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Land
Special Issues
Agroforestry Systems for Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation
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Agroforestry Systems for Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Systems and Global Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 5907

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Antonio Santoro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Florence, Italy
Interests: cultural landscape; agroforestry; sustainable forest management; agricultural heritage; agrobiodiversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Francesco Piras

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Florence, Italy
Interests: agroforestry; cultural landscape; landscape changes; forest; spatial analyses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agroforestry systems are recognized as being of fundamental importance for the wide range of ecosystem services they are able to provide to rural communities all over the world. One of the most important roles of Agroforestry Systems is linked to the creation and preservation of different habitats and microhabitats, as the result of the continuous application of traditional human practices, representing refuge areas, nesting areas, food reservoirs, or ecological networks for different species. In addition, these systems have often contributed to the creation of unique cultural landscapes.

In the last century, the intensification of agricultural practices and, on the other side, their abandonment in marginal rural areas, have led to the decrease of traditional Agroforestry Systems in many regions of the world, with negative consequences for the associated biodiversity and cultural landscapes.

The aim of the Special Issue is to collect papers dealing with biodiversity and landscape assessments, conservation and planning, in areas characterized by the presence of Agroforestry Systems, in particular in those areas affected by the abandonment of traditional practices.

All research articles dealing with Agroforestry Systems are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Biodiversity assessment and conservation;
  • Landscape planning and/or monitoring;
  • Landscape analyses through GIS software with innovative methodologies;
  • Land use/cover changes mapping;
  • Landscape perception;
  • Experiences of public participation for territorial management and planning.

Dr. Antonio Santoro
Guest Editor

Francesco Piras
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agroforestry systems
  • biodiversity
  • cultural landscape
  • landscape conservation
  • agricultural heritage

