The conservation value for birds of cacao plantations with diverse planted shade in Tabasco, Mexico

Abstract

We surveyed birds in cacao (Theobroma cacao) plantations in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. The shade canopy was planted by farmers and consisted of approximately 60 species of trees with no single dominant species. Canopy height averaged 15 m and the structure was multi-storied. We conducted 220 ten minute, 25 m radius point counts for birds and detected 1550 individuals from 81 species. The average number of birds/point and the expected diversity in a fixed number of individuals within the cacao surveyed were well within the range of other lowland habitats, including agricultural sites, that we have surveyed previously in neighbouring Chiapas. In the Tabascan cacao, the migrant group was composed, in part, of forest species, and dimorphic species were represented primarily by males, which in other areas are known to dominate forest or forest-like habitats. In contrast to the composition of migrant species, we found few resident forest specialists in Tabascan cacao. Instead, the tropical resident group was composed of large-bodied generalist species that use small patches of trees in open habitats. These results (moderate diversity, low numbers of forest specialists) differ from the few studies completed in 'rustic' cacao systems located near large tracts of forest. The planted shade cacao agroecosystem -at least in the absence of nearby forest -may have a limited value for conserving lost tropical forest bird diversity, but it provides habitat for woodlandassociated migratory species. Our results also indicate that the planted shade cacao plantations supported few small omnivorous or frugivorous species, probably because cacao itself, as well as the dominant shade trees, produce primarily mammal or wind dispersed fruit and seeds.

The importance of agricultural areas for bird conservation in the Korup region, south-western Cameroon

“…between 15 and 20%) of the original basal area and forest tree species should be maintained. Five to eight years of fallow period should also be essential in order to create temporal favourable microclimatic conditions suitable to attract many forest bird species (Lawton et al, 1998;Greenberg et al, 2000;Daily et al, 2001;Hughes et al, 2002;Waltert et al, 2004).…”

Plant biodiversity and vegetation structure in traditional cocoa forest gardens in southern Cameroon under different management

“…The Ngomedzap area is considered by cocoa farmers to be less technified (more dense and diverse shade, fewer chemical inputs) and could be compared to the ''rustic'' cocoa areas (Greenberg et al 2000) reported in Latin America. The Kedia and Talba areas are considered to be more technified (less dense and diverse shade, high-chemical inputs) and are seen as the pioneer front in cocoa cultivation in southern Cameroon.…”

“…Their management practices are influenced by their relationship to the other components of the land-use system and are oriented at using a combination of multiple forest resources (Sonwa et al 2001;Schroth et al 2004;Perfecto et al 2005). Their adaptive nature offers options for combining biodiversity conservation and production for human benefits (Greenberg et al 2000;Reitsma et al 2001;Perfecto et al 2004;MCNeely and Schroth 2006;Gordon et al 2007;). TFGs are developed as a result of the interactions between local communities and forests and reflect various forms of human creativity in dealing with forest resources.…”

Agricultural intensification within agroforestry: The case of coffee and wood products

“…Within the agroforestry literature, the agronomic and biophysical aspects of such systems have received a disproportionate attention compared to the socioeconomic features (Nair, 1999), a situation which persistsespecially in the case of coffee 1 (Coffea arabica). The voluminous literature related to ecological features in shaded coffee (and cacao) systems (Beer et al, 1998) contrasts sharply with the few, but emerging, studies on such systems' socioeconomic contribution to producers' livelihoods-with those being nearly restricted to African countries (Leakey et al, 2005;Gockowski et al, 1997;Awono et al, 2002;Ndoye et al, 1997) Recent academic interest in managed lands as potential habitat reveals the ecological and conservation value of shaded cropping systems as refuges for wildlife and/or areas capable of providing ecological services (Mas and Dietsch, 2004;Wunderle and Latta, 1996, 2000Perfecto et al, 1996;Greenberg et al, 1997Greenberg et al, , 2000Rice and Greenberg, 2000;Rice and Ward, 1996;Sherry, 2000;Roubik, 2002;Ricketts, 2004;Philpott, 2005;Solis-Montero et al, 2005;Pineda et al, 2005). Many of these studies focus on shade coffee.…”