Forests In Agricultural Landscapes Research Articles

Deer in the agriculture-forest matrix: Interacting effects of land uses on browsing pressure on trees

Cervids inhabit mosaic landscapes that are strongly influenced by human land use and actions. Forestry and agriculture influence both the foodscape and the risk landscape, thus influencing how cervids respond to resource-risk trade-offs. Furthermore, these land use types interact to shape cervid use of the landscape. For example, cervids can forage in open agricultural fields providing high quality forage during the night, while using nearby forest patches to reduce risk during the day. Hence, actions conducted in one of these land use types will likely influence the use of the other by cervids. In this study, we investigate how agricultural and silvicultural practices interact to shape cervid use of the forest and their impact on commercially valuable trees. More specifically, we investigate the effect of growing nutrient dense crops in mixed forest-agriculture landscapes. We hypothesized that the sowing of such crops may not only attract cervids to the agricultural parts of the landscape, but also lead to increased browsing levels in adjacent forest areas where cervids seek cover. Moreover, such high quality crops may not only influence the number of animals, but also increase the intake rate of fibrous tree saplings of individual cervids to nutritionally balance the high input of easily-digestible macronutrients from the crops. We tested these ideas by conducting a large landscape-scale experiment where we manipulated the foodscape by growing two crop types on 28 fields (14 fields with high-quality oat versus 14 fields with lower-quality grass) and measuring cervid use of tree saplings in the forest patches adjacent these fields. We also investigated how forage availability in the forest patches and the distance from field edge affected browsing on tree saplings. Finally, we compared the effects of crop type and forest forage availability on the browsing pressure on coniferous versus deciduous tree species. We studied this in a multispecies ungulate system, where four cervid species occur sympatrically. We show that the type of crop sown influenced browsing pressure on tree saplings in nearby forests, with higher browsing levels in forests surrounding oat compared to grass fields. Moreover, browsing pressure in these forests was influenced by the availability of young trees in the forest stands, where more young trees led to reduced browsing pressure on individual saplings. Our study emphasizes that human practices that shape features of the foodscape in one land use type will influence the impact cervids have in another land use type. Hence, our study highlights the importance of considering the actions and impacts of different land uses simultaneously for predicting cervid foraging patterns in mixed forest-agriculture landscapes.

Beta diversity partitioning reveals homogenization in bird community composition within the forest-agriculture landscape of the northern Taiwan coast

ContextThis study examined how human-induced landscape changes affected bird diversity in mountain villages with mixed forests and cultivated fields.ObjectivesWe focused on the bird species composition (beta diversity) to determine whether species homogenization varied with forest cover differences. This study developed it as a novel metric potentially quantifying homogenization level comparison in species functional groups.MethodsBird surveys were conducted at 27 sites with forest cover scattered from 0 to 100%. Bird species were divided into forest birds and nonforest birds. Beta diversity was partitioned into turnover and nestedness-resultant components, and their contribution ratio to Sørensen beta was used to examine the effect of forest cover and pairwise cover difference.ResultsOur results indicated that forest birds exhibited low turnover and low nestedness, whereas nonforest birds exhibited nestedness distribution characteristics. The nestedness-resultant contribution ratio of nonforest birds was higher, driven by forest cover difference (slope = 0.0080, Pseudo R2 = 0.35**) than that of forest birds (slope = 0.0018, Pseudo R2 = 0.02**). Thus, we quantify the result of forest cover decreased lead to the dominated by nestedness species in nonforest birds.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the distinct effects of environmental changes on these two bird functional groups. Although the Sørensen beta diversity increases with forest cover decrease, most are contributed by nestedness-resultant nonforest birds and lead to homogenization. Thus, it is recommended that conservation plans should separately address forest and nonforest bird species to avoid the risk of underestimating species homogenization due to anthropogenic land-use and habitat degradation.

