveys and protects the traditional culture of the nation. According to the analyses, through several years of efforts, the status of agricultural biodiversity and traditional culture in them has improved. Then, to further promote agricultural biodiversity conservation and traditional culture protection, several suggestions are made, such as establishing community seed banks; documenting and preserving traditional farming methods, techniques, and tools and developing participatory activities which encourage more farmers to participate in the protection work.

Perennial crops can complement semi-natural habitats in enhancing ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity in agricultural landscapes

Agricultural intensification has caused losses of global biodiversity and associated ecological services. Agroecological landscape assessments are therefore often based on the area of remaining semi-natural habitats due to their ability to promote biodiversity. Due to their structural diversity and often less intensive management in comparison to annual crops, perennial cropland could fulfil similar roles. However, comparisons of the ability of perennial cropland versus semi-natural habitat to maintain agricultural diversity are scarce. Here, we conduct such an assessment, in comparing functional group-specific patterns in ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as indicators of anthropogenic land-use impacts on biodiversity and biological pest control. Carabid assemblages were compared between annual cropland (56 plots), perennial cropland (24 plots) and semi-natural habitats (74 plots) of varying plant diversity across nine study regions situated in Eastern China. Our results indicated that perennial crops sustained a greater carabid species richness than semi-natural habitats, whereas assemblages of semi-natural habitats contained greater proportions of large and predatory carabids. Plant species richness positively affected the overall diversity of carabids, with the strongest effects again observed in perennial cropland. Abundance-based and species-based proportions of large carabids were positively linked to plant diversity in perennial cropland and semi-natural habitats, but negatively in annual cropland. A similar response was observed for predatory carabid abundance. Perennial crops might therefore fulfil complementary roles to semi-natural habitats in agricultural biodiversity conservation. Given common trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and agricultural production, promoting perennial cropland in particular in combination with management that increases plant diversity, could enable increases in the sustainability of agricultural production systems particularly in areas with high food demand, but limited availability of arable land. Notwithstanding, semi-natural habitats remain crucial particularly with view of enhancing biological pest control services.

Embrapa and the construction of scientific heritage in Brazilian agriculture: Sowing memory

AbstractMotivationThe Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa, is well known for incorporating the Cerrado into Brazil’s modern agriculture through its discoveries of how to improve infertile soils and to develop soybean seeds adapted to the tropics. Known as the Tropical Revolution, Brazil’s own Green Revolution, this past episode continues to define Embrapa’s identity and Brazil’s agricultural science and technology, reinforcing a view of agricultural development while neglecting alternatives.PurposeThis article seeks to understand how Embrapa has carved its name in Brazil’s agricultural history, creating a powerful national brand with global recognition. It explores what constitutes Embrapa’s “organizational heritage,” how this has been built within the organization and to what effect.Approach and methodsTo commemorate Embrapa’s 40th anniversary in 2014, an official history (“Memória Embrapa”) was written, focusing on the success of the organization and the reasons for this. This source has been reviewed, then combined with evidence from interviews with 29 Embrapa researchers about the strengths and shortcomings of organizational heritage.FindingsEmbrapa’s story of success focuses on selected technological breakthroughs, highly trained and motivated scientists, and a sense of mission towards Brazilian society. This omits, however, some successes, challenges and alternative approaches to research that do not fit well with the simplified history. Three such omissions stand out: (1) the official history barely mentions the concerns about the environmental and social impacts of the spread of large‐scale farming—which much of Embrapa’s research had served; (2) Embrapa created a national seed bank, to which indigenous groups demanded access since they had conserved much of the genetic material in the bank (policy was changed to allow indigenous groups access and to promote a dialogue between the scientists and the farmers); and (3), in similar vein, some scientists in Embrapa endeavour to engage with local expertise, with ethnoscience, to enrich and broaden the research.Policy implicationsRooting Embrapa’s brand in history makes the narrative persistent and hard to challenge. This risks creating a simplified, monolithic narrative about Embrapa and Brazilian agriculture that feeds technocratic fixations with high science and transfer of technology as the dominant pathway to agricultural development and food security. This may have been considered necessary in the 1970s, but increasingly the agricultural research agenda must include environmental sustainability and conservation of agricultural biodiversity, climate change, social fairness and a respectful engagement with different ways of researching, including learning from the longstanding practices of farmers.

