Long-term dynamics of cocoa agroforestry systems established on lands previously occupied by savannah or forests

Nijmeijer, Annemarijn; Lauri, Pierre‐Éric; Harmand, Jean‐Michel; Freschet, Grégoire T.; Nieboukaho, Jean-Daniel Essobo; Fogang, Patrick Kenfack; Enock, Séguy; Saj, Stéphane

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2019.02.004

Cited by 38 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…However, few studies compare open-land-derived agroforests with their respective baselines (Rice & Greenberg, 2000). This is also reflected in our systematic review, where only two studies compared biodiversity of open-land-derived agroforestry with open land whereas 14 studies compared forest-derived agroforestry with forest (see also (Bos, Tylianakis, Steffan-Dewenter, & Tscharntke, 2008), and higher species diversity (Nijmeijer et al, 2019;Siebert, 2002) in forest-derived agroforests.…”

Section: Land-use History Shapes Vegetation Structure and Biodiversitymentioning

confidence: 94%

“…In open-land-derived agroforestry, recovery time will again depend on the focal variable, but may be only a few years for certain ecosystem functions (Nijmeijer et al, 2019). In this context, time series will be particularly interesting.…”

Section: Key Research Questions On Land-use History Of Tropical Agrofmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Establishing an agroforest on open land that was formerly forested can be regarded as a form of rehabilitation (Chazdon et al., 2016), leading to an overall increase of tree cover and associated ecosystem functions and services (Table 1). Tropical open‐land‐derived agroforests thus have a large carbon sequestration potential (Hombegowda, van Straaten, Köhler, & Hölscher, 2016; Nair, Kumar, & Nair, 2009; Nijmeijer et al., 2019). Forest‐derived agroforests, on the other hand, typically store less carbon than forests (De Beenhouwer et al., 2016; Nair et al., 2009).…”

Section: Land‐use History Affects Ecosystem Functions and Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Land‐use history determines ecosystem services and conservation value in tropical agroforestry

Martin

Osen

Graß

et al. 2020

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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Agroforestry is widely promoted as a potential solution to address multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Zero Hunger, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Life on Land. Nonetheless, agroforests in the tropics often result from direct forest conversions, displacing rapidly vanishing and highly biodiverse forests with large carbon stocks, causing undesirable trade-offs. Scientists thus debate whether the promotion of agroforestry in tropical landscapes is a sensible policy. So far, this debate typically fails to consider land-use history, that is, whether an agroforest is derived from forest or from open land. Indeed, 57% of papers which we systematically reviewed did not describe the land-use history of focal agroforestry systems. We further find that forest-derived agroforestry supports higher biodiversity than open-land-derived agroforestry but essentially represents a degradation of forest, whereas openland-derived agroforestry rehabilitates formerly forested open land. Based on a conceptual framework, we recommend to (a) promote agroforestry on suitable open land, (b) maintain tree cover in existing forest-derived agroforests, and (c) conserve remaining forests. Land-use history should be incorporated into landuse policy to avoid incentivizing forest degradation and to harness the potential of agroforestry for ecosystem services and biodiversity.

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Section: Land-use History Shapes Vegetation Structure and Biodiversitymentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Key Research Questions On Land-use History Of Tropical Agrofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Land‐use History Affects Ecosystem Functions and Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Land‐use history determines ecosystem services and conservation value in tropical agroforestry

Martin

Osen

Graß

et al. 2020

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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“…Roots from each sampling point were washed, sorted out manually by species (cocoa vs. shade tree), dried for 1 week at 37°C, and weighed separately. Leaf litterfall was measured during 8 months (including the dry season) when most of the annual litterfall occurs (Nijmeijer et al, ). Briefly, one 0.45 m 2 collector was placed above each soil and fine root sampling location of each subplot.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cocoa agroforest multifunctionality and soil fertility explained by shade tree litter traits

