ABSTRACT
The most important anthropogenic cause of agrobiodiversity loss is rapid land use and land cover change (LUCC) and the subsequent transformation of habitats (MEA, 2005). In agricultural landscapes LUCC usually takes the form of land development. Most land development at the landscape level stems from the decentralized economic decisions of economic agents, including small-scale farmers, agribusiness and governments at different scales. The ecological causes and effects of such landscape transformations are increasingly well understood and documented, especially with regard to deforestation and desertification in developing regions (Lambin et al, 2001; Perrings and Gadgil, 2003). In agricultural landscapes, one impact of LUCC that is attracting increasing attention is the alteration of the flow of ecosystem services that are mediated by biodiversity (MEA, 2005; Perrings et al, 2006). This has significant implications for biodiversity conservation strategies in agro-ecosystems.