Cropland can support high bird diversity in heterogeneous rural tropical landscapes

Summary Land-use change for crop production is one of the key drivers of habitat loss and fragmentation and consequently biodiversity loss and change in tropical regions. This may impact biodiversity-regulated ecosystem services; birds are important to crop health regulating services (e.g. seed dispersal, pest control) and disservices (e.g. seed predation, grain herbivory). However, knowledge is limited on how birds use heterogeneous agricultural landscapes and the consequences for spatial distribution and flow of services and disservices. We studied crop and non-crop–habitat associations of birds in forest–agricultural landscapes of the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. We focused on dietary preference as a key trait impacting bird responses to land-use change, services, and disservices to crops. We surveyed birds across four main habitat types using repeated point counts, recording a total of 148 species. We found that crop habitats supported higher species richness and larger communities of potentially beneficial species to crop health, whereby 34.5% of invertebrate-feeding species were recorded in cropland. We found that habitat heterogeneity within the landscape supports bird functional diversity and that each habitat type supported unique communities of species. Furthermore, the number of species unique to forest habitats increased with increasing forest canopy closure. Our findings suggest that management strategies for maintaining trees and shrubs, and enhancing tree cover within the crop production landscape, can be effective approaches for maintaining bird diversity and services. However, in-depth studies on trade-offs with disservices need further exploration to mitigate negative impacts of birds on crop yields.

Population stability and asymmetric migration of caddisfly populations, Stenopsyche marmorata (Stenopsychidae), in a forest–agriculture landscape

Population stability and asymmetric migration of caddisfly populations, Stenopsyche marmorata (Stenopsychidae), in a forest–agriculture landscape

Geographically weighted regression to measure the role of intra-urban drivers for urban growth modelling in Kathmandu, Central Himalayas.

The present study analyzes spatio-temporal urban growth in Kathmandu Urban Agglomeration (KUA) and its impact on ecological infrastructures between 2000 and 2020. A geographically weighted regression (GWR) approach was used to investigate intra-urban drivers of urban growth between 2000-2010 (epoch 1) and 2010-2020 (epoch 2), and to predict built-up growth for the year 2030. The study makes crucial contributions to the urban growth modelling literature by (a) investigating six different neighborhood sizes (3 × 3 to 13 × 13) for computing proportion of built-up cells and (b) eliminating/selecting covariates using correlation check and globallasso regression. The superiority of GWR model over global regression model has been evaluated using the Akaike information criterion score and the stationarity test. The chronological urban growth analysis of KUA highlights rapid growth in mountainous landscape from 54.90 to 166 km2 during 2000-2020 and is projected to increase to 224.22 km2 during 2000-2030. This has significantly altered the forest-agriculture landscape during 2000-2020 (111.2 km2) and is expected to affect a large segment of ecological (blue-green) infrastructure (138 km2) by 2030. The findings of this study may be used for policy formulation, appropriate land use planning, and sustainable urban development.

Robinia pseudoacacia L. — an important introduced tree species in protective stands of forest-agrarian landscapes of Ukraine

The article analyzes the importance of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in forest-agricultural landscapes of Ukraine. As a result of cultivation and invasion black locust became part of the landscape of a number of European countries, in particular Ukraine, as well as a component of culture and economy, including cultural and historical heritage. In some European countries, this tree species is economically important and is used to obtain commercial wood and firewood, biomass for energy needs, honey, also used to prevent erosion, in greening of populated areas, phytoremediation of contaminated soils, etc. In Ukraine black locust occupies about 5% of the total forest area and is widely used in the planting of protective forest stands (anti-erosion, runoff-controlling, field protection forest belts) and in beekeeping (production of honey). At the same time, this invasive plant poses a threat to the preservation of native species and natural habitats. However, the possibility of uncontrolled spread of the black locust in the agricultural landscapes of Ukraine beyond the boundaries of protective stands is significantly limited by intensively cultivated agricultural land (arable land). In forests, the spread of black locust is controlled by appropriate cutting. The ban on the use of black locust in reforestation will lead to a problem in the restoration of protective forest stands, in particular anti-erosion and field protection forest belts, in which it was the main species. Therefore, we offer a balanced approach, which involves the controlled use of black locust in forest melioration, forestry and agriculture (as a source of wood, honey, forage) and bioenergy (biomass), while simultaneously preventing its invasion into the ecosystems of the nature protection fund. This approach is consistent with the State Forest Management Strategy of Ukraine until 2035 and the environmental policy of the European Union in the field of management of invasive alien plant species.

A systems approach framework for evaluating tree restoration interventions for social and ecological outcomes in rural tropical landscapes.

