Effects of management and landscape composition on the diversity and structure of tree species assemblages in coffee agroforests

Häger, Achim; Otárola, Mauricio Fernández; Stuhlmacher, Michelle; Castillo, Rafael Acuña; Arias, Agustín Contreras

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2014.08.022

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Tree species composition and diversity Most tree-diversity studies in agroforestry consider intensification gradients especially with increasing distance from natural forests but this study considered agroforests far from natural forests (no nearby forest) but along a rainfall gradient (Méndez et al 2007;Valencia et al 2014;Häger et al 2015). We found relatively few species, genera, and families per unit area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…We found relatively few species, genera, and families per unit area. This is due to the fact that, without a nearby natural forest, farmers entirely rely on and overexploit agroforests and yet re-plant little beyond harnessing natural regeneration (Häger et al 2015). Low species richness means low functional redundancy implying that minimal losses in species richness will adversely affect ecosystem functioning (Barnes et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7). Although tree-utility influences tree planting (Valencia et al 2014;Häger et al 2015), farmers did not necessarily maintain higher diversity in ES groups of higher priority to them. For example, soil moisture preservation ranked highly among farmers' priority ES but the on-farm diversity of the ES group for 'soil moisture preservation' was low.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrating local knowledge with tree diversity analyses to optimize on-farm tree species composition for ecosystem service delivery in coffee agroforestry systems of Uganda

et al. 2017

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Coffee agroforestry systems deliver ecosystem services (ES) critical for rural livelihoods like food but also disservices that constrain livelihoods like fostering coffee-pests. Since such ES are treebased, maximizing ES and limiting constraints requires knowledge on optimizing on-farm tree composition especially trees adapted to local conditions. The study was in three sites along a rainfall gradient in Central Uganda where we: assessed tree diversity in coffee agroforestry; ranked tree suitability for providing ES according to farmers' knowledge; and then proposed an approach for optimizing on-farm tree composition for delivery of ES. We collected data on tree diversity and, farmers' knowledge of tree species and the ES they provide. Farmers ranked ES in order of importance to their livelihoods ('Needs rank') and ranked trees according to suitability for providing ES. Using Bradley Terry modeling, we grouped trees into 'ES groups' according to suitability for providing different ES and ranked 'ES groups' according to tree diversity ('Diversity rank'). Tree-suitability for providing ES and importance of ES to farmers varied with rainfall regime but tree diversity did not match farmers' needs for ES. We propose the FaD-FaN (matching farm tree diversity to farmers' needs) approach for optimizing tree species composition with respect to tree-suitability for farmers' priority ES. Farmers locally prioritize ES needed and identify trees that best serve such ES. The approach then focuses on modifying on-farm tree diversity to match/suit 123Agroforest Syst https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-017-0172-8 farmers' priority ES. The FaD-FaN approach caters for varying socio-ecological conditions; it's adaptable for other coffee and cocoa-growing areas worldwide.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrating local knowledge with tree diversity analyses to optimize on-farm tree species composition for ecosystem service delivery in coffee agroforestry systems of Uganda

et al. 2017

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“…Diversity indices from the present study can be compared to those derived from tree inventories conducted in similar intensive coffee systems, located between 800 and 1,250m elevation in Costa Rica [ 37 ]. That study recorded only 104 shade tree species in conventional farms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using farmers' local knowledge of tree provision of ecosystem services to strengthen the emergence of coffee-agroforestry landscapes in southwest China

