Proximity to natural habitat is known to enhance pollination services in large‐scale agriculture, but it remains unclear whether this holds in tropical smallholder farms. These systems are embedded in ecologically complex landscapes, central to global food security, and depend heavily on biodiversity‐derived ecosystem services. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of 35 studies assessing the relationship between distance to natural habitat and pollinator abundance, species richness, and crop fruit set in tropical smallholder farms. We found no consistent patterns in pollinator abundance and crop fruit set with increasing distance, with relationships highly variable across studies. Similarly variable, yet slightly negative, was the relationship between distance and pollinator species richness. Our findings suggest limited support for the ‘proximity to natural habitat’ hypothesis in tropical smallholder farms, indicating that the inherent complexity of these landscapes may buffer negative effects of distance on pollination. This underscores the importance of maintaining and restoring landscape complexity to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services such as crop pollination. We also highlight the need for greater methodological consistency and publicly available raw data in future studies to strengthen the evidence base and support management strategies for safeguarding pollination services in tropical smallholder farms.
Tag: data sharing
Aligning to Target 2: BURKINA FASO National Dialogue
The National Observatory on Environment and Sustainable Development (ONEDD), in collaboration with key stakeholders, aims to enhance data management for restoration efforts through a collaborative information campaign and formalized data consultation frameworks. This includes strengthening the data value chain, ensuring regional validation, and promoting interoperability with platforms like FERM, GGW, and AFR100. Annual reviews of biodiversity indicators will align monitoring with evolving goals, while stakeholder synergy and capacity building will optimize restoration strategies and sustainable development initiatives.
Reviewing the governance systems on data sharing in OFESA countries to support development of a governance framework for the observatory of East and Southern Africa
In 2016, the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) launched the East and Southern Africa Forest Observatory (OFESA) to enhance sustainable forest management and governance through reliable data and knowledge. This report reviews the data-sharing landscape across OFESA member countries, examining existing regulations, identifying gaps and legal barriers—particularly around institutional arrangements and intellectual property—and proposing improvements. It also highlights comparative approaches and best practices for data-sharing agreements, based on insights from national-level informants including government agencies and research institutions. The findings offer strategic recommendations to strengthen OFESA’s data-sharing structures and inform broader applications across Africa.