Potential distribution of crop wild relatives under climate change in Sri Lanka: implications for conservation of agricultural biodiversity

The global population is growing rapidly and food production needs to be stepped up substantially to supply the additional demand expected by projected increased population. Further, climate change is expected to exert considerable pressure on global agriculture and food production. Crop wild relatives (CWR), which possess large untapped genetic diversity, can provide vital genetic material for future crop improvement. At present, this important category of plants is at risk due to anthropogenic climate change and other human-mediated changes i.e., habitat destruction. Therefore, it is important to study and understand the vulnerability of CWR to climate change, their potential distribution, and range dynamics for their conservation. Here we use Maxent algorithm to simulate the potential distribution across nine CWR species belonging to four crop genera, Cinnamomum, Piper, Vigna and Oryza in Sri Lanka and investigate how the predicted potential suitable areas change under climate change. Our findings indicate that species response to climate change varies among species studied, even within the same genus. Many species are predicted to decrease their suitable habitat by 2050, suggesting that these species are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The study identifies potential CWR rich areas in the country for future in situ conservation. Our findings facilitate decision-makers to make evidence-based decision-making for better management of CWR in Sri Lanka.

Mainstreaming Agricultural Biodiversity in Traditional Production Landscapes for Sustainable Development: The Indian Scenario

Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity, the key objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the projects supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Environment Facility (GEF). Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional Indian production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities’ response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in traditional Indian production landscapes and (ii) opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in smallholder traditional Indian farming systems. Results indicate that the top-down decision-making regime is the least effective towards achieving sustainable development in traditional Indian farming landscapes and that farmers’ experiential knowledge on participatory biodiversity management, maintenance and use for sustainable development are of critical importance to India’s agriculture and economy. Reclaiming agriculture’s spiritual roots through organic farming and locally grown food emerged as key, including the need for designing and implementing a more sovereign food system. Revisiting traditional smallholder farming under the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned for repurposing India’s agricultural policy are also highlighted.

Achieving Sustainability and Biodiversity Conservation in Agriculture: Importance, Challenges and Prospects

Concerns over the two-legged march towards sustainability and biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes have sparked debates globally; both in research and development, socioeconomics and policy planning. While others argue that sustainable and biodiversity conserving agriculture is impractical, an increasing body of evidence continues to recognise the importance of biodiversity for human survival and environmental stability. Because of this recognition, the UN decided to integrate and prioritise biodiversity conservation in its sustainable development goals. Although the concept of biodiversity is recognised as a potential coping strategy for climate change and crop production challenges; the practicality of its integration in agriculture remains a challenge. In this paper, some of the important prospects that can support and facilitate biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes are briefly discussed. While we recognise that the path to sustainability is not going to be easy, we emphasise the need for integrated research from both the sectors of agriculture and conservation to be prioritised, to reconcile productive sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation. Such research should target trade-offs and synergies which can make it possible for these sectors to coexist and survive in their coexistence. This will be highly beneficial to facilitate and guide the sustainability and conservation policy planning.&#x0D; Keywords: sustainable intensification; resilience; biodiversity conservation; ecosystem services; food security

Progress of agricultural biodiversity conservation in China

Progress of agricultural biodiversity conservation in China

Rangeland Sharing by Cattle and Bees: Moderate Grazing Does Not Impair Bee Communities and Resource Availability

Rangelands are a dominant anthropogenic land use and a main driver of natural habitat loss worldwide. Land sharing, the integration of agricultural production and biodiversity conservation, may provide a platform for managing rangelands to fulfill multiple ecosystem services. However, livestock grazing can greatly affect biodiversity and little is known about its effects on providers of focal ecosystem services, such as pollinators. We investigated the effect of cattle grazing on bee communities and their foraging and nesting resources in Mediterranean rangelands. Specifically, we explored the effect of moderate cattle grazing on flowering plant abundance, species richness and composition, the diversity of nesting substrates, and consequently, the possible effects on wild bee and honey bee foraging activity, species diversity, and community composition. We conducted field research in the Mediterranean rangelands of Israel during the main bee activity season, in the spring of 2012 and 2013, comparing paired cattle-grazed and ungrazed areas. The availability of floral and nesting resources for bees was unaffected or positively affected by grazing. Similarly, wild bee abundance, species richness, and composition were not affected by grazing, but were instead shaped by spatiotemporal factors. Nor was honey bee activity level impaired by grazing. The foraging preferences of bees, as well as flower species composition and peak bloom differed between grazed and ungrazed areas. Therefore, in our studied rangelands, grazing had its main effect on the foraging choices of honey bees and wild bees, rather than on their abundance and diversity. Moreover, our results indicate the potentially important role of ungrazed patches in increasing nectar and pollen diversity and availability in rangelands for both honey bees and wild bees in the spring. Hence, maintaining a mosaic of moderately grazed and ungrazed patches is expected to provide the greatest benefits for wild bee conservation and honey bee activity in Mediterranean rangelands. Our findings support the notion of rangeland sharing by cattle and bees in Mediterranean ecosystems under moderate grazing intensities, mimicking the coexistence of honey bees, wild bees, and cattle in Mediterranean ecosystems on an evolutionary timescale.

