Agroforestry is an old and well-known traditional practice of multi-exploiting the land, improving its productivity, especially in arid areas, for the benefit of environment, economy and society. Agroforestry landscapes are the best examples of long-lived resilient multifunctional bio-cultural landscapes that could help to mitigate climate change challenges worldwide. In addition, they offer economically viable and sustainable solutions to rural communities that are mostly affected. These landscapes are also very efficient in sequestrating carbon and in tackling poverty. Preserving, enriching, and restoring traditional agroforestry systems (TAFS) combats desertification, decreases surface water runoff, improves soil productivity, and preserves global biodiversity.
A comprehensive approach to highlight the multilevel values of TAFS in the Mediterranean basin has been recently published, with Greek agroforestry landscapes as an example. This review paper refers to the most characteristic landscapes of the country, where several marginal Mediterranean mountainous areas and thousands of island areas exist, and where depopulation and susceptibility to wildfires are major threats. This study could be used as a paradigm for several areas of the world where agroforestry systems could be maintained, restored or created as a means for the implementation of “smart, nature-based”, climate change adaptation solutions and policies. It also deals with the future of TAFS in the EU and highlights the need for coordination of specific rural, forestry, and environmental policies for the revival of TAFS in the frame of the European Green Deal and the new EU Nature Restoration Law, under the umbrella of which several initiatives could be implemented.
While the bio-cultural heritage of the Mediterranean region is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot, those very ancient agroforestry systems, such as non-irrigated olive groves and extensive silvopastoral systems, from subalpine grasslands to pastoral woodlands and coastal open maquis, are today being irreversibly degraded. Our study, having TAFS of Greece in the spotlight, uses a four-step analysis to review their value in terms of (a) faunal biodiversity including birds, mammals, invertebrates and soil biota, (b) landscape diversity (c) ecosystem services with special attention on their cultural values, and (d) modern threats, major policy priorities. We conclude that there is an immediate need to revive agroforestry landscapes and make them productive and sustainable again for the benefit of rural economies, local communities, and biodiversity, especially in marginal Mediterranean mountainous and island areas, where depopulation and susceptibility to wildfires are major threats.
The study has been published in Forests journal and highlights the most important results of the book “Reviving Agroforestry landscapes in the era of climate change: for people, nature and local economy”, released in May 2023. It is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together 37 authors: scientists from different research areas, institutions, organizations and universities, producers and landscape photographers who have captured thought their lens some of the most important agroforestry landscapes of Greece.
Full reference
Tsiakiris, R.; Stara, K.; Kazoglou, Y.; Kakouros, P…; Vrahnakis, M. Agroforestry and the Climate Crisis: Prioritizing Biodiversity Restoration for Resilient and Productive Mediterranean Landscapes. Forests 2024, 15, 1648. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15091648