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 21957 KiB  
Article
Agricultural Terraced Areas in the Tuscan Archipelago (Italy): Mapping, Consistency, and Territorial Analysis
by Leonardo Conti, Paolo Armanasco, Caterina Sottili, Stefano Camiciottoli, Donato Liberto, Michele Moretta, Alberto Masoni and Enrico Palchetti
Land 2025, 14(4), 822; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040822 - 10 Apr 2025
Viewed by 304
Abstract
Terraced systems represent a valuable resource, increasing productive areas on steep slopes often unsuitable for cultivation. Over the years, these ecosystems have been recognised as having functions beyond agronomic value, such as hydrogeological, historical-cultural, economic, and biodiversity conservation. This research intends to contribute [...] Read more.
Terraced systems represent a valuable resource, increasing productive areas on steep slopes often unsuitable for cultivation. Over the years, these ecosystems have been recognised as having functions beyond agronomic value, such as hydrogeological, historical-cultural, economic, and biodiversity conservation. This research intends to contribute to mapping the terraced areas of the Tuscan Archipelago to estimate the areas falling within four of the seven islands of the Archipelago. In addition to a quantitative analysis, terraced systems were studied in terms of morphological and anthropic parameters, which may influence their functionality or cultivation abandonment. The analyses were conducted in a GIS environment, using the Tuscany Region Spatial Information Database and georeferenced orthophotos acquired from drone field surveys. Through the spatial analyses, it was possible to identify the distribution of the terraced system concerning parameters such as slope, altitude, aspect, distance from road networks and land fragmentation, providing a key to understanding how these parameters may influence the causes of conservation or abandonment of these fragile landscapes. Analyses of the terraced areas showed that the prevalent slopes are between 10 and 30% and that the altitude is variable depending on the island but predominantly between 0 and 200 m. Exposure was found to be the most heterogeneous parameter, and a strong relationship emerged between the functional abandonment of agricultural terraced areas and the distance from road networks. Furthermore, the land register analysis revealed a high degree of land fragmentation, which complicates the management and conservation of terraced systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Systems for Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation)
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19 pages, 6453 KiB  
Article
The Response of Dung Beetle Communities to Land Use Change in the Brazilian Cerrado
by Pedro Gomes Peixoto, Gabriela de Sousa Barbosa, Heytor Lemos Martins, Ana Luíza Franco, Jhansley Ferreira da Mata and Vanesca Korasaki
Land 2025, 14(4), 781; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040781 - 5 Apr 2025
Viewed by 330
Abstract
The transformation of the Cerrado biome into areas with different levels of activity and anthropic pressure negatively impacts biodiversity. This study evaluated the response of the dung beetle community to changes in land use systems: forests, rubber trees, pastures, and soybeans. Five areas [...] Read more.
The transformation of the Cerrado biome into areas with different levels of activity and anthropic pressure negatively impacts biodiversity. This study evaluated the response of the dung beetle community to changes in land use systems: forests, rubber trees, pastures, and soybeans. Five areas were sampled in each system with a minimum distance of 2 km between them. Dung beetles were collected using pitfall traps, and both local (vegetation density, basal area of wooded vegetation, fractal dimension, litter height, electrical conductance (mV), water content in the soil (%), and soil resistance (kPa)) and landscape-related environmental variables (land use and overall composition and configuration of the landscape surrounding the sampling areas) were measured. In total, 2294 specimens were collected and distributed among 34 species and 18 genera. There was no significant difference in abundance between the systems, but differences in the number of species and biomass were observed between forest and soybean systems, as well as a separation of communities between the tree-covered (forest and rubber tree) and open (pasture and soybean) systems. Density and arboreal basal area were the main predictive variables for the diversity of the dung beetle community, reinforcing the importance of vegetation cover for maintaining diversity, whereas local and landscape-related variables influenced community composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Systems for Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation)
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17 pages, 1420 KiB  
Article
Productivity, Soil Health, and Tree Diversity in Dynamic Cacao Agroforestry Systems in Ecuador
by Summer L. Allen, Lenin Alejandro Robayo, Carla D. Martin and José Lopez Ganem
Land 2024, 13(7), 959; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070959 - 29 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3694
Abstract
Agroforestry has the potential to support more resilient livelihoods, soil health, and biodiversity, when compared to monocropping. In Ecuador, the Union of Cacao Peasant Organizations (UNOCACE) has been working with producers since 2016 to transition cacao plots to a dynamic agroforestry system that [...] Read more.
Agroforestry has the potential to support more resilient livelihoods, soil health, and biodiversity, when compared to monocropping. In Ecuador, the Union of Cacao Peasant Organizations (UNOCACE) has been working with producers since 2016 to transition cacao plots to a dynamic agroforestry system that includes timber and fruit species as well as ground cover in addition to cacao. This study evaluates the application of this model and its implications for agricultural production, livelihoods, and soil health through producer surveys and field-based sampling. The program is resulting in significantly more timber and fruit trees on the cacao plots. Despite this, cacao production and income have not decreased in a significant way, once accounting for the number of producing trees on the plots. In addition, while additional labor is utilized on the dynamic agroforestry plots, after utilizing a matching procedure, no significant difference is seen in total crop productivity for each day of labor utilized. Over time, total productivity could increase for the dynamic agroforestry plots as the companion crops and trees mature. As the program is relatively new and has undergone some changes, additional studies are needed to understand the benefits or challenges, especially for soil health, that might be realized further in the lifespan of the program. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Systems for Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation)
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20 pages, 6234 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Multifaceted Aspects of Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.) Forests in Portugal
by Maria Nazaré Coelho Pinheiro, Filomena Gomes, Goreti Botelho, Ivo Rodrigues, Ruslan Mariychuk and Lyudmyla Symochko
Land 2025, 14(3), 468; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030468 - 24 Feb 2025
Viewed by 514
Abstract
This article explores the ecological role of strawberry tree forests (Arbutus unedo L.) in the resilience of Portuguese forest ecosystems and their relationship with plant production as a source of food. It discusses the importance of the strawberry tree in fire combat [...] Read more.
This article explores the ecological role of strawberry tree forests (Arbutus unedo L.) in the resilience of Portuguese forest ecosystems and their relationship with plant production as a source of food. It discusses the importance of the strawberry tree in fire combat and the improvement of agroforestry areas by mitigating erosion and augmenting soil organic matter. The multifunctionality of their fruits, emphasizing their utilization in food and beverage production, is also addressed. Moreover, the socio-economic and cultural significance of fruit production, emphasizing its role in sustainable development, is analyzed. The diversity of beverages (spirits, liquors, and gin) and food products (jams, jellies, etc.) effectively contribute to have a positive social and economic impact on the local populations and tradition maintenance. Moreover, the bioactive compounds in different parts of the plants and fruits have applications in pharmacology and cosmetics. Finally, the valorization of strawberry tree spirits mush waste as a source of natural dyes for textiles is discussed as a promising research topic to be explored in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agroforestry Systems for Biodiversity and Landscape Conservation)
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