Land-use management towards increased biodiversity of ecosystems

Farmers on the island of Leyte are utilizing a range of ecosystems along a catena that can reach from primary mountain forest to the pelagial of the adjacent sea. Being a farmer during daytime and a fisherman at night requires a wide range of skills but has historically not brought about a need for the development of a sustainable land use management. This parodistic situation has drastically changed within this century of increasing human population and led to severe degradation of most accessible ecosystems. Research is undertaken to generate new and compact widely scattered indigenous knowledge on the highly diverse flora and fauna of all major ecosystems. The results are translated into environmental awareness and pilot projects. While for the aquatic ecosystems protected reproduction zones are recommended, our efforts to sustain human food production and simultaneously preserve the biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems and their vital functions for mankind, led to the development of a "Closed Canopy & High Diversity Forest Farming System." The system is aiming to replace the more destructive forms of kaingin practices, form a buffer zone around the primary forests, help maintain the water cycle of the island, and provide our farmers with a stable and higher income. (author)