The science guiding design and evaluation of restoration interventions in tropical landscapes is dominated by ecological processes and outcomes and lacks indicators and methods that integrate human wellbeing into the restoration process. We apply a new systems approach framework for tree restoration in forest-agricultural landscapes to show how this shortcoming can be addressed. Demonstrating 'proof of concept', we tested statistical models underlying the framework pathways with data collected from a case study in Tanzania. Local community perceptions of nature's values were not affected by levels of self-reported wildlife-induced crop damage. But mapped predictions from the systems approach under a tree restoration scenario suggested differential outcomes for biodiversity indicators and altered spatial patterns of crop damage risk, expected to jeopardize human wellbeing. The predictions map anticipated trade-offs in costs and benefits of restoration scenarios, which we have started to explore with stakeholders to identify restoration opportunities that consider local knowledge, value systems and human wellbeing. We suggest that the framework be applied to other landscapes to identify commonalities and differences in forest landscape restoration outcomes under varying governance and land use systems. This should form a foundation for evidence-based implementation of the global drive for forest landscape restoration, at local scales. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding forest landscape restoration: reinforcing scientific foundations for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration'.

En-gendering human-wildlife interactions in Northeast India: towards decolonized conservation

This article applies a feminist political ecology framework to analyze a particular case of human-wildlife interaction from northeastern India, linking it to the emerging paradigm of 'decolonized conservation.' Through the oral testimonies of local community members with regard to living close to wild Asian elephants in a forest-agriculture landscape matrix of rural Assam, this article argues that place-based conceptualizations of 'wildlife', 'forest dependency' and 'living with wildlife' are affected by gendered roles and responsibilities, gendered access to spaces and gendered interaction with wildlife. By doing so, this article argues for (i) extending the discourse on 'decolonized conservation' towards the role of gender in rethinking these place-based conceptualizations and (ii) bringing forward such 'en-gendering' into redesigning wildlife policies, as that will have the potential of ensuring feminist environmental justice as well as positive conservation outcomes.

Patterns of spatial distribution and diel activity in carnivore guilds (Carnivora)

In mammalian carnivore guilds (order Carnivora), spatiotemporal partitions play a major role in reducing competitive confrontations and facilitating successful sympatry. Using camera-trapping techniques, the present study aimed to elucidate patterns of spatial distribution and diel activities among medium- and large-sized carnivore species across central Bulgaria. We obtained 3,364 images of nine focal carnivores from 13,988 camera-trapping days between 2015 and 2020. Our findings indicated that the spatial distribution of the focal carnivore guilds varied with changes in altitudinal gradient, ruggedness, and forest-agricultural landscape changes. Specifically, the two largest species, the grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) and the brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758), were found only in the Balkan Mountains, whereas the largest mesocarnivore, the golden jackal (Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758), was mainly distributed agricultural lowlands. The European wildcat (Felis sylvestris Schreber, 1777) was found in forests inside protected areas, and other mesocarnivores were distributed at intermediate levels between wooded-mountains and agricultural lowlands. Brown bear, golden jackal, and domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758) showed cathemeral, crepuscular, and diurnal activity, respectively, whereas the remaining six carnivores showed nocturnal activity in synchrony with their main prey. Our findings indicated that anthropogenic landscape modifications and potential interspecific competition resulted in patterns of spatial distribution and temporal activity in this carnivore guild.

A Framework to Assess Forest-Agricultural Landscape Management for Socioecological Well-Being Outcomes

Global demand for agricultural products continues to grow. However, efforts to boost productivity exacerbate existing pressures on nature, both on farms and in the wider landscape. There is widespread appreciation of the critical need to achieve balance between biodiversity and human well-being in rural tropical crop production landscapes, that are essential for livelihoods and food security. There is limited empirical evidence of the interrelationships between natural capital, the benefits and costs of nature and its management, and food security in agricultural landscapes. Agroforestry practices are frequently framed as win-win solutions to reconcile the provision of ecosystem services important to farmers (i.e., maintaining soil quality, supporting pollinator, and pest control species) with nature conservation. Yet, underlying trade-offs (including ecosystem disservices linked to pest species or human-wildlife conflicts) and synergies (e.g., impact of ecosystem service provision on human well-being) are seldom analysed together at the landscape scale. Here, we propose a systems model framework to analyse the complex pathways, with which natural capital on and around farms interacts with human well-being, in a spatially explicit manner. To illustrate the potential application of the framework, we apply it to a biodiversity and well-being priority landscape in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania, a public-private partnership for increasing production of cash and food crops. Our framework integrates three main dimensions: biodiversity (using tree cover and wildlife as key indicators), food security through crop yield and crop health, and climate change adaptation through microclimate buffering of trees. The system model can be applied to analyse forest-agricultural landscapes as socio-ecological systems that retain the capacity to adapt in the face of change in ways that continue to support human well-being. It is based on metrics and pathways that can be quantified and parameterised, providing a tool for monitoring multiple outcomes from management of forest-agricultural landscapes. This bottom-up approach shifts emphasis from global prioritisation and optimisation modelling frameworks, based on biophysical properties, to local socio-economic contexts relevant in biodiversity-food production interactions across large parts of the rural tropics.

