European agroforestry has no unequivocal effect on biodiversity: a time-cumulative meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Agroforestry is a production system combining trees with crops or livestock. It has the potential to increase biodiversity in relation to single-use systems, such as pastures or cropland, by providing a higher habitat heterogeneity. In a literature review and subsequent meta-analysis, we investigated the relationship between biodiversity and agroforestry and critically appraised the underlying evidence of the results.

Results

Overall, there was no benefit of agroforestry to biodiversity. A time-cumulative meta-analysis demonstrated the robustness of this result between 1991 and 2019. In a more nuanced view silvopastoral systems were not more diverse in relation to forests, pastures or abandoned silvopastures. However, silvoarable systems increased biodiversity com

SUBMITTER: Mupepele AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8541809 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature