Trifosa Iin Simamora

Renewable energy expansion is reshaping working agricultural landscapes across the globe. Yet, how land-use changes from solar energy affect avian communities, including imperiled grassland birds that use these landscapes during winter remain underexplored. We examined winter species diversity, community composition, and functional trait–abundance associations across four land-use treatments in New York State: solar, solar-adjacent grasslands, protected grasslands managed for avian conservation, and reference (working) grasslands managed for hay and pasture, across 43 sites over two winter seasons (2023–2025). To assess how solar energy development affected overwintering bird communities, we tested for community differentiation (non-metric multidimensional scaling and PERMANOVA), differences in taxonomic and functional diversity, and functional trait–abundance associations, spanning intrinsic, extrinsic, and morphological traits (generalized linear mixed models). Winter bird community composition significantly differed between solar sites and protected grasslands. Solar sites supported no unique species and the lowest avian species richness, whereas solar-adjacent sites supported the highest avian species richness. Protected grasslands were the most functionally distinct treatment: relative to reference grasslands, they supported more dietary specialists, non-flocking species, resident over partial-migrant species, and rare species. Our results suggest that while solar facilities are occupied by synanthropic and generalist species, they do not support conservation-priority species in winter or functionally diverse winter bird assemblages. Continued prioritization of protected grasslands and targeted management of solar-adjacent working lands may alleviate sustainability trade-offs between solar production and winter bird conservation across conservation-agriculture-energy nexuses.

In recent years, agroforestry has gained increasing attention as an option to simultaneously alleviate poverty, provide ecological benefits, and mitigate climate change. The present study simulates small-scale farmers’ agroforestry adoption decisions to investigate the consequences for livelihoods and the environment over time. To explore the interdependencies between agroforestry adoption, livelihoods, and the environment, an agent-based model adjusted to a case study area in rural Indonesia was implemented. Thereby, the model compares different scenarios, including a climate change scenario. The agroforestry system under investigation consists of an illipe (Shorea stenoptera) rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) mix, which are both locally valued tree species. The simulations reveal that farmers who adopt agroforestry diversify their livelihood portfolio while increasing income. Additionally, the model predicts environmental benefits: enhanced biodiversity and higher carbon sequestration in the landscape. The benefits of agroforestry for livelihoods and nature gain particular importance in the climate change scenario. The results therefore provide policy-makers and practitioners with insights into the dynamic economic and environmental advantages of promoting agroforestry.

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Growing bioenergy crops on degraded and underutilized land is a promising solution to meet the requirement for energy security, food security, and land restoration. This paper assesses the socioeconomic and environmental benefits of agroforestry systems based on nyamplung (tamanu) (Calophyllum inophyllum L.) in the Wonogiri district of Central Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through field observations and focus group discussions involving 20 farmers who intercrop nyamplung with maize, rice, and peanuts and utilize the species in honey production. Calculating each crop's net present value (NPV) demonstrates that when grown as monocultures, staple crops rice and peanuts lead to negative profitability, while maize generates only a marginal profit; yet honey production utilizing nyamplung produces a NPV nearly 300 times greater than maize. However, when utilizing nyamplung, honey is also the commodity most sensitive to decreases in production, followed by nyamplung–peanut and nyamplung–rice combinations. While decreases in production have little effect on the NPVs of rice, peanuts, and maize, these annual crops can only be cultivated for a maximum of 6 years within the nyamplung's 35‐year cycle, due to canopy closure after this time. Nyamplung‐based agroforestry systems can provide economic, social, and environmental gains on different scales. However, when considering the high profit potential of nyamplung combined with honey production, further research is needed to improve and develop bee husbandry practices so this becomes a viable option for local farmers.

Large areas of deforested and degraded land, particularly degraded peatlands, need a viable long-term solution for restoration, ideally one that ensures energy security without compromising food security or biodiversity conversation. To address a knowledge gap on the most adaptive bioenergy crop(s) for degraded lands, this research project assessed the survival and growth performance of potential bioenergy crops to restore burned and degraded peatlands. Our methodology compared the bioenergy species with the potential to survive in extreme environments, i.e., gamal [Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp.], kaliandra (Calliandra calothyrsus Meissner), kemiri sunan [Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw], and nyamplung (Calophyllum inophyllum L.). Observed parameters are plant survival rates, tree height, and circular stem growth. The experiment was conducted between March 2016 to February 2017 in a two-hectare demonstration plot on burned and degraded peatland in Buntoi village, Pulang Pisau, Central Kalimantan province. Using a split plot design, two treatments were given to each species, i.e., monoculture plantation and agroforestry (intercropped with Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.); with each treatment, the species were replicated on two separate plots. Results indicate that nyamplung is the most adoptable species followed by kemiri sunan, however both species performed very well under agroforestry treatment when compared with monoculture. Further study is needed to assess the productivity and associate biofuel yield.