Assessing behaviour states of a forest carnivore in a road-dominated landscape using Hidden Markov Models

Anthropogenic infrastructures and land-use changes are major threats to animal movements across heterogeneous landscapes. Yet, the behavioural consequences of such constraints remain poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between the behaviour of the Common genet (Genetta genetta) and road proximity, within a dominant mixed forest-agricultural landscape in southern Portugal, fragmented by roads. Specifically, we aimed to: (i) identify and characterise the behavioural states displayed by genets and related movement patterns; and (ii) understand how behavioural states are influenced by proximity to main paved roads and landscape features. We used a multivariate Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to characterise the fine-scale movements (10-min fixes GPS) of seven genets tracked during 187 nights (mean 27 days per individual) during the period 2016–2019, using distance to major paved roads and landscape features as predictors. Our findings indicated that genet’s movement patterns were composed of three basic behavioural states, classified as “resting” (short step-lengths [mean = 10.6 m] and highly tortuous), “foraging” (intermediate step-lengths [mean = 46.1 m] and with a wide range in turning angle) and “travelling” (longer step-lengths [mean = 113.7 m] and mainly linear movements). Within the genet’s main activity-period (17.00 h-08.00 h), the movement model predicts that genets spend 36.7% of their time travelling, 35.4% foraging and 28.0% resting. The probability of genets displaying the travelling state was highest in areas far away from roads (> 500 m), whereas foraging and resting states were more likely in areas relatively close to roads (up to 500 m). Landscape features also had a pronounced effect on behaviour state occurrence. More specifically, travelling was most likely to occur in areas with lower forest edge density and close to riparian habitats, while foraging was more likely to occur in areas with higher forest edge density and far away from riparian habitats. The results suggest that, although roads represent a behavioural barrier to the movement of genets, they also take advantage of road proximity as foraging areas. Our study demonstrates that the HMM approach is useful for disentangling movement behaviour and understanding how animals respond to roadsides and fragmented habitats. We emphasise that road-engaged stakeholders need to consider movement behaviour of genets when targeting management practices to maximise road permeability for wildlife.

Nurse species facilitate persistence of dry forests in agricultural landscapes in Uruguay

AbstractQuestionsPark forests are shaped by extensive cattle ranching in the transition between natural riverine forests and open grasslands. The underlying mechanisms driving tree regeneration have not been studied, however, they determine biodiversity, sustainability and multifunctionality of these ecosystems. We explored patterns of tree regeneration by analyzing nurse–beneficiary interactions and tree community composition.LocationPark forests within the departments of Rio Negro, Paysandú, Artigas and Tacuarembó, República Oriental del Uruguay, South America.MethodsWe established 205 (1 × 1 m2) paired plots in open microhabitat and under the tree canopy to evaluate the patterns of tree regeneration. To assess tree community composition and diversity we carried out forest inventories within one‐hectare plots of ten park forests.ResultsScattered trees in park forests had a positive effect on tree regeneration density, whereas, dense grass coverage had a negative effect. Regeneration density increased and grass cover reduced under the canopy of nurse trees. Regeneration beneficiaries were mainly bird dispersed species with different life strategies. Tree communities varied between forest types and spatially closer forests were more similar.ConclusionsOur study outlines the importance of park forest trees to the promotion of forest regeneration and recovery in grazed forests. Our results found a positive interaction effect between nurse trees and saplings, based on our results we suggested possible facilitation mechanisms including the provision of shade, reduction of grass competition and the attraction of seed dispersers.

