Integrating biodiversity conservation and agriculture in a landscape: a developing country perspective

Balancing agricultural productivity and biodiversity conservation is a major global challenge. Addressing this dilemma requires a nuanced understanding of the social-ecological systems linking agriculture and conservation. This thesis investigates how both goals can be achieved within shared landscapes, using Kasungu, Malawi, as a case study. Like many African countries, Malawi’s Agenda 2063 promotes agricultural expansion for poverty reduction and economic growth. However, this puts pressure on biodiversity, particularly around protected and conserved areas.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis explores the agriculture-biodiversity nexus by examining human-nature relationships, gendered land tenure systems, and local priorities for trade-offs and potential synergies. I first sought to understand the implications of human-nature relationships for livelihoods and conservation. I then assessed how gendered kinship systems of land tenure influence resource use. Next, I used hypothetical scenarios of change to investigate how communities prioritise agriculture and biodiversity conservation under different possible futures. Finally, I used a spatial modelling approach to predict biodiversity outcomes under the current and projected agricultural trends in the landscape.

Findings show that social and ecological factors shape people’s perceptions and behaviours, which influence how trade-offs are experienced and managed. The research highlights that single approaches are unlikely to reconcile biodiversity conservation and agriculture, hence the need for integrated approaches that work simultaneously. I emphasise the importance of inclusive, context-sensitive strategies that reflect local realities and call for reframing the agriculture-biodiversity relationship as interconnected rather than conflicting.

This research provides a snapshot of broader agriculture-biodiversity debates by highlighting the importance of locally grounded, interdisciplinary approaches. Given that agriculture remains the dominant land use in sub-Saharan Africa, achieving global conservation targets will depend on integrating land tenure and food system considerations to ensure sustainable and equitable outcomes for both people and nature.