Contribution of live fences to the ecological integrity of agricultural landscapes

Harvey, Célia A.; Villanueva, Cristóbal; Villacís, Jaime; Chacón, Mario Peña; Muñoz, Diego Andrés; López, Myriam Arias de; Ibrahim, Muhammad; Gómez, René Maximiliano; Taylor, Rachel C.; Martinez, J.; Navas, Alicia Rodríguez; Sáenz, Joel C.; Sánchez, Dalia; Medina, Arnulfo; Vílchez, Sergio; Hernández, Blas; Pérez, Antonio José; Ruiz, Fernando; López, F.; Làng, István; Sinclair, F.L.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2005.06.011

Cited by 187 publications

(215 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…While some species are found throughout the regional landscapes, differences in dominating species emphasize the importance of site specificity (Harvey et al 2005. Because of this monopolization, and as repeated burning, over-grazing, exotic grasses, intensely mechanized cultivation methods, and sparse populations of parent tree seed sources have probably resulted in a loss of soil productivity, the region is an excellent candidate for enrichment plantings of native species .…”

Section: Figure 3 Reasons Cited For Maintaining Individual Treesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of the varying types of agroforestry practices found in Central America, live fences are particularly prevalent. A study of live fences in Costa Rica and Nicaragua found that an overall high species richness of 161 different plant species DBH > 10cm were used across the sites with the main purpose of restricting animal movements (Harvey et al 2005). Although farmers were aware of the high potential value of live fences as fodder, less than 10% deliberately made forage available because of the labor required, and few harvested the other potential products from live fences.…”

Section: Mcgarigal and Kushman 2002 Townsend And Levey 2005) Globalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although farmers were aware of the high potential value of live fences as fodder, less than 10% deliberately made forage available because of the labor required, and few harvested the other potential products from live fences. Despite their underuse for human-production purposes, 97 migratory and even forest-dependent faunal species used the fences for a variety of purposes, including feeding, shelter, and movement corridors (Harvey et al 2005). The prevalence of live fences, their production benefits and important ecological roles, suggest their great potential in sustainable land management, as well as their low-cost potential for establishing more trees within the agricultural mosaic (Love et al 2009).…”

Section: Mcgarigal and Kushman 2002 Townsend And Levey 2005) Globalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This increase of trees on farms in areas that have simultaneously experienced up to 10% population growth negates the assumption that humans crowd out trees, demonstrating that while on-going deforestation for agriculture is a serious issue, there is forest recovery in some regions and there are other possible paradigms for growth (Zomer et al 2014). Studies of TDF patches in Honduras and Mexico, live fences in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and remnant trees in pasture in Costa Rica, have found that forest fallows, fragments, and other anthropogenically-disturbed landscape elements can host species diversity levels comparable to forests, as well as species of considerable conservation importance, emphasizing the capacity of some land-use practices to contribute to conservation and restoration initiatives within the agricultural landscape (Gordon 2004, Harvey et al 2005, Sandor and Chazdon 2014. The aforementioned study of live fences in Nicaragua and Costa Rica also demonstrated not only the species richness and ecological benefits of live fences, but also that farmers are already planting and maintaining these trees on their own, without the interference or imposed incentives of projects (Harvey et al 2005).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies of TDF patches in Honduras and Mexico, live fences in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and remnant trees in pasture in Costa Rica, have found that forest fallows, fragments, and other anthropogenically-disturbed landscape elements can host species diversity levels comparable to forests, as well as species of considerable conservation importance, emphasizing the capacity of some land-use practices to contribute to conservation and restoration initiatives within the agricultural landscape (Gordon 2004, Harvey et al 2005, Sandor and Chazdon 2014. The aforementioned study of live fences in Nicaragua and Costa Rica also demonstrated not only the species richness and ecological benefits of live fences, but also that farmers are already planting and maintaining these trees on their own, without the interference or imposed incentives of projects (Harvey et al 2005). My study examines the dynamics of such a landscape, where farmer-motivated plantings, projects and spontaneous recovery of a riparian forest have created a landscape with a modest amount of tree cover.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trees in the Agricultural Matrix: Reforestation Processes in a Tropical Dry Landscape in Chinandega, Nicaragua

