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Homegarden agroforestry systems: an intermediary for biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh

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Abstract

Biodiversity conservation is one of the important ecosystem services that has been negatively impacted by anthropogenic activities. Natural forests (NF) harbor some of the highest species diversity around the world. However, deforestation and degradation have resulted in reduced forest land cover and loss of diversity. Homegarden agroforestry (AF) systems have been proven to be an intermediary for biodiversity conservation. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of home garden AF practices to conserve tree species diversity in Bangladesh and compare them with tree species diversity in NF. A total of nine locations were selected for this synthesis from published literature which comprised of five AF sites and four NFs. Shannon–Weiner Diversity Index (H) was similar for home-garden AF (3.50) and NF (2.99), with no statistical difference between them. Based on non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination analysis, the AF and NF plots showed distinct separation. However, Bray–Curtis dissimilarity index ranged from 0.95 to 0.70 indicating nearly no overlap in species composition to significant overlap between AF and NF. Based on our results, we conclude that AF can serve as an important ecological tool in conserving tree species diversity, particularly on landscapes where NF fragments represent only a small fraction of the total land area. Creating and maintaining AF habitats in such human dominated landscapes should be part of the biodiversity conservation strategy.

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Acknowledgments

S. Jose acknowledges the Fulbright Scholar Award from the Fulbright Program, United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, that provided partial financial support for this study. Logistical support was provided by the Independent University of Bangladesh.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, 203 Anheuser Busch Natural Resources Bldg., Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Sougata Bardhan, Shibu Jose & Wendi Rogers

  2. School of Environmental Sciences and Management, Independent University, Plot-16, Block-B, Aftabuddin Ahmed Road, Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka, 1229, Bangladesh

    Shampa Biswas

  3. Graduate and Professional Writing Center, Washington State University, Smith CUE, Room 403 D, Pullman, WA, 99164-4530, USA

    Shampa Biswas

  4. The WorldFish Center-Bangladesh Office, House 22B, Road 7, Block-F, Banani, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh

    Kazi Kabir

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  1. Sougata Bardhan
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  2. Shibu Jose
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  3. Shampa Biswas
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  4. Kazi Kabir
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  5. Wendi Rogers
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Correspondence to Sougata Bardhan.

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Bardhan, S., Jose, S., Biswas, S. et al. Homegarden agroforestry systems: an intermediary for biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh. Agroforest Syst 85, 29–34 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-012-9515-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-012-9515-7

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