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... While Ethiopian shade coffee is considered a bird-friendly product [18,19], intensification of shade coffee management is believed to have negative impacts on forest specialists and understory insectivores [18]. In the area where this study was conducted, such intensification is accompanied by a reduction of crown cover [20], which is believed to have immediate negative impacts on bird diversity by limiting the extent of available habitat, reducing forest structural complexity [21,22], and affecting microclimatic conditions [23]. ...
... While Ethiopian shade coffee is considered a bird-friendly product [18,19], intensification of shade coffee management is believed to have negative impacts on forest specialists and understory insectivores [18]. In the area where this study was conducted, such intensification is accompanied by a reduction of crown cover [20], which is believed to have immediate negative impacts on bird diversity by limiting the extent of available habitat, reducing forest structural complexity [21,22], and affecting microclimatic conditions [23]. ...
... Birds play important functional roles in ecosystems as pollinators, seed dispersers, predators, or ecosystem engineers, thereby establishing a direct link between biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services [26]. In Ethiopia, few studies have been conducted on the effects of shade coffee management on bird diversity [18,19,27,28], and most studies have so far focused on changes in community composition and distribution across different land-use types, leaving gaps in our knowledge of possible responses to more subtle changes within a particular land-use type. Here, we investigated how (i) bird community composition and (ii) richness and the relative abundance of different bird functional guilds (classified according to their forest dependence, diet type, migration status, nest type, foraging and nesting strata) respond to vegetation characteristics within a given landscape. ...
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Shade coffee farms in southwest Ethiopia are known to host high levels of avian biodiversity. However, these farms vary in terms of forest management, which affects their understory, mid-story, crown cover, and canopy closure, and hence their structural complexity. Such differences in vegetation structure can potentially affect the survival of specialist bird species, and shade coffee farms may not equally contribute to avian biodiversity conservation. This study aimed to investigate how avian community composition, richness, and the relative abundance of different bird functional guilds relate to structural differences in vegetation shaped by forest management. Bird guild classification was based on bird species forest dependence, diet type, migration status, nest type, foraging, and nesting strata, and bird communities were surveyed using the Timed Species Counts (TSCs) method. Species turnover in bird communities was evaluated using detrended correspondence analysis and redundancy analysis, whereby multiple regression models were used to examine bird guild responses to vegetation structure. Total bird species richness and relative abundance did not respond to vegetation structure. However, the richness of forest specialists and understory foragers, and the relative abundance of mid-high foragers, all positively related to tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and crown cover, whereas the relative abundance of species with medium levels of forest dependency, mid-high/canopy foragers, and open-nesters were positively related to basal area and canopy cover. This study demonstrates that the relative value of shade coffee farms for avian biodiversity conservation depends on the type of forest management, and that bigger trees with larger crown cover provide a habitat of higher quality to habitat specialist birds.
... We also categorised each bird occurrence within the understory (ground-foraging omnivores), midstory (aerial foliage gleaners) and the upper story (upper strata). This is important because tropical studies have shown that 1) the understory insect eating birds are highly impacted by natural habitat modifications (Bregman et al. 2014;Buechley et al. 2015) making them good indicators of habitat quality (Whelan et al. 2015), and 2) the understory insect eating birds contribute to pest control services to coffee farmers in East Africa and in other regions of the world (Buechley et al. 2015;Otieno et al. 2019), and may be of economic importance to maize farmers in Nigeria (see Appendix 2 for a list of species and their classification). ...
... We also categorised each bird occurrence within the understory (ground-foraging omnivores), midstory (aerial foliage gleaners) and the upper story (upper strata). This is important because tropical studies have shown that 1) the understory insect eating birds are highly impacted by natural habitat modifications (Bregman et al. 2014;Buechley et al. 2015) making them good indicators of habitat quality (Whelan et al. 2015), and 2) the understory insect eating birds contribute to pest control services to coffee farmers in East Africa and in other regions of the world (Buechley et al. 2015;Otieno et al. 2019), and may be of economic importance to maize farmers in Nigeria (see Appendix 2 for a list of species and their classification). ...