Looking for indicator bird species in the context of forest fragmentation and isolation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

In the context of Borneo’s drastic landscape fragmentation, we assessed the role of diverse forest and land uses—swidden agriculture, mixed garden, smallholder rubber and oil palm plantations—in determining (1) diversity levels and composition of bird species in different vegetation types; (2) the potential for bird species to act as indicators of habitat quality; and (3) the agricultural matrix’s contribution to preserving forest-dependent species. Field campaigns across West Kalimantan sites were conducted during both rainy and dry seasons, using mist nets and 10-min point count recordings along transects. We used four diversity indices, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and the Indicator Value index (IndVal) for our analysis. Our results endorsed the general trend found across the tropics of a significant reduction in bird species richness, from the complex natural and old secondary forest structures to the simplified monoculture habitats. We recorded 10,519 individuals across 214 bird species, representing almost 90% of Borneo’s lowland forest species. NMDS differentiated intact forest from forest fragments and land under different agriculture uses. Eighty percent of the bird species preferred an intact forest environment. Industrial oil palm sites were the most ‘avoided’ vegetation type. Using IndVal, we found six indicator species significantly associated with forest, three indicator species for depleted forest, one for mixed garden, and none for oil palm plantation. Farm-dependent species richness was strikingly low, and species had little conservation value as per IUCN standards; industrial oil palm plantations were poorest in bird species. Notable exceptions were traditional mixed gardens and old fallows associated with swidden agriculture, when in proximity to forest. These traditional agroforestry systems have higher conservation value than industrial and smallholder monoculture plantations, however, their long-term preservation is uncertain, and monitoring programs are lacking that can contribute to long-term biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service maintenance. More data are needed to determine the viable population sizes for the bird indicator species identified in our study. Such knowledge on population trends can be used to monitor habitat quality and health of forest agriculture landscape mosaics and improve the effectiveness of management, conservation and monitoring in future.

Conflicting trajectories of landscape transformation in the humid tropical agricultural plantations of the Western Ghats, India

The forest-agricultural landscapes of the humid tropics are transforming in their physical and socio-cultural spaces. Even though the processes of landscape transformation are highly contextual, their drivers, impacts and implications fan out across multiple scales from the local to the global. In the present study, the processes of landscape change, their multi-scalar actors and trajectories are examined in the agricultural plantations of tea, coffee and cardamom within a humid tropical forest of the Western Ghats, India. It employs an integrated multiple-source analysis of data collected through household surveys and interviews, secondary datasets, satellite imageries and litigation documents. The landscape change processes identified in the physical, social and cultural spaces include confiscation of plantations by the state, simplification of agricultural practices or abandonment of cultivation altogether, casualisation and feminisation of labour and non-agricultural diversions such as land speculation and tourism, driven by the global plantation crisis and changes in national and state forest policies. Post-globalisation, there was a high out-migration of labour and a significant decline (43%) of the population in the region. The prominent institutional actors of the state, the planters and the judiciary make these forest-enclosed plantations a highly contested space, with 75% of the area under various conflicts of tenure. These processes and actors had resulted in contrasting trajectories of incipient forest regeneration on the one hand and increased degradation on the other. A contextualized analysis of these trajectories of landscape change in these globally important humid tropical landscapes can valuably inform sustainable natural resource management frameworks.

Theoretical and applied aspects of the use of agricultural and forest meliorative plantations of Ukraine for energy purposes

Protective forest plantations are an important part of forest-agricultural landscapes and one of the most effective long-term and relatively inexpensive measures to combat wind and water soil erosion. They have a positive effect on the microclimate of the surrounding areas and can significantly increase crop yields. Also, under certain conditions, they can become an important source of bioenergy feedstock.
 Goal. Development of theoretical bases and practical measures of the use of agroforestry reclamation plantations of Ukraine for energy purposes.
 Methods. In the course of the research it was envisaged to develop schemes of protective forest plantations on the basis of the analysis of the existing information, long-term production and scientific experience which, at full performance of ecological functions, can be used for obtaining bioenergy feedstock.
 Results. It is established that for the simultaneous use of protective forest plantations as a source of energy biomass it is necessary to include fast-growing woody plants (willow, poplar, acacia, maple, etc.) in rows or backstage, which are expected to be periodically cut for biomass. Such plants are then intensively restored by growth from stumps. The basis of such plantations for long-term and permanent performance of their protective functions should mainly consists of the rows of oak trees.
 Conclusions. Protective forest plantations, in addition to the positive impact on the microclimate of the environment and a significant increase in the productivity of agricultural land, can also play an important role as a source of bioenergy feedstock. Today, forest protection plantations are losing their functions for various reasons and need to be reconstructed. At the same time, along with the restoration of protective plantations, it will be possible to obtain about 54.6 million tons of wood for energy needs and form new protective plantations, which, along with improving the ecological environment, will create a reliable feedstock base for bioenergy. The schemes presented in the article can be applied at the stage of restoration and expansion of the field protection system to increase their energy role.

