Biodiversity as a product of smallholder's strategies for overcoming changes in their natural and social landscapes: A Report prepared by the UNU/Plec Amazonia Cluster.

The PLEC objective to measure biodiversity levels within the landholdings of smallholders emerges as an opportunity to look beyond the superficial environmental ideologies that impel many biodiversity researchers to ignore land ï''tarnishedï'' by humans and to search for ï''pristineï'' ecosystems. In contrast, reporting the biodiversity that is produced, managed or conserved by smallholders, we aim to illustrate the valuable role of smallholders in the formation and transformation of biodiversity within the estuarine varzea floodplain. We argue that a considerable number of land-use systems in Amazonia enhance rather than reduce levels of biodiversity. (from background)