... With regard to guild, our maize farms support a high number of understory insect eating birds e.g., the Rufous-naped Lark (Mirafra Africana), Common (African) Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus), Northern Grey-headed Sparrow (Passer griseus) and Common Bulbul (Pyconotus barbatus). This particular group of bird species may be of economic importance to maize farmers in Nigeria, as shown in other region of Africa e.g., in East African coffee farms (Buechley et al. 2015). However, the understory insect eating birds are among the most susceptible of groups to disappear from natural habitat disturbance (Arcilla et al. 2015;Cordeiro et al. 2015;Powell et al. 2015;Şekercioḡlu et al. 2002). ...
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Global conversion of patches of natural vegetation into agricultural land is reducing the ecosystem services provided by natural patches dwelling species to farmers. For sub-Saharan African subsistence farmers, such a reduction in pest control services by birds may be a significant disadvantage. Here we explored to what extent birds provide pest control services to the staple crop maize (Zea mays) on small subsistence farms on the Mambilla Plateau of Taraba State, Nigeria. We used exclosure experiments (maize crops with and without birds) to model how birds influenced crop yield. We found that excluding birds from maize significantly reduces crop yield, although the lack of a direct correlation between bird abundance and crop yield suggests that other taxa, such as bats, may also be important pest predators. Our results suggest that in this subsistence farming landscape, natural pest control of maize from vertebrates does occur, but further research is needed to understand the specific control agents and the role of patches of natural vegetation as habitat for them.
... Several studies have demonstrated that shade coffee farms planted under intact forest canopy are representative examples of such agricultural practices. Growing bodies of research have documented that these coffee farms harbor high levels of associated taxa and are important for the conservation of woody species (Tadesse et al., 2014a), amphibians (Pineda et al., 2005;Murrieta-Galindo et al., 2013), birds (Raman, 2006;Buechley et al., 2015;Rodrigues et al., 2018) and mammals (Williams-Guillén and Perfecto, 2010;Caudill et al., 2015;Guzmán et al., 2016;Mertens et al., 2018). However, the number and composition of taxa retained in agroecosystems depend strongly on management practices and intensity (Harvey et al., 2008;Williams-Guillén and Perfecto, 2010;De Beenhouwer et al., 2015). ...
... This level of similarity between an agricultural system and natural forest habitat has not been reported for any other agroforestry systems, such as cacao (Cassano et al., 2012;Ferreira et al., 2020) and banana (Harvey et al., 2006) agroforests. Previously, researchers in the same region had found that shade coffee farms, in which the native tree canopy is retained, are remarkably "birdfriendly", supporting high avian diversity (Buechley et al., 2015) and act as refuges for disappearing tree species (Tadesse et al., 2014a). Here, we show that these areas also support high mammal diversity. ...
... This more nuanced result might be explained by the similarities in vegetation structure and diversity between SFC, SPC, and NF. Due to low levels of management intensity in traditional coffee farmslimited to undergrowth removal once a year at the time of harvesting (Labouisse et al., 2008;Schmitt et al., 2010;Aerts et al., 2011) and avoidance of chemical use to remove annual herbs (Buechley et al., 2015) -these systems maintain a complex vegetation composition and habitat mosaic similar to that of the NF, likely benefiting mammal species richness. In coffee plantations, intensive tree thinning and slashing of undergrowth with the repeated removal of emerging seedlings limits the potential for regeneration of wild plant species in the area (Hundera et al., 2013b), likely resulting in reduced species richness. ...
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Ethiopian shade coffee plantations are well documented to be bird-friendly and act as refuges for disappearing tree species. The extent to which these plantations support mammal conservation, as well as mammal sensitivity to coffee intensification, remain little studied. We studied the distribution and diversity of mammals under three coffee management systems of differing intensities (i.e., semi-forest, semi-plantation, and plantation) and in nearby natural forests in Belete-Gera Forest Priority Area, southwestern Ethiopia. We detected mammals using 30 infrared camera traps at 90 stations for a total of 4142 camera days. We used the Shannon-Wiener diversity index for diversity analysis, generalized linear mixed model for comparison of independent detection, and non-metric multidimensional scaling to show the mammalian community composition. We recorded 8815 digital videos and a total of 23 mammal species. The overall species richness, diversity, and detection of mammals did not differ between the two traditional shade coffee management systems and the natural forest but was lower in the plantation coffee system. The mammal community composition also shows variation in resilience to coffee management intensity, with primates appearing to be generally more tolerant to management intensification. We ultimately show that traditionally managed Ethiopian shade coffee farms shelter diverse mammal communities, comparable to those in nearby natural forests. Therefore, supporting traditional coffee management practices and certifying them as mammal-friendly should be implemented as strategies for the conservation of mammals, as natural forests continue to decline in Ethiopia.
