Biodiversity and socioeconomic factors supporting farmers' choice of wild edible trees in the agroforestry systems of Benin (West Africa)

Wild edible trees are expected to play a significant role in the crop diversification programs and agroforestry development in Africa. In the present study, the diversity of wild food species and socio-economical factors that support farmers' choice for the species used in these systems were assessed. A number of selected sites in each of the 3 climatic zones of Benin were surveyed. Data were collected through a field exploration and a semi-structured survey among 435 selected households throughout the country, using a questionnaire. The most culturally important species ranked by locals were determined for each climatic zone and the relations between the targeted species in traditional agroforestry systems and the reasons which support peasants' choices were described through a Principal Component Analysis. A total of 43 wild edible trees were found in the traditional agroforestry systems of Benin during the survey. Traditional agroforestry systems in the Guineo-Congolian zone turned out to be the most diversified with 29 species followed by the Sudanian zone with 22 species and Sudano-Guinean zone with 16 species. The most culturally important wild edible trees in traditional agroforestry systems in the Guineo-Congolian zone were different from those identified in Sudanian and Sudano-Guinean zones. Three main reasons that support peasants' ambition to conserve or to grow wild edible trees in their field were: their contribution to food, their use in traditional medicine and ceremonies and the farmers' perception of their availability in natural vegetation.     

Integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into forest biodiversity conservation in the Pacific Northwest

The potential for traditional and local ecological knowledge to contribute to biodiversity conservation has been widely recognized, but the actual application of this knowledge to biodiversity conservation is not easy. This paper synthesizes literature about traditional and local ecological knowledge and forest management in the Pacific Northwest to evaluate what is needed to accomplish this goal. We address three topics: (1) views and values people have relating to biodiversity; (2) the resource use and management practices of local forest users, and their effects on biodiversity; (3) models for integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into biodiversity conservation on public and private lands. We focus on the ecological knowledge of forest users belonging to three groups who inhabit the region: American Indians, family forest owners, and commercial nontimber forest product harvesters.     

Indigenous fruit trees of Madagascar: potential components of agroforestry systems to improve human nutrition and restore biological diversity

Biodiversity in Eastern Madagascar is threatened by slash and burn agriculture, which is resulting in species extinction, land and soil degradation and rural impoverishment. An ethnobotanical study was undertaken to determine the domestication potential of indigenous fruit tree species as components of agroforestry systems. Four major selection criteria were used: nutritional and income needs of the population, diversification of the agroecosystem, and protection of plant and animal diversity. At three sites, Andasibe, Masoala and Ranomafana, in the humid primary forest region of Eastern Madagascar, a total of 150 wild fruit species from 82 genera and 42 families, of which 85% were indigenous and 92% of woody habit, were identified. In contrast to most of the deforested areas in Madagascar, the rural population in these areas possess an intimate knowledge of indigenous plant resources. Most of the indigenous fruits are collected from the forest but for a few species, domestication is initiated by managing naturally established species or by planting individual trees in agricultural fields. Wild fruits supplement the daily diet, substitute for exotic fruits, gain importance during periods of food shortage and are most appreciated by children. Commercialization of wild fruits is mainly undertaken by the poorer section of the population. Gender related differences in knowledge and preferences on species were identified and related to the respective household responsibilities. A list of the 26 priority species was established based on the preferences of children, women and men at the three sites. Local, fruit-eating lemur species are also highly dependent on indigenous fruit trees and are crucial for successful regeneration of forest vegetation. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

河北小五台山国家级自然保护区野生有色木本植物资源调查

为清楚了解、掌握河北小五台山国家级自然保护区野生木本植物资源情况,并妥善加以利用,采用野外实地调查的方法对小五台山野生有色木本植物进行研究。调查发现,小五台山内野生有色木本植物资源丰富,许多物种在不同生长季的树叶、树干、花及果实具有极高的观赏性,部分果实还具有可食性;保护区常见的有色木本植物共116种,隶属于33科67属,以蔷薇科、桦木科、榆科、卫矛科、忍冬科为主,其中观叶植物64种、观枝观干植物12种、观果植物37种;观叶树种可在园林绿化中应用,观果树种具有食用和药用价值,部分树种可应用于防护林建设;因此,应加强野生有色木本植物保护,合理利用,建立彩色植物园,加快引种、驯化、繁育基地的建设,丰富彩色木本植物资源,实现野生有色木本植物资源的可持续利用。     

