The case study area from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is a special project, as it is a cooperation between two initiatives (which we will see below): agroforst-monitoring and SEBAS. TUM cooperates with both initiatives equally and with the same goal: to collect data in agroforestry systems to understand the effect and restoration potential of such measures on pollinators. TUM is collecting data on 4 farms within the agroforst-monitoring network and 3 farms from the SEBAS project.
Agroforestry site in Rerik from the agroforst-monitoring project
Agroforestry is a form of land use combining trees with agricultural crops and/or animal pasture. This system has a tradition in Central Europe going back to the Middle Ages. Over the past decades, however, increasing mechanisation and industrialisation decreased the popularity of this ancient agricultural practice.
Return to roots
Modern agroforestry is keen on reintroducing trees to farms, while enabling competitive economic production. In addition to economic gains, nature conservation as well as ecological and social improvement are also on the agenda. This initiative is very promising given the crises of climate change and biodiversity loss in our era.
There are numerous dimensions or perspectives to agroforestry field research. Some of the dimensions are inanimate, such as microclimate and soil structure. Animate dimensions include plants and animals, both wild and tame. The final dimensions are economic and social. When the connections between these dimensions are considered, the effect of the system as a whole can be understood.
Two initiatives
The focus of the Agroforestry case study area is on pollinator surveys. For this reason, it cooperates with two initiatives to collect data on agroforestry effects on pollinator populations. The fieldwork activities within these initiatives, agroforst-monitoring and SEBAS fieldwork activities, complement the work done by the TUM team.
Agroforst-monitoring is a project affiliated with the University of Münster, spanning 11 farms with fields and meadows all over Germany. Each of the farmers cooperates with scientists and the general public to study the combination of trees and agriculture. Integrating these wild and cultivated elements enhances productivity and biodiversity on the farms.
Agroforestry site in Peikwitz from the SEBAS project
The second project concerns the stabilisation and increase of biodiversity and ecosystem services on agricultural land by creating diverse agroforestry sites (Stabilisierung und Erhöhung von biologischer Vielfalt & Ökosystemleistungen auf Agrarflächen durch Schaffung vielfältiger agroforstlicher Nutzungsstrukturen; SEBAS). Researchers and farms collaborate on studying the interchange between trees and insect abundance. This combined effort is a basis for a multifunctional agricultural economy.
The future of agroforestry
All the farms within the Agroforestry study site network differ regarding their business setup, their management methods and the characteristics of their agroforestry systems. What they all have in common, however, is the cultivation of woody plants on their agricultural land and thus the enrichment of the landscape. This combination creates interactions between the individual components that are beneficial for agricultural production as well as the environment. Using the Agroforestry study site network, the TUM RestPoll team is investigating whether adding woody structures on agriculturally used land can promote wild bee, syrphid hoverfly and butterfly populations and thus potentially serve as a valuable and multifunctional tool in insect pollinator restoration.