... Deforestation and habitat fragmentation are also significant impacts threatening montane ecosystems. Habitat or diet specialists that are functionally unique and restricted to high elevational forests (Buechley et al. 2015, Asefa et al. 2017 or are denizens of forest interior habitat (Turner 1996, O'Dea andWhittaker 2007) are especially sensitive and vulnerable to forest degradation, with specialized bird species more likely to be threatened with extinction (Şekercioğlu 2011). Deforestation can cause interior forest Ornithological Applications 123:1-20 © 2021 American Ornithological Society birds to shift upslope in search of suitable habitat (Ocampo-Peñuela and Pimm 2015). ...
... Loss of forested habitat can likewise lead to a decrease in the extent of montane bird ranges (Ocampo-Peñuela and Pimm 2015) and population sizes (Husemann et al. 2015), pushing to extinction small and isolated populations that are already elevationally constrained (Kattan et al. 1994). Furthermore, habitat loss at low-to-mid elevations can interact synergistically with climate change (Buechley et al. 2015, Ferger et al. 2017, Neate-Clegg et al. 2018 to drive bird extinctions. Finally, forest fragmentation can impede elevational movements, altitudinal migration, and recolonization efforts (Kattan et al. 1994), amplifying the impacts of rising temperatures on birds. ...
... In the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia receives relatively little research despite the country's high avian biodiversity and endemism. Ethiopia's highland forests support a large number of endemic and range-restricted bird species (Ash and Atkins 2009, Buechley et al. 2015, Redman et al. 2016, which are forecast to undergo range contractions as arid areas expand under climate change (Huntley et al. 2006). Temperatures in Ethiopia have risen by an average of 0.28°C per decade over the last 60 years (Simane et al. 2016), and are predicted to increase further (Teshome and Zhang 2019). ...
Article
Tropical mountains are global hotspots for birdlife. However, there is a dearth of baseline avifaunal data along eleva-tional gradients, particularly in Africa, limiting our ability to observe and assess changes over time in tropical montane avian communities. In this study, we undertook a multi-year assessment of understory birds along a 1,750 m elevational gradient (1,430-3,186 m) in an Afrotropical moist evergreen montane forest within Ethiopia's Bale Mountains. Analyzing 6 years of systematic bird-banding data from 5 sites, we describe the patterns of species richness, abundance, community composition, and demographic rates over space and time. We found bimodal patterns in observed and estimated species richness across the elevational gradient (peaking at 1,430 and 2,388 m), although no sites reached asymptotic species richness throughout the study. Species turnover was high across the gradient, though forested sites at mid-elevations resembled each other in species composition. We found significant variation across sites in bird abundance in some of the dietary and habitat guilds. However, we did not find any significant trends in species richness or guild abundances over time. For the majority of analyzed species, capture rates did not change over time and there were no changes in species' mean elevations. Population growth rates, recruitment rates, and apparent survival rates averaged 1.02, 0.52, and 0.51 respectively, and there were no elevational patterns in demographic rates. This study establishes a multi-year baseline for Afrotropical birds along an elevational gradient in an under-studied international biodiversity hotspot. These data will be critical in assessing the long-term responses of tropical montane birdlife to climate change and habitat degradation.
... For example, implementing rotational cutting schedules of rank vegetation in borders, tree-lines, and understory vegetation to rotate around harvest times (e.g., cocoa harvest) while maintaining some areas of herbaceous and forage cover nearby in non-harvest areas could help maintain provision of grass, seeds, and berries over time. Optimizing tree selection to best maintain a diverse mix of the flowering trees identified for borders, wind protection, and canopy cover would also help ensure the continual availability of plant food sources for birds over time (Şekercioğlu et al. 2007) and maintain the structural heterogeneity of agroforests habitats to promote invertebrate diversity (e.g., Buechley et al. 2015). Similarly, maintaining the identified food trees and arable crops within the small-scale polycropping practices common to much of the Grenadian landscape is likely a key strategy to effectively maintain biodiversity and forest ecosystem functions. ...
... For example, research has demonstrated how small-holder farming approaches that incorporate a diverse mix of tree fruit and food crops, and retain food and non-food trees as canopy cover, can provide a wide range of foods and habitat structure to support wildlife (e.g., Buechley et al. 2015), as well as providing practices. In addition, diverse, small-scale agroforest landscapes can be particularly valuable to biodiversity conservation efforts on small islands where many forest bird species have evolved generalist niche adaptations (e.g., ) and ...
