Choosing the appropriate tree for current and future suitable location is a first important step and primary aspect in developing agroforestry systems. Indigenous agroforestry systems have been practiced for centuries in the Himalaya Mountains and adjoining region. To maintain and improve yield and ecosystem function we need to understanding the impact of climate change and phenomena distribution of agroforestry.
Dr. Sailesh Ranjitkar, scientific staff in Prof. Xu Jianchu’s research group at Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) studied spatial distribution of 10 agroforestry potential species in the Yunnan Province of China. They aimed to find the right agroforestry species to promote at right place and the mixed agroforestry system using selected species. They used a multi-model ensemble approach based on ecological niche modelling to understand the impact of climate on distribution of agroforestry trees in Yunnan Province of China. The models generated in the study explained suitable habitat, and identified potential locations for mixed agroforestry. Model suggested west and southwest Yunnan as important location for tea and alder-based agroforestry, while southern parts of Yunnan suited for tea and hog plum (see figure), and northern parts could support walnut-based agroforestry options.
This research was financially supported by the project on Building effective water governance in the Asian Highlands, National Science Foundation of China, Grant No. 31270524, National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2014CB954100), The Applied Fundamental Research Foundation of Yunnan (2014GA003) and the CGIAR research programs on ‘Forests, Trees and Agroforestry’ and ‘Climate change adaptation and mitigation’. Results have been published in Environmental Modelling & Software 75: 263-272 entitled “Climate modelling for agroforestry species selection in Yunnan Province, China”.
This article contains supporting information online at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364815215300852
Contact:
Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, CAS
Kunming Institute of Botany
Dr. Sailesh Ranjitkar
Email: sailesh@mail.kib.ac.cn