Sauvadet

Saj

Freschet

et al. 2020

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Manipulating plant functional diversity to improve agroecosystem multifunctionality is a central challenge of agricultural systems world‐wide. In cocoa agroforestry systems (cAFS), shade trees are used to supply many services to farmers, yet their impact on soil functioning and cocoa yields is likely to vary substantially among tree species. Here we compared the impact of five shade tree species (Canarium schweinfurthii (Canarium), Dacryodes edulis (Safou), Milicia excelsa (Iroko), Ceiba pentandra (Kapok tree), Albizia adianthifolia (Albizia)) and unshaded conditions on the functioning of poor sandy savanna soils within eight cocoa farms in Central Cameroon. We assessed the effects of plant functional traits, leaf litterfall and fine root biomass on a range of soil functions and on cocoa yield. Shade trees generally improved soil pH, NH4+, NO3- and Olsen P content, biomass production of bioassays and soil total C and N content, while leaving cocoa yields unchanged. However, these effects varied largely among species. Improvements of soil functions were low under the two fruit trees (Canarium and Dacryodes), medium under the legume tree Albizia and high under the two timber trees (Milicia and Ceiba). Low litter recalcitrance was most strongly associated with increases in soil fertility indicators such as N and P availability, whereas soil C and N content increased with litter Ca restitution. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate that cocoa agroforest multifunctionality is substantially influenced by the functional traits of shade tree species. Shade tree species with the most dissimilar traits to cocoa (cocoa showing the lowest leaf litter quality) showed the largest improvement of soil functions. Therefore, selection of shade trees based on their functional traits appears as a promising practice to adequately manage soil functioning. In order to fully assess the beneficial role of shade trees in these agroecosystems. Future research will need to extend this approach to other below‐ground traits and other aspects of multifunctionality such as long‐term cocoa health and yield.

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“…Forest degradation is a significant source of emissions, as suggested by both qualitative national analyses [25,31] and global studies [25,82,83], the latter placing forest degradation in the range of 25% of total land-based emissions. The main drivers of forest degradation are-listed in decreasing order of available documentation-industrial logging aimed at the international timber market [57,84,85], cocoa encroaching into forests [86][87][88], informal logging for the domestic and regional timber market [89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96], and fuel wood collection [97,98]. None of these drivers of degradation is considered in this study because they are not assessed by activity data mapping and only the industrial logging and cocoa is tracked by national export statistics.…”

Section: Uncertainties and Limitations Of Approach And Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining a Carbon Reference Level for a High-Forest-Low-Deforestation Country

Pirker

Mosnier

Nana³

et al. 2019

Forests

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Research Highlights: A transparent approach to developing a forest reference emissions level (FREL) adjusted to future local developments in Southern Cameroon is demonstrated. Background and Objectives: Countries with low historical deforestation can adjust their forest reference (emission) level (FREL/FRL) upwards for REDD+ to account for likely future developments. Many countries, however, find it difficult to establish a credible adjusted reference level. This article demonstrates the establishment of a FREL for southern Cameroon adjusted to societal megatrends of strong population—and economic growth combined with rapid urbanization. It demonstrates what can be done with available information and data, but most importantly outlines pathways to further improve the quality of future FREL/FRL’s in light of possibly accessing performance-based payments. Materials and Methods: The virtual FREL encompasses three main elements: Remotely sensed activity data; emission factors derived from the national forest inventory; and the adjustment of the reference level using a land use model of the agriculture sector. Sensitivity analysis is performed on all three elements using Monte Carlo methods. Results: Deforestation during the virtual reference period 2000–2015 is dominated by non-industrial agriculture (comprising both smallholders and local elites) and increases over time. The land use model projections are consistent with this trend, resulting in emissions that are on average 47% higher during the virtual performance period 2020–2030 than during the reference period 2000–2015. Monte Carlo analysis points to the adjustment term as the main driver of uncertainty in the FREL calculation. Conclusions: The available data is suitable for constructing a FREL for periodic reporting to the UNFCCC. Enhanced coherence of input data notably for activity data and adjustment is needed to apply for a performance-based payment scheme. Expanding the accounting framework to include forest degradation and forest gain are further priorities requiring future research.

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Long-term dynamics of cocoa agroforestry systems established on lands previously occupied by savannah or forests

Cited by 38 publications

References 63 publications

Land‐use history determines ecosystem services and conservation value in tropical agroforestry

Land‐use history determines ecosystem services and conservation value in tropical agroforestry

Cocoa agroforest multifunctionality and soil fertility explained by shade tree litter traits

Determining a Carbon Reference Level for a High-Forest-Low-Deforestation Country

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