Thesis
Knowledge of species habitat requirements, movements, and life cycles is important for understanding their ecology and functions in ecosystems, and is critical for enabling their effective conservation and monitoring, particularly in small-island states where conservation resources are limited. Island biogeography and ecological release theories make broadly supported predictions about the evolution of generalist traits among small-island birds in the Caribbean, and this research examines the influence of small-island conditions on the life cycle adaptations, diets, and distribution of birds and their responses to human land-use such as agriculture to inform conservation research and management. Using mist-netting, I found that 10 common terrestrial bird species on Grenada (3 endemic to the East Caribbean) exhibited similar patterns of low breeding period seasonality, followed by synchronized peaks in moult intensity and uncommonly high rates of moult-breeding overlap during peak rainfall and high arthropod abundance, despite the wide range in size, morphology, and phylogeny of these species. I studied patterns of seasonal diet composition and diet-overlap among species using DNA meta-barcoding of feces, which suggested that moult-breeding overlap may result from restricted time periods over which arthropod availability is sufficient for breeding and moult to occur. Diet analyses also indicated that agricultural habitats provide important year-round food sources. Lastly, repeated point-count surveys indicated increased bird diversity and abundance at high elevations and in closed-canopy habitats during the dry season, while many birds moved to low elevations and open-canopy habitats in the wet season. Much of Grenada consists of a diverse mosaic of closed-canopy secondary forest patches, interspersed among more open agroforests and small-scale cropping and grazed areas. These agroecosystems appear to provide important habitats and foods to birds throughout the year, especially more-open canopy agroforests in the wet season, while intact canopy forests provide important dry season habitat, which may be particularly important for species in lowland coastal fringe areas experiencing more intensive agricultural, urban, and resort development. This research demonstrates life history adaptations of birds on small islands, the importance of maintaining habitat diversity at local and landscape scales for species conservation, and the contribution of diverse small-scale agroecosystems to supporting small-island bird communities.
... Shade coffee farms appear to provide suitable habitat for many bird species in Ethiopia (like elsewhere in the tropics). Indeed, shade coffee farms in Ethiopia support more species of birds than nearby natural forest, although the abundance of two at-risk groups of birds, forest specialists, and understory insectivores, was higher in natural forests (80). While intact forests undoubtedly provide the best habitat for tropical birds, Ethiopian shade-grown coffee may be the most bird-friendly coffee in the world, unsurprising given that coffee is native to the forests of southwest Ethiopia (80,81). ...
... Indeed, shade coffee farms in Ethiopia support more species of birds than nearby natural forest, although the abundance of two at-risk groups of birds, forest specialists, and understory insectivores, was higher in natural forests (80). While intact forests undoubtedly provide the best habitat for tropical birds, Ethiopian shade-grown coffee may be the most bird-friendly coffee in the world, unsurprising given that coffee is native to the forests of southwest Ethiopia (80,81). In the case of large mammals, recent research suggests that most species are as likely to occur in managed shade coffee forest systems as in natural coffee forest, an exception being the most intensively managed coffee farms where canopy cover is reduced and many large mammals are absent (82,83). ...
Article
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Ethiopia is home to one of the richest and most unique assemblages of fauna and flora on the African continent. Contained within its borders are two major centers of endemism, the mesic Roof of Africa (also known as the Ethiopian Highlands) and the arid Horn of Africa, resulting from the country's varied topography and consequent geographic isolation. These centers of endemism are crucial to global conservation as evidenced by their classification within the Eastern Afromontane and Horn of Africa biodiversity hotspots, respectively. Ethiopia's diverse ecosystems and the biodiversity they contain are increasingly threatened by climate change and the growing impacts of Africa's second largest human and largest livestock populations. In this paper, we focus on several key areas of recent and ongoing research on Ethiopian biodiversity that have broadened our understanding of nature and its conservation in Africa. Topics explored include the behavioral ecology of Ethiopia's large social mammals, the ecology and conservation of its unique coffee forests, and Ethiopian approaches to community conservation, fortress conservation, and nature-based solutions. We also highlight the increasing prominence of Ethiopian scientists in studies of the country's biodiversity in recent decades. We suggest promising avenues for future research in evolutionary biology, ecology, systematics, and conservation in Ethiopia and discuss how recent and ongoing work in Ethiopia is helping us better understand and conserve nature in the human-dominated landscapes of Africa and other tropical regions today.