The use of electroactivated solutions for plants phytosanitary optimization in a forest-agricultural landscape

Electrochemically activated liquid systems stimulate biological processes of plant life, at the same time, these funds are ecologically safe and budgetary [9]. This paper presents the results of evaluating the electrochemically activated solutions use effectiveness in a forest-agricultural landscape. Pre-sowing seed treatment with the use of biologically active systems has a pronounced positive influence on the growth and development of plants. This contributes to the increase in their resistance to harmful organisms, while the reactions of harmful biota are individual: the decrease in the crops density by pests (by 20.0-78.1%) and diseases (by 76.2-92.0%) are lower in comparison with untreated ones. The combination of pre-sowing seed treatment with the treatment of vegetative plants provides a better result.

УЧЕНЫЕ, ПЕДАГОГИ, ПРАКТИКИ ЛЕСОРАЗВЕДЕНИЕ И ВОССТАНОВЛЕНИЕ ЛЕСОВ

The Voronezh region has a long history in the creation and cultivation of man-made forests in the forest-steppe and steppe zones and in the formation of forest reclamation complexes in forest-agricultural landscapes. Such work, training of personnel for forestry enterprises, the development of theoretical provisions is associated with the well-known names of prominent scientists and their students of the Voronezh Forestry University. Treshchevsky Igor Vladimirovich - Professor, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Honored Forester of the RSFSR, participant of the Great Patriotic War. With his participation and under his leadership, work was carried out for the first time on the reclamation of disturbed lands of the KMA. Important studies were carried out and recommendations were developed for optimizing the assortment of species and agricultural technology for growing them on dumps, a method for determining the economic efficiency of creating protective plantations was proposed and tested. Igor Vladimirovich owns more than 130 works, most of which are devoted to forest reclamation of disturbed lands. Professor Treshchevsky I.V. prepared 13 candidates of sciences. V.G. Shatalov and Ya.V. Pankov. Popov Vladimir Ksenofontovich - a famous scientist forester, professor, honored worker of higher education, full member of the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Academy of Quality Problems of the Russian Federation, rector of VSFI, VSAFT (1985-2005). Vladimir Ksenofontovich is the author of over 200 scientific papers. Under his leadership and direct participation, experimental-production facilities for provenance trial plantations of birch, pine-birch crops, and pine cultures of various densities were created. Shatalov Viktor Grigorievich - Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor. He is the founder of the scientific direction - floodplain afforestation, principles of management in water protection zones. Based on the results of many years of research, he published 243 works, including 14 monographs, 1 textbook and 7 teaching aids. V.G. Shatalov paid much attention to personnel training. He prepared 10 candidates and 2 doctors of sciences. Deryuzhkin Rostislav Ivanovich - Doctor of Agriculture, Professor. Rostislav Ivanovich can rightfully be considered the creator of forestry. With his direct participation, tens of hectares of forest plantations of larch, pine and oak were laid. During the period of his work, he prepared 160 graduate students and 22 candidates of sciences, published more than 150 scientific papers. Pankov Yakov Vladimirovich - Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor, a recognized specialist in the field of the environment, rational nature management and forest reclamation. With his participation, over 40 years, unique biological objects were created on the dumps of the KMA. He prepared 4 doctors and 15 candidates of sciences; he published over 250 scientific works, including 14 monographs, received copyright certificates. All these scientists make a huge contribution to the theory and practice of afforestation and reforestation, training for the forestry industry