丽水生态示范区野生果树资源及开发利用

通过野外调查,初步查明丽水生态示范区野生果树共计28科56属178种,其中包括直接作果品食用、加工成果品制成品食用和作栽培果树育种材料3大类型。文中按果树栽培学的分类方法,将它们划分为仁果类(17种)、核果类(34种)、坚果类(23种)、浆果类(76种)、聚复果类(10种)和柿果及其他(13种)等6类。详细介绍了这些野生果树的种类、性状及其利用方式,并对野生果树资源的利用与保护提出了建议。     

我国野生林果资源开发利用的研究

我国野生林业资料丰富,分布广泛,开发利用潜力很大。本文研究了10余种野生林果资源蕴藏量及加工利用情况,提出了宏观指导、统筹规划、科学采摘、深度加工、资源保护和利用并举的开发利用途径。     

甘肃野生果树资源及其开发利用策略

通过对甘肃各主要林区、保护区野生果树种质资源的初步调查,研究表明:甘肃野生果树资源丰富,有312种和46变种(变型),隶属于32科、70属。这些野生果树主要集中在蔷薇科、虎耳草科、小檗科、猕猴桃科、葡萄科、胡颓子科。首次对甘肃不同地理分布区域野生果树资源的丰富性进行了研究,结果表明:甘肃野生果树在各地理区域间分布不均衡,陇南最丰富,陇东南、陇西南较丰富,河西走廊最贫乏,陇中和祁连山较贫乏。同时提出了开发利用策略。     

山东野生果树种质资源及开发利用

山东省野生果树种质资源丰富，全省有野生果树10个科、21个属，43个种和6个变种。全省不同区域分布着不同的野生果树类型。针对现有资源及开发利用现状，提出了科学开发利用山东野生果树资源的措施。     

榆林沙区野生经济植物资源及开发利用研究

通过对榆林沙区现存的野生经济植物资源的调查和试验研究,对食用、药食兼用、芳香、农药、纤维等不同经济用途的9种主要野生经济植物的生物学特性、分布范围、应用价值等进行了详细的论述,根据现状及存在的问题,提出了该地区野生经济植物资源保护和开发利用的措施.     

Wild food collection and nutrition under commercial agriculture expansion in agriculture-forest landscapes

Wild food constitutes a substantial part of household food consumption around the world, but rapid land use changes influence the availability of wild foods, which has implications for smallholders' food and nutrient intake. With increasing commercial agriculture and biodiversity conservation efforts in forested tropical regions, many shifting cultivation systems are being intensified and their extent restricted. Studies examining the consequences of such pressures commonly overlook the diminishing role of wild food. Using a combination of collection diaries, participant observation, remote sensing, and interviews, we examined the role of agriculture-forest landscapes in the provision of wild food in rapidly transforming shifting cultivation communities in northern Laos. We found that wild food contributed less to human diets in areas where pressure on land from commercial agriculture and conservation efforts was more intense. Our results demonstrate that increasing pressure on land creates changes in the shifting cultivation landscape and people's use thereof with negative effects on the quality of nutrition, including protein deficiency, especially in communities adjacent to core conservation areas. Our study shows the importance of adopting a more nutrition-sensitive approach to the linkages between commercial agriculture and biodiversity conservation (and the policies that promote them), wild food provisioning, and food security.     