... grown beneath shade trees, called "shade coffee," is a well-studied example of integrating crop production with biodiversity conservation (Perfecto et al. 2009, Jha et al. 2014, Perfecto and Vandermeer 2015, contrasting with a more industrial strategy, generally referred to as "sun coffee," which involves few to no shade trees to maximize short-term production (Jha et al. 2014). In east Africa (Douglas et al. 2013, Buechley et al. 2015, the Neotropics (Armbrecht and Perfecto 2003, Philpott and Bichier 2012 and India (Raman 2006), research suggests that the shade strategy supports a high diversity of economically important taxa such as birds (Johnson and Hackett 2016). In turn, insectivorous bird populations can play a key role in the provisioning of natural pest control services in coffee through top-down effects on pest arthropods (Perfecto et al. 2004, Kellermann et al. 2008, Philpott et al. 2009. ...
... Approximately 110,000 ha of land are harvested for coffee, and the industry supports about 5 million people within these areas (KALRO 2015). Few studies on birds and coffee have been conducted in East Africa, but among them they show conflicting results (Pinard et al. 2014a, Buechley et al. 2015, Smith et al. 2015, Milligan et al. 2016. These various results arise from the first few studies of birds in East African coffee farms, and they have followed basic survey designs completed much earlier and replicated many times in the Neotropics, from which broad observable patterns have now emerged . ...
Article
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Shade coffee is a well-studied cultivation strategy that creates habitat for tropical birds while also maintaining agricultural yield. Although there is a general consensus that shade coffee is more “bird-friendly” than a sun coffee monoculture, little work has investigated the effects of specific shade tree species on insectivorous bird diversity. This study involved avian foraging observations, mist-netting data, temperature loggers, and arthropod sampling to investigate bottom-up effects of two shade tree taxa - native Cordia sp. and introduced Grevillea robusta - on insectivorous bird communities in central Kenya. Results indicate that foliage-dwelling arthropod abundance, and the richness and overall abundance of foraging birds were all higher on Cordia than on Grevillea. Furthermore, multivariate analyses of the bird community indicate a significant difference in community composition between the canopies of the two tree species, though the communities of birds using the coffee understorey under these shade trees were similar. In addition, both shade trees buffered temperatures in coffee, and temperatures under Cordia were marginally cooler than under Grevillea. These results suggest that native Cordia trees on East African shade coffee farms may be better at mitigating habitat loss and attracting insectivorous birds that could promote ecosystem services. Identifying differences in prey abundance and preferences in bird foraging behaviour not only fills basic gaps in our understanding of the ecology of East African coffee farms, it also aids in developing region-specific information to optimize functional diversity, ecosystem services, and the conservation of birds in agricultural landscapes.
... This shade-based coffee production plays a positive role for biodiversity conservation by providing habitat complexity for many organisms (e.g. Buechley et al., 2015). Coffee management also has another positive role by reducing the rate of conversion of tree-covered habitats to open agricultural landscapes (Hylander et al., 2013). ...
... Finally, we emphasize that it is important to take a landscape perspective when developing policy for biodiversity conservation. In such approaches it is important to acknowledge that sites with shade coffee are generally considered to provide a refuge for biodiversity, especially when compared with the alternative of deforestation for annual crop production (Buechley et al., 2015;Hylander et al., 2013). Moreover, the presence of coffee in the edges of the larger forest areas seems to protect the interior from deforestation, since the additional economic value from coffee outweighs problems from, for example, raiding animals that is a major obstacle associated with farming close to forests. ...
