Ecosystem Services from agroforestry systems in Australia

Australia is well known for being mostly dry, and for having generally poor soils. Much of the area of the continent which actually has sufficient precipitation to support forests has been cleared of tree cover for agriculture and grazing. Some 100,000 farming properties encompass more than 50 million ha in an arc from tropical far north Queensland along the eastern and southeastern coastlines, with another fertile region in southwestern Australia. Thus there is a role for trees and forests in agroforestry systems that could develop in these often degraded lands. Australia has a strong natural science sector which has contributed useful research on potential agroforestry systems, particularly in the areas of shelterbelts in grazing areas, and the deployment of trees for alleviation of salinity, which is a serious problem in some regions. Efforts to develop the ecosystem services derived from agroforestry have been sporadic, often short-term, in both public and private sectors, although efforts of groups such as Landcare and many regional farm forestry networks have started to make headway.