观果树种配植与城市鸟类生物多样性保护

通过对观果树木,尤其是冬季挂果的观果树木的果期物候调查,以及在冬季留鸟对挂果树木的访问情况记录,讨论了观果树木在城市园林中配植与城市鸟类多样性保护的关系。合理配植冬季挂果树种,对吸引更多的鸟类、维持城市生物多样性有重要意义。     

科尔沁国家级自然保护区野生植物资源及其园林应用

对科尔沁自然保护区野生植物资源特点进行了分析,将其野生植物按园林绿化上的用途分为:孤植树或园景树类、行道树类、绿篱类、藤蔓植物、水景植物、地被植物及草坪、花坛与花境植物、片林等,并对园林应用价值高的植物进行了重点描述。     

暖温带不同地区青檀形态特征分析

野生植物资源是人类生存的重要物质基础,随着社会经济的发展和人们对自然资源的过度开发和利用,野生植物资源日趋减少,遗传多样性降低.     

On-farm evaluation of the establishment of clonal rubber in multistrata agroforests in Jambi,Indonesia

Perennial tree crops are often grown in complex multistrata systems that incorporate natural vegetation. These systems contribute simultaneously to sustaining rural livelihoods and to the conservation of biodiversity, but their productivity is usually low. Introduction of high yielding germplasm, usually selected in monocultural plantations, is a potential way to increase productivity, but a critical requirement is that such plants can be established in a competitive multispecies environment. The establishment of clonal planting stock in the jungle rubber agroforests of Indonesia was explored through participatory on-farm research. The trial involved four farmers who grew clonal rubber trees in a total of 20 plots, constituting five replicate experimental blocks spread across four farms. Unexpectedly, vertebrate pest damage by monkeys (Presbytis melalophos nobilis) and wild pigs (Sus scrofa) was the most important influence on establishment, explaining almost 70% of the variation in rubber tree growth. The amount of labour invested in weeding was also positively correlated with rubber tree growth. Farmers generally decided to completely cut back vegetation between rows of rubber trees, including potentially valuable trees, rather than weeding within the rows and selectively pruning trees in the inter-row. Farmers thought that the inter-row vegetation would harbour vertebrate pests and compete with the clonal rubber, and they had access to fruits, firewood and other non-timber forest products from other land. Thus, contrary to expectations, when offered clonal germplasm, farmers opted to use plantation monoculture methods to protect what they considered a valuable asset, rather than maintain the traditional multispecies strategy they use with local germplasm. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

《欧盟野鸟保护指令》介评

《欧盟野鸟指令》是欧盟在保护生物多样性领域中的一项重要指令。文中对指令的各方面做了评价与思考; 结合我国野生鸟类保护现状, 吸取指令的经验, 建议从野生鸟类保护立法、监管体制和野生鸟类栖息地保护等方面来完善我国的野生鸟类保护法律体系。     

可食植物在城市私家庭院绿地中的应用分析

选取杭州市临安区不同类型的12个居住区(回迁型4个、混合型3个、商品型5个)共计545个私家庭院为调查对象,就可食植物应用比例、应用形式、布局位置、植物种类对可食植物应用的影响因素等进行数据统计和定量分析.结果表明,可食植物在城市私家庭院绿化中的应用具有普遍性,平均比例达75.8％,并以回迁型居住区应用比例最高(93....     

Wild boars (Sus scrofa) affect the recruitment rate and spatial distribution of holm oak (Quercus ilex)

The role of herbivores in controlling plant population abundance and distribution is unclear. We experimentally determine the effect of damage by wild boars (Sus scrofa) in recruitment rate and spatial pattern of a Mediterranean tree, the holm oak (Quercus ilex). We monitored oak establishment in the Sierra Nevada of southeastern Spain during 4 years (1999–2002) in four plots, two fenced and two unfenced that were used as controls. In addition, we planted 1-year-old seedlings in all microhabitats, both in fenced and control plots, to experimentally determine the effect of wild boar on their microhabitat-dependent survival. Despite seedling abundance being similar inside and outside the fences, sapling abundance diminished up to 50% in unfenced plots compared to fenced plots. Wild boars also seemed to modify the spatial distribution of seedlings and saplings. Whereas seedlings were most abundant under pines both in fenced and control plots, sapling abundance was highest under pine trees in fenced plots, but similarly abundant under pines or shrubs in control plots. This change in spatial pattern was due to the effect of wild boars killing seedlings when looking for food under pines. The effects of the different mortality factors were not additive. Where ungulates are absent, recruitment is high and occurs under oaks and especially under pines. Where wild boars are present, recruitment diminishes and occurs mostly under shrubs and pines. Wild boars arrest population growth and modify the spatial pattern of recruitment.     

