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A novel index to quantify agrobiodiversity in a biocultural perspective: the case of shifting cultivation gardens in Vanuatu (Pacific)

Blanco Julien, Vandenbroucke Henri, Carrière Stéphanie . 2016. .
ARTICLE, (2016 ) - PUBLISHEDVERSION - English (en-GB)

OPENACCESS - .
Audience : OTHER
HAL CCSD, Philadelphia PA: Taylor & Francis
Subject
[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology
Domains
Agroforesterie, Ecologie, Sciences de l'environnement, Foresterie
Description

International audience Shifting cultivation is the most widespread agroforestry system in the tropics that may contribute to biodiversity conservation under certain conditions. Despite their common use, traditional biodiversity indexes prove illsuited for assessing complex systems of this type. This study proposes a novel index, AGB, to assess agrobiodiversity in systems that mix species, varieties, lifeforms, and uses. The AGB index was tested using agrobiodiversity inventories in Vanuatu, where we compared agrobiodiversity levels and patterns of change over the course of a crop cycle between different field types. The 297 sampled fields contained a total of 127 species with an average of 10.1 species and of 11.6 varieties per field. During the cropping cycle, species and varietal richness diminish. The AGB index was compared with the Shannon and Pielou indexes and proved to be accurate for assessing and monitoring agrobio- diversity at the species and varietal levels. It may be a useful tool for agrobiodiversity monitoring in agricultural systems undergoing changes in practices and for achieving a better understanding of their biocultural resilience.

Keywords
Language
English (en-GB)
Creators
Blanco, Julien, Vandenbroucke, Henri, Carrière, Stéphanie,
Contributors
Gouvernance, Risque, Environnement, Développement (GRED) ; Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Amélioration génétique et adaptation des plantes méditerranéennes et tropicales (UMR AGAP) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
Sources
ISSN: 2168-3573, EISSN: 2168-3565, Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01388074, Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, Philadelphia PA: Taylor & Francis, 2016, 40 (3), pp.190-214. ⟨10.1080/21683565.2015.1127307⟩
Relation
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1080/21683565.2015.1127307
Coverage
Vanuatu
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