Biodiversity loss and climate change call for re-evaluating traditional agricultural systems as Nature-based Solutions (NbS). The European project TRANSFOrm investigates traditional agroforestry systems (TAS) as models that integrate production and ecological resilience.

We present first-year results from cherry orchards in northern Italy, comparing three management regimes: abandoned, extensive, and semi-intensive. We assessed how management intensity shapes biodiversity and soil-related ecosystem services using a multi-taxa approach, including pollinators, carabid beetles, avifauna, and vegetation. Biodiversity was sampled through pitfall and pan traps, netting, acoustic monitoring, and floristic surveys, while soil functioning was evaluated through physicochemical analyses and eDNA-based microbiome characterization.

Management strongly influenced biodiversity patterns and ecosystem services. Abandoned sites supported higher pollinator abundance and perennial plant richness, reflecting increased habitat complexity under natural succession. In contrast, carabid functional diversity and bird richness peaked in extensive systems, indicating that low-intensity management maintains suitable habitat structure for multiple taxa. Soil analyses showed differences in organic matter dynamics across systems, suggesting shifts in carbon accumulation and nutrient turnover.

Overall, our findings highlight that management intensity regulates biodiversity and soil ecosystem services, with low-intensity systems providing a balance between ecological complexity and functionality. Traditional agroforestry systems emerge as effective NbS to enhance resilience in agricultural landscapes under global change.