Abstract:

As natural forests contract, farming systems become
increasingly important to landscape biodiversity conservation,
yet assets and limits of their contribution are
insufficiently documented. A sound understanding of
farmer strategies in the management of on-farm tree biodiversity
is also critical to landscape approaches for biodiversity
conservation and livelihood improvement. Diversity
and management of woody species were surveyed in 105
farms around Mabira Forest in South-Central Uganda.
Farms were selected according to distance to forest, landscape
axis, gender, wealth, and specialized forest use of
household heads. Farmer management has a strong
influence on tree diversity in the coffee—banana systems
around Mabira Forest. This is reflected in the relatively
high nuthber of planted and exotic species at the levels of
farm niche, farm and landscape, Both the number of years
under cultivation and farmer involvement in specialized
forest use were conducive to higher species diversity.
Gender, wealth and tenure status did not influence tree
diversity. Variation in on-farm species richness was noted
between landscape axes radiating out of the forest rather
than concentric distance categories. Farming systems
around Mabira Forest Reserve provide a key complementary
rather than substitute tree diversity refuge and can be
managed to enhance overall landscape biodiversity.