Duffy¹

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Section: Figure 3 Reasons Cited For Maintaining Individual Treesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mcgarigal and Kushman 2002 Townsend And Levey 2005) Globalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mcgarigal and Kushman 2002 Townsend And Levey 2005) Globalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Trees in the Agricultural Matrix: Reforestation Processes in a Tropical Dry Landscape in Chinandega, Nicaragua

Duffy¹

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Selection of Adequate Species for Degraded Areas by Oil‐Exploitation Industry as a Key Factor for Recovery Forest in the Ecuadorian Amazon

et al. 2016

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One of the requirements for the forest restoration of soils disturbed by the oil-exploitation industry is that saplings be able to endure soil-adverse conditions. In this study, saplings of 20 species susceptible to be used in reforestation programs were evaluated for their ability to grow on substrates derived from soils disturbed by petroleum extractions in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Seeds of each species were planted in germination trays. Once seedlings reached 5 cm in height they were transplanted to plastic bags with three treatment substrates: two derived from petroleum-exploitation activity (soils from mud and drill cutting cells and from areas surrounding oil wells) and a control soil. Plant survival rate, stem height, and diameter were measured on a weekly basis until 14 weeks after transplantation, when we harvested the plants and also measured plant biomass and calculated the Dickson quality index for each species. Oil-exploitation by-product substrates impaired the performance of many saplings, with the substrate from mud and drill cutting cells being the one that most affected plant performance. Only saplings of five native species in the Amazon basin-Apeiba membranaceae, Cedrelinga cateniformis, Inga densiflora, Myroxylon balsamum, and Pouroma cecropiifolia-exhibited high or similar Dickson quality index values in all soil treatments and performed better than the rest. The use of these five species in remediation of soils disturbed by petroleum extraction in the Amazon basin could prove important because of their high potential to adapt to these disturbed sites.

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The Agroecological Transition of Farms in the Ecuadorian Andes Through the Lens of the Main Agroecological Structure

Saenz‐Lituma

2024

Land Degrad Dev

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Many sectors of society have urged a transition from modern conventional agriculture to more sustainable alternatives. One of the most frequently mentioned is agroecology, due to its potential to improve soil health, promote agrobiodiversity, food sovereignty, and regenerate ecosystem functions. However, complex systems such as farms demand the transformation of a broad set of characteristics and practices for its transition. These factors are, in turn, conditioned by social, educational, economic, and political factors. Therefore, a clear understanding of the main drivers behind the management of farms is vital for supporting an effective transition. This research applied the main agroecological structure (MAS) methodology, which employs 10 indicators (5 biological, 5 cultural) to evaluate the degree of connectivity of a farm with the landscape, the agrobiodiversity present in living fences and crops, and the practices employed by farmers to support and preserve it. Finally, the MAS methodology gives farms a score from 0 to 100, understood as the degree of development of its agroecological structure, or as the “resilience” of a system in agroecological transition. Measurements were performed in 20 farms with different degrees of agroecological transition, in five locations of the northern‐central Andean region of Ecuador. The farms had a moderately developed structure on average (71.05 over 100), and MAS variation was not correlated to the size of the farm, nor with its degree of connectivity with the surrounding landscape. It was rather significantly related to the geographic location of the study site. One of the main differences between study sites was a more extended prevalence of cooperation and development programs, suggesting a strong connection between the development of agroecological practices and capacity building processes. For this reason, the author proposes that MAS measurements should be complemented with deeper analyses of the capacity‐building background of each site. This study aims to establish a baseline of the MAS in Ecuador, and to provide new tools for monitoring and supporting agroecological transition.

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Contribution of live fences to the ecological integrity of agricultural landscapes

Cited by 187 publications

References 35 publications

Trees in the Agricultural Matrix: Reforestation Processes in a Tropical Dry Landscape in Chinandega, Nicaragua

Trees in the Agricultural Matrix: Reforestation Processes in a Tropical Dry Landscape in Chinandega, Nicaragua

Selection of Adequate Species for Degraded Areas by Oil‐Exploitation Industry as a Key Factor for Recovery Forest in the Ecuadorian Amazon

The Agroecological Transition of Farms in the Ecuadorian Andes Through the Lens of the Main Agroecological Structure

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