WP1: Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Leads: Drs. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter (University of Würzburg) and Katja Poveda (Cornell University)
Concept: Land use change threatens the biodiversity and ecosystem services upon which agroecosystems depend. Some agroecological practices may buffer the negative impacts of simplification on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Objective: To examine and model how agroecological practices, such as legume intercropping, composting and botanical sprays, can buffer against the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services across multiple scales and under different scenarios of land use change. Identify breakpoints of landscape-level use of agroecological practices above which biodiversity and ecosystem services are maximally retained.
Data Collection:
Assess biodiversity and ecosystem services on 50
farms, as well as land cover within a 3 km radius of each farm, using
participatory methods with team of ecologists, geographers, and trained
farmer-researchers. Utilize participatory Geographic Information Systems to collect
land cover data.
Measure multiple dimensions of biodiversity,
including taxonomic, functional, and phylogenic diversity of bees, birds, and natural
enemies (parasitoid wasps and ground-dwelling arthropod predators). Assess
ecosystem services of pest suppression, pollination, and crop yield.
Survey birds with six point counts per year and
capture bees and parasitoid wasp on all farms, during and immediately following
the growing season.
Perform replicated exclosure experiments to
measure pollination deficits.
Measure yield of each field to identify yield
gap on farms as compared to maximum tield measured across all farms.
Analysis and Scenario Modeling:
Use statistical models to determine primary
drivers of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and any observed yield gap.
Determine the land cover around each farm. The
amount of agroecological practices will vary across the landscape, allowing us
to determine if there are breakpoints in biodiversity and ecosystem service
provision based on the proportion of area where agroecological practices are
used within multiple scales of each farm.
Model a range of ten land use change scenarios
reflective of realistic rates of change over the next 25 years and assess
likely impacts of that change on biodiversity and ecosystem services across the
studied region. We will assess how the outcomes change according to the use of
agroecological practices in the region, as well as the economic impacts from
using these practices.
Expected Results and Use:
Ten modeled scenarios of land use change over
the next 25 years.
Guidelines to inform policy makers and
communities on where breakpoints of biodiversity and ecosystem services likely
exist, providing clear recommendations.
Anticipated minimum of 2 peer-reviewed
publications in conservation or ecology journals, 1-2 publications in
multidisciplinary journals, and reports prepared for the Government of Malawi.
Stephanie Enloe sits down to interview Dr. Jahi Chappel, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Agroecology, Water, and Resilience at the University of Coventry, and Professor Rachel Bezner Kerr, a long-standing SFHC research collaborator. The interview includes a… Read More
Earlier this month, SFHC Collaborator Rachel Bezner Kerr attended the exciting launch of new BiodivERsA projects in Helsinki–including their support for SFHC’s own FARMS4Biodiversity. BiodivERsA is a network of funding organizations united to support research on the conservation… Read More
David Banda of SFHC and Stephanie Enloe of Cornell University recently presented their work on the FARM for Biodiversity project at the Agroecology for the 21st Century Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. You can see their presentation… Read More
WP1: Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Leads: Drs. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter (University of Würzburg) and Katja Poveda (Cornell University)
Concept: Land use change threatens the biodiversity and ecosystem services upon which agroecosystems depend. Some agroecological practices may buffer the negative impacts of simplification on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Objective: To examine and model how agroecological practices, such as legume intercropping, composting and botanical sprays, can buffer against the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services across multiple scales and under different scenarios of land use change. Identify breakpoints of landscape-level use of agroecological practices above which biodiversity and ecosystem services are maximally retained.
Data Collection:
Analysis and Scenario Modeling:
Expected Results and Use:
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Updates & News
Listen In: Interview with Jahi Chappell & Rachel Bezner Kerr on Food Sovereignty and Agroecology
July 8, 2019
By Nola Booth
Stephanie Enloe sits down to interview Dr. Jahi Chappel, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Agroecology, Water, and Resilience at the University of Coventry, and Professor Rachel Bezner Kerr, a long-standing SFHC research collaborator. The interview includes a… Read More
FARMS at the BiodivERsA Launch in Helsinki
May 29, 2019
By Nola Booth
Earlier this month, SFHC Collaborator Rachel Bezner Kerr attended the exciting launch of new BiodivERsA projects in Helsinki–including their support for SFHC’s own FARMS4Biodiversity. BiodivERsA is a network of funding organizations united to support research on the conservation… Read More
Agroecology for the 21st Century Conference
April 20, 2019
By Nola Booth
David Banda of SFHC and Stephanie Enloe of Cornell University recently presented their work on the FARM for Biodiversity project at the Agroecology for the 21st Century Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. You can see their presentation… Read More