| Title | Biodiversity And Ecosystem Services In Agricultural Landscapes - Are We Asking The Right Questions? |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2004 |
| Authors | Swift, M.; Izac, A.; van Noordwijk, M. |
| ContactAuthor | asb@cgiar.org; mike.swift@wanadoo.fr |
| Journal | Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment |
| Volume | 104 |
| Start Page | 113 |
| Pagination | 113-134 |
| Keywords | agricultural landscapes, Biodiversity, ecosystem services, functional groups, resilience |
| Abstract | The assumed relationship between biodiversity or local richness and the persistence of ‘ecosystem services’ (that can
sustain productivity on-site as well as off-site, e.g. through regulation of water flow and storage) in agricultural landscapes has generated considerable interest and a range of experimental approaches. The abstraction level aimed for, however, may be too high to yield meaningful results. Many of the experiments on which evidence in favor or otherwise are based are artificial and do not support the bold generalizations to other spatial and temporal scales that are often made. Future investigations should utilize co-evolved communities, be structured to investigate the distinct roles of clearly defined functional groups, separate the effects of between- and within-group diversity and be conducted over a range of stress and disturbance situations. An integral part of agricultural intensification at the plot level is the deliberate reduction of diversity. |
| URL | http://www.asb.cgiar.org/pdfwebdocs/Biodiversity_and_ecosystem.pdf |
