Preliminary study on landscape design of ecological farms based on biodiversity and ecosystem service

With increasing demands for organic, environmentally friendly, and higher quality foods, ecological farms have flourished in China in recent years. Establishing ecological farms and meeting sustainable food production goals relies heavily on protecting biodiversity and harnessing biodiversity associated ecosystem services. We reviewed the demand and development of ecological farms, established the biodiversity implications, and assessed the relationships between landscape structure, biodiversity, and ecological services as well as the application of landscape design. We proposed general principles for ecological farms design and suggested three aspects to include relationship between farms and surrounding landscapes: designing planting system, protecting and reconstructing beneficial habitats. These principles were demonstrated as a case study on an ecological rice farm in southern China, where landscape ecology principles were applied to the design of off-farm habitats. Water purification and pest control were the primary ecosystem services. Therefore, a variety of plant strips were designed to support sustainable agriculture and enhance the biodiversity and ornamental value of the farm. To better integrate biodiversity and ecological farm construction, an in-depth understanding of the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem services, agricultural production and income, and functional plants (that promote biodiversity) are required. Additionally, an ecological compensation policy to encourage biodiversity conservation in ecological farming should be considered. Our study provides general principles and empirical evidence for the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into ecological farm design, which promotes an ecological civilization.