Rigal

Vaast

2018

PLoS ONE

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Intensive monoculture coffee farms quickly expanded in Yunnan Province in the 1990’s and 2000’s. In 2012, local authorities in Pu’er and Xishuangbanna Prefectures, the main coffee producing centre in the province, initiated a large-scale conversion program of these farms towards coffee-agroforestry systems to promote “ecologically-friendly coffee”. Shade tree inventories and household interviews were conducted in these two prefectures to characterize coffee farms and the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of farmers on the provision of ecosystem services by associated tree species. This study on newly emerging coffee farming systems revealed a high level of tree species diversity at both farm and landscape levels despite the previous dominance of intensive coffee monoculture and the large-scale distribution of a limited number of shade tree species by the government. 162 tree species were encountered during farm inventories, out of which the community of coffee farmers was able to rank 30 against 9 ecosystem services and disservices. This study reveals that this LEK is a type of hybrid knowledge that still relies mostly on traditional knowledge of tree species combined with experience acquired from newly-implemented coffee-agroforestry practices. This study also pointed out knowledge gaps regarding the impact of mature trees on coffee yield, coffee quality and pest control. The participatory approach resulted in the identification of non-promoted species with a high potential to provide locally relevant ecosystem services in coffee-agroforestry systems. These results lead to the upgrade of an online tool (www.shadetreeadvice.org) which allows extension services generating lists of recommended shade tree species tailored to the local ecological context and individual farmers’ needs. This tool will benefit farmers’ livelihood, support landscape health and contribute to the sustainability of the emerging Yunnan coffee agriculture sector.

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“…Most of the regenerating forests and abandoned pastures are heavily degraded and are located within a fragmented landscape, which makes restoration difficult. The species composition of restored forests is affected by the landscape context (Dent & Wright, 2009), the limited knowledge of the requirements to propagate individual species (Hoffmann, Blum, Velazco, Gill, & Borgo, 2015), as well as by the specific goals of private owners and local farmers, who favor the regeneration of certain species, using selected species for logging, shade for cattle, fruiting trees, and medicinal purposes (i.e., Häger, Otárola, Stuhlmacher, Castillo, & Arias, 2015). The sun-shade dichotomy has practical importance but ignores the ample variation found in the regeneration strategies of tropical species; the species analyzed here are no exception.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seedling growth and survival of five tree species in secondary forests and adjacent pastures in the montane rain forests of southern Costa Rica

Ley-López

Ávalos

Chacón‐Madrigal

2016

RBT

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Successful forest restoration in tropical environments is limited by the paucity of studies on the initial establishment and early survival requirements of seedlings of most native tropical tree species under disturbed conditions. Here, we evaluated the initial growth responses and the regeneration potential of seedlings of five tree species native to Costa Rica (Hasseltia floribunda, Inga densiflora, Persea americana, Tapirira mexicana and Trichilia pittieri). Seedlings were grown in secondary forests and adjacent open pastures under contrasting conditions of light availability. We quantified seedling growth, survival and herbivory from August 2010 to August 2011 on a monthly basis, and measured differences in leaf mass per area (LMA) at the end of the experiment. We found significant variation in growth responses between the understory of secondary forests and pastures. Growth in height was highest in pastures across all species, with I. densiflora, P. americana and T. mexicana showing the most striking differences. In contrast, H. floribunda and T. pittieri did not show differences in diameter growth between environments. Except for T. mexicana, herbivory increased throughout the experiment in all the species. Herbivory increased faster in pastures for H. floribunda and T. pittieri and showed higher rates in the forest understory for I. densiflora and P. americana. Seedling survival showed significant differences for all species across environments. Survival of H. floribunda and I. densiflora was higher in secondary forests, whereas the other species showed higher survival in pastures. LMA showed higher values in the pastures across all species, showing that individuals exposed to high light conditions had great photosynthetic rate and great leaf construction capacity. Due to their rapid growth and high survival, I. densiflora and T. mexicana showed great potential to restore abandoned pastures and secondary forests. Increasing our knowledge on the response of seedlings under disturbed conditions in tropical ecosystems is critical for improving the restoration of altered environments by matching the ecological amplitude of native species with specific environmental conditions. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (4): 1565-1583. Epub 2016 December 01.

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Effects of management and landscape composition on the diversity and structure of tree species assemblages in coffee agroforests

Cited by 25 publications

References 28 publications

Integrating local knowledge with tree diversity analyses to optimize on-farm tree species composition for ecosystem service delivery in coffee agroforestry systems of Uganda

Integrating local knowledge with tree diversity analyses to optimize on-farm tree species composition for ecosystem service delivery in coffee agroforestry systems of Uganda

Using farmers' local knowledge of tree provision of ecosystem services to strengthen the emergence of coffee-agroforestry landscapes in southwest China

Seedling growth and survival of five tree species in secondary forests and adjacent pastures in the montane rain forests of southern Costa Rica

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