Meta-analysis Shows Overall Benefits of Cattle Silvopastoral Systems for Biodiversity in Fragmented Forest Landscapes.

Domestic cattle grazing is a leading driver of forest conversion and associated biodiversity loss, yet it also provides a critical livelihood for nearly 1 billion smallholder farmers, creating a paradox that highlights the need for conservation strategies to balance human and ecological needs. Cattle-based silvopastoral systems (SPS) integrate trees with cattle pastures, offering a promising solution to boost livestock productivity while safeguarding biodiversity in forest-dominated landscapes where ranching has replaced native forests. However, evidence for the biodiversity benefits provided by SPS is limited to studies focusing on specific geographic regions or taxa. Through a meta-analysis of 45 studies spanning 15 countries, 4 biogeographic regions, and 7 taxa, we provide the first quantitative synthesis evaluating how cattle-based SPS affect biodiversity (diversity and abundance) relative to treeless pastures and natural forests. Overall, we show that SPS harbor higher levels of diversity and abundance than treeless pastures and perform comparably to nearby forests. However, variations exist across regions and taxa, with the strongest positive responses in tropical and subtropical regions and for low-mobility taxa such as invertebrates and plants. Mammals, birds, and soil microorganisms, on the other hand, showed no significant biodiversity differences between treeless pastures and SPS. Thus, integrating SPS and protected areas as complementary components of a multifunctional landscape will be key to halting multitaxa biodiversity loss and supporting working lands. Our findings support the conservation potential of SPS in forest-fragmented regions, while underscoring the need for strategic implementation to maximize benefits for biodiversity conservation.