Conservation value of dispersed tree cover threatened by pasture management

Trees dispersed in pastures are a prominent feature of many Central American landscapes, particularly in cattle producing regions where farmers retain trees to serve as shade, fodder, timber and firewood. The presence of dispersed trees in pastures is often considered as important for the conservation of biodiversity by providing habitat and enhancing landscape connectivity. However, despite their critical productive and environmental roles, little is known about tree distribution within pastures or how farmers’ management decisions influence the trees themselves and their impact on farm productivity and biodiversity conservation. Here, we present a synthesis of (a) the abundance, composition, and size of dispersed trees in four important cattle producing regions of Costa Rica (Caňas and Río Frío) and Nicaragua (Rivas and Matiguás), based on inventory of 18,669 trees on 1492 ha of pasture, (b) the local knowledge, management and use of trees by cattle farmers, and (c) opportunities for ensuring sustainable management of dispersed trees in pasture-dominated landscapes. Dispersed trees were common in all four landscapes, with mean frequency ranging from 8.0 trees ha⁻¹ in Caňas to 33.4 trees ha⁻¹ in Matiguás. A total of 255 tree species were found in pastures across the four landscapes. The total number of tree species per landscape varied from 72 in Rivas to 101 in Caňas and Rio Frio, with mean species richness per farm ranging from 22.9 in Rio Frio to 45.9 in Matiguás. In all four landscapes, a handful of tree species dominated the pastures, with the ten most abundant species in each landscape accounting for >70% of all trees recorded. Most of these common tree species provide fruits or foliage eaten by cattle, or are important timber or firewood species, and are deliberately retained by farmers for these uses. In all four landscapes, farmers had a detailed knowledge of tree attributes affecting pasture and animal productivity, and influenced tree cover through pasture management activities and occasional tree cutting. Current farm management practices are gradually decreasing the diversity of trees in pastures, and in some cases also tree density, reducing their contribution to farm productivity and biodiversity conservation. To reverse this trend, incentives are required to encourage cattle farmers to retain and enhance tree cover in pastures, through the adoption of pasture management practices that favor the regeneration and persistence of a diverse range of tree species.     

Traditional agroforestry systems and biodiversity conservation in Benin (West Africa)

In the past, the conservation of biodiversity has been mostly understood in terms of the management of protected areas and natural forests, ignoring the possible role of farm areas and the ways through which rural communities have promoted biodiversity in their subsistence agricultural production systems. The present study focused on the floristic diversity within traditional agroforestry parkland systems around the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin and showed the diversity of tree species in the area as well as socio-economic factors which affect the practice of this farming system. We used questionnaires and interviewed a total of 118 households to collect data. Respondents were interviewed on their farms and during the interview; we inventoried the number of tree on the farm and determined the farm size. Twenty-one tree species belonging to 14 botanical families were recorded during the surveys and the average stand density of the woody component of farmlands was 7.97 ± 5.43 stems/ha. A number of both native and exotic tree species occurred in the parkland agroforestry systems with dominance of indigenous tree species. Species richness varied with the size of household where households with small land holding conserve more tree species in their field than households with large land holdings. 64% of households surveyed were making deliberate efforts to plant tree species on their farmlands. The most important reasons which determined household ambitions to conserve woody species on farmland were tree products contribution to food and medicine. Results also showed that respondents who noticed that trees were decreasing in the wild conserve more tree species on their farmlands. This research highlights the role of traditional agroforestry practices to support tree species richness and provides evidence of the farms’ role as biodiversity reservoirs.     

浙江中西部猕猴桃野生资源种类及利用研究初报

通过实地调查、民间走访与查阅相关文献资料,基本摸清了浙江中西部地区猕猴桃属野生资源的现状与资源分布概况,探讨了猕猴桃属植物在药用、食用、观赏等方面的利用价值,并提出了野生猕猴桃开发利用对策。