Ландшафтная агролесомелиорация

Purpose: to substantiate the main provisions of landscape agroforestry reclamation. Methods: landscape-chorionic, ecotonic and catenary-basin approaches. Results. A provision on the forest agrarian chorion formed by the core – the phytomass accumulation of the forestry stows and the reclamation fields of its impact on the agricultural landscape has been developed. The characteristics of these fields depend on the intensity of the material-energy manifestations of the chorionic core, which changes in connection with the agro-environment dynamics and the forest-agrarian chorion development. This leads to the emergence of local forest-agricultural landscapes and their ecotones. Forestry stows mesoecotones of and regional forests macroecotones organize the landscape space. In this case, the slope landscapes combine landscape-geochemical flows, and the catchment areas of gullies and watercourse basins combine the systems of such flows. Forest agrarian chorions, due to their influence fields and filtration-barrier function of ecotones, influence the direction and properties of landscape-geochemical flows, changing the ratio of the articles of the water balance of the territory, material-energy removal and accumulation of matter and energy, concentration and dispersion of information, productivity and product quality of agricultural landscapes. Primary catchments of gullies with a well-developed network of valleys, hollows and gullies are characterized by landscape-geochemical microarens, and the basins of watercourses of various orders are mega- and macroarens, which, respectively, represent local forest-agricultural landscapes, districts, regions, and zones of landscape agroforestry reclamation. All forest agrarian chorions (forest strips, groves, etc.) are grouped according to the main criteria: protection of fields and gardens, protection of meadows and pastures, organization of landscape space. Conclusions. The terminology and meanings of agroforestry reclamation and landscape science have been agreed upon. The main provisions of landscape agroforestry have been substantiated: forest agrarian chorion, forest edge ecotone, basin structure and qualitatively homogeneous groups of multifunctional forest agrarian chorions.

Economic value of non-market ecosystem services derived from trees on cocoa farms

Tree-based conservation agriculture is becoming critical for reducing vulnerability of agricultural production systems from climate risks while enhancing forest-agriculture landscapes. On-farm tree integration is being promoted to restore degraded forest in cocoa landscapes. This study assessed farmers' knowledge and attitude towards non-market ecosystem services provided by trees on cocoa farms. Contingent valuation method was used to estimate economic value of these services to farmers. Data from 340 cocoa farmers from 10 cocoa-farming communities in the Western and Western North Regions of Ghana were analyzed. The results show farmers are familiar with non-market ecosystem services provided by on-farm trees. About 83% of respondents had either retained naturally occurring trees or intentionally planted trees on their farms. Cocoa farmers were willing to pay for tree integration on farms to enhance a bundle of essential regulating and supporting non-market ecosystem services such as providing habitat for pollinating insects and nutrient cycling. The estimated economic values for a bundled non-market ecosystem services provided by integrated trees on cocoa farms was GH₵837.59 (USD 164.00) per farmer per hectare per year. This amount is approximately 8.2% of the mean annual household income of respondent and equivalent to approximately 128 kg (2 bags) of marketable cocoa beans. Family size, age, value motivations and favourable attitude towards forest in general statistically predicted willingness to pay. Cocoa farmers hold substantial economic value for non-market ecosystem services provided by trees on cocoa farms and are likely to support on-farm tree integration initiatives that provide these essential non-market ecosystem services for enhanced cocoa productivity.

Improving Representation of Decision Rules in LUCC-ABM: An Example with an Elicitation of Farmers’ Decision Making for Landscape Restoration in Central Malawi

Restoring interlocking forest-agricultural landscapes—forest-agricscapes—to sustainably supply ecosystem services for socio-ecological well-being is one of Malawi’s priorities. Engaging local farmers is crucial in implementing restoration schemes. While farmers’ land-use decisions shape land-use/cover and changes (LUCC) and ecological conditions, why and how they decide to embrace restoration activities is poorly understood and neglected in forest-agricscape restoration. We analyze the nature of farmers’ restoration decisions, both individually and collectively, in Central Malawi using a mixed-method analysis. We characterize, qualitatively and quantitatively, the underlying contextual rationales, motives, benefits, and incentives. Identified decision-making rules reflect diverse and nuanced goal frames of relative importance that are featured in various combinations. We categorize the decision-making rules as: problem-solving oriented, resource/material-constrained, benefits-oriented, incentive-based, peers/leaders-influenced, knowledge/skill-dependent, altruistic-oriented, rules/norms-constrained, economic capacity-dependent, awareness-dependent, and risk averse-oriented. We link them with the corresponding vegetation- and non-vegetation-based restoration practices to depict the overall decision-making processes. Findings advance the representation of farmers’ decision rules and behavioral responses in computational agent-based modeling (ABM), through the decomposition of empirical data. The approach used can inform other modeling works attempting to better capture social actors’ decision rules. Such LUCC-ABMs are valuable for exploring spatially explicit outcomes of restoration investments by modeling such decision-making processes and policy scenarios.