Redesign the agroecosystem through biodiversity: revising concepts and integrating visions
Gonzalo A. R. Molina, Daniela E. Vazquez Pugliese
Abstract
The multiple problematics of agricultural intensification have promoted the emergence of several farming systems. Within these, biodiversity-based systems focus on increasing the structural complexity of agroecosystems through biodiversity, multiplying the functions, increasing the alternative pathways of materials and energy flow, involving mid- to long-term planning in all dimensions. Biological corridors have been proposed as tools in biodiversity-based systems, to mitigate the biodiversity loss and promotion of ecological/biological processes. However, the biological corridor definition has been vague or inconsistent, and often confounds shape and function. Lack of clear, unambiguous criteria that distinguishes a linear habitat patch as a corridor, together with the importance of the scale at which the concept is applied, contributes to controversy over the value of corridors for biodiversity conservation. Here we review the concept, origin, and functions of biological corridors, linking and contrasting them with the multiple elements of the agricultural landscape. In addition, we review the characteristics of the botanical species chosen to promote their implementation, analyzing the context to promote diversity of pollinators and biological pest regulators. The redesign of the agroecosystem, based on the promotion of biodiversity in cultivated and non-cultivated areas, has a fundamental role in the transition toward sustainable production systems.