Agricultural landscapes in Africa are still largely dominated by small-scale subsistence farming operated by smallholders. Many sites harbour high biodiversity. However, as most African countries are confronted to an unprecedented population growth and a rapid economic development, efforts to intensify food production are widespread, with concomitant potentially negative effects on biodiversity. In this project we are working in a highly contrasted agricultural landscape in the Ethiopian highlands comprising two distinct farming systems: intensively managed large-scale farming vs small-scale traditional farming. We aim at understanding the effects of management practices and semi-natural habitats on avian communities in order to deliver recommendations for a sustainable agriculture.
Uni Bern supervisors
Alain Jacot, Raphaël Arlettaz
External collaborator
University of Lausanne
Publications
Marcacci, G., J. Gremion, J. Mazenauer, T. Sori, F. Kebede, M. Ewnetu, P. Christe, R. Arlettaz & A. Jacot. 2022. High semi-natural vegetation cover and heterogeneity of field sizes promote bird beta-diversity at larger scales in Ethiopian Highlands. Journal of Applied Ecology 59: 1219-1230. PDF
Gremion, J., G. Marcacci, J. Mazenauer, T. Sori, F. Kebede, M. Ewnetu, P. Christe, R. Arlettaz & A. Jacot. 2022. Habitat preferences of the Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) in its prime wintering grounds, the cereal-dominated Ethiopian Highlands. Ibis 164: 74-87. PDF
Marcacci, G., J. Gremion, J. Mazenauer, T. Sori, F. Kebede, M. Ewnetu, P. Christe, R. Arlettaz & A. Jacot. 2020. Large-scale versus small-scale agriculture: Disentangling the relative effects of the farming system and semi-natural habitats on birds’ habitat preferences in the Ethiopian highlands. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 289: article 106737. (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Related Master thesis
Marcacci, G. 2019. Large-scale versus small-scale agriculture: disentangling the relative effects of the farming system and semi-natural habitats on birds’ habitat preferences in the Ethiopian highlands. MSc Thesis. University of Bern. PDF