Applying Knowledge of Southern Seed Savers to Community-Based Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation Practice

Abstract This project investigated the characteristics, motivations, knowledge, and experiences of farmers and gardeners who are involved in growing, saving, and sharing open pollinated, heirloom seeds. The goal of the project was to help the Revitalizing Ozark-Ouachita Seed Traditions (ROOST) seed bank better understand the people who participate in the seed exchange events that ROOST participates in, sponsors, or organizes. We used participant-observation, interviewing, and a survey to gather our data. We selected nine seed savers from the ROOST database for in-depth interviews that we conducted in various places including homes, seed swaps, gardens, and greenhouses, and we followed this with a survey of a broader group of ROOST seed savers. This article analyzes data from this research and makes recommendations regarding how ROOST and other similar organizations can be better and more effective supporters and stewards of local agricultural biodiversity conservation networks.

Piyasalar ve Kolektif Davranış: Geleneksel Buğday Türleri Üzerine Bir Örnek Olay İncelemesi

<div><!--block-->Turkey one of the centers of origin and genetic diversity for wheat. There are concerns about a global decline in crop genetic diversity in centers of agricultural diversity, the replacement of traditional varieties with modern varieties and implications for food security and climate change resilience. Market-oriented solutions can help conserve traditional wheat varieties, secure livelihoods and promote food security. However, overcoming marketing challenges of traditional varieties require collective action of small farmers. Based on fieldwork in Turkey, this article examines the conservation and development outcomes for two traditional wheat varieties, einkorn (Triticum monococcum) and a local bread wheat variety zeron/zerun (Triticum aestivum). While external development interventions are critical to secure guaranteed markets for farmers, bonding, bridging and linking social capital between farmers and external actors sustain collective action in the long term. Previous collective action of farmers and non-market solutions for agricultural biodiversity conservation, particularly seed exchange networks, also are critical for the effectiveness of market-oriented solutions. The national context, legal changes as well as socio-economic policies, also affects the decisions of farmers to cultivate the traditional varieties, and thus, should be included in the sustainability of market-oriented solutions for traditional wheat variety conservation.&nbsp;</div>

Assessing indigenous and local knowledge of farmers about pollination services in cucurbit agro-ecosystem of Punjab, Pakistan.

Being the ultimate beneficiary of ecosystem services provided by on-farm agricultural biodiversity, the participation of farmers in its sustainable utilization and conservation is crucial. How much aware they are with the significance and conservation of agricultural biodiversity in order to improve their crop yield remains unclear, especially from the developing courtiers. Pollination is one of such ecosystem services, enormously contributed by the wild bees. In the present study, we have investigated the knowledge of farmers about bees and pollination in general in three districts i.e. Multan, Bahawalpur and Khanewal of southern Punjab, Pakistan. Some 300 farmers (100 cucurbit growers in each district using convenient sampling method) were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Respondents were first presented with a box of insect specimens and then were asked to identify bees among those. Those who identified correctly were asked to state about their nesting sites. Only 11% of the respondents could correctly identify the bees and half of them could report something about nesting sites. A majority (63%) of the farmers was unable to tell fertilization requirements in cucurbits, 59% could not distinguish female flower from the male flower and 64% could not state any benefit of bees. However, upon briefing about the significance of bee pollinators, 58% of the farmers showed eagerness to conserve bees at their farms. Keeping in view the inadequacies of farmers' knowledge about wild bees and pollination in general, the present study also gives some policy recommendations.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Small-Scale Farms in Developed Economies: Challenges and Opportunities.

Small-scale farms are an important component of agricultural production even in developed economies, and have an acknowledged role in providing other biological and societal benefits, including the conservation of agricultural biodiversity and enhancement of local food security. Despite this, the small-farm sector is currently underserved in relation to the development and implementation of scale-appropriate Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices that could help increase such benefits. This review details some of the characteristics of the small farm sectors in developed economies (with an emphasis on the USA and Europe), and identifies some of the characteristics of small farms and their operators that may favor the implementation of IPM. Some of the challenges and opportunities associated with increasing the uptake of IPM in the small-farm sector are discussed. For example, while some IPM tactics are equally applicable to virtually any scale of production, there are others that may be easier (or more cost-effective) to implement on a smaller scale. Conversely, there are approaches that have not been widely applied in small-scale production, but which nevertheless have potential for use in this sector. Examples of such tactics are discussed. Knowledge gaps and opportunities for increasing IPM outreach to small-scale producers are also identified.