Article
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Tropical agroforestry systems provide farmers with resources for their livelihoods, but are also well‐recognized as refuges for biodiversity. However, the relationship between yield and biodiversity might be negative in these systems, reflecting a potential trade‐off between managing for increased yield or biodiversity. The potential for synergies will depend partly on the shape of the biodiversity–yield relationship, where a concave relationship suggests a faster decline in biodiversity with increasing yields than a linear or convex shape. We studied the relationship between biodiversity (plant species richness and composition) and coffee yield along a gradient of management in south‐western Ethiopia, coffee's native range. We inventoried species richness and community composition of woody plants, herbaceous plants and bryophytes at 60 sites. We also measured coffee management‐related variables and assessed coffee yield for 3 consecutive years at each site. Species richness of woody plants had a concave relationship with coffee yield, that is, tree richness declined fast initially before levelling out at higher yields, whereas there was no relationship between coffee yield and species richness of herbaceous plants or bryophytes. Species composition of woody plants, herbaceous plants and bryophytes all had a concave relationship with coffee yield. From a methodological perspective, we found that multi‐year data on yield were necessary to reliably assess the relationship between biodiversity and yield, and that the number of coffee shrubs or coffee dominance were poor proxies for yield when trying to capture the biodiversity–yield relationship. Synthesis and applications. The concave relationship between biodiversity components (species richness and composition) and yield suggests that there is a strong conflict between the goals of increasing production and conserving biodiversity. However, it is important to recognize that this pattern is largely driven by the very low‐yielding sites in natural forests. Here, even minor intensification of coffee management seems to rapidly erode biodiversity. Along the rest of the productivity gradient, there was generally no negative relationship between yield and biodiversity, implying opportunities for developing strategies for increasing yields without biodiversity loss.
... The size of the land parcel and human pressure were the main determinants of diversity and richness of birds in Chagga homegardens of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Soini 2005). In Ethiopia, coffee under shade tree AF system had twice as many bird species compared to forests (Buechley et al. 2015). Those birds benefit the farmers by controlling insect pests (Johnson et al. 2010). ...
... The AF showed 91% of mammals, 98% of insects, and 100% of trees found in the forest. Trees provide connectivity, nesting sites, protection against predators, lowrisk areas, breeding areas, food sources, landscape complexity, and heterogeneity, in conventional farming systems, and thereby enhance pollinators, birds, aquatic systems, and beneficial species into the landscape (Harvey and Villalobos 2007;Buechley et al. 2015;Greenler and Ebersole 2015;Barrios et al. 2017). Current literature supports that integration of AF helps improve faunal diversity although literature is limited for each bird species. ...
Chapter
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The deforestation in Indonesia has begun in the twentieth century due to agricultural expansion and mechanization. The uncontrolled and illegal land conversions have affected forest functions, food security, and soil health. The objective of this study is to evaluate differences in soil properties among major land-use practices and determine agroforestry’s potential for soil rehabilitation. The study design consisted of palm oil plantation (POP), traditional agriculture (TA), agroforestry homegarden (AHG), and natural forest (NF) management treatments in completely randomized block design with three replications. Soil samples were collected from three villages Kuala Pembuang, Muara Dua, and Telaga Pulang within the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve located in Seruyan District, Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, in June 2017. Soils from 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm were analyzed for cellulase, PMEase, urease, C, and N. The results showed that enzyme activities and percentages of C and N were significantly different (α 0.05) among management practices within the soil depths. The highest enzyme activities were found in NF, AHG, and TA treatments. The lowest C level was found at 0–15 cm soil depth (1.32%) of POP. The highest nitrogen level was found at NF (1.23%) for 15–30 cm soil depth followed by TA site at 0–15 cm (1.15%). The lowest soil N level was found at POP among treatments and depths (0.43% and 0.21%). The outcomes of this study will help formulate land management recommendations for landowners, palm oil management, government agencies, and communities around the study areas to maintain soil quality for long-term sustainability of the peat forest ecosystems. Homegarden systems can be recommended as the most appropriate alternative land management in Seruyan District, Central Kalimantan. Future research could investigate microbial community structure and characteristics to understand specific soil functions by treatments.
... The size of the land parcel and human pressure were the main determinants of diversity and richness of birds in Chagga homegardens of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Soini 2005). In Ethiopia, coffee under shade tree AF system had twice as many bird species compared to forests (Buechley et al. 2015). Those birds benefit the farmers by controlling insect pests (Johnson et al. 2010). ...
... The AF showed 91% of mammals, 98% of insects, and 100% of trees found in the forest. Trees provide connectivity, nesting sites, protection against predators, lowrisk areas, breeding areas, food sources, landscape complexity, and heterogeneity, in conventional farming systems, and thereby enhance pollinators, birds, aquatic systems, and beneficial species into the landscape (Harvey and Villalobos 2007;Buechley et al. 2015;Greenler and Ebersole 2015;Barrios et al. 2017). Current literature supports that integration of AF helps improve faunal diversity although literature is limited for each bird species. ...
Chapter
Australia is well known for being mostly dry, and for having generally poor soils. Much of the area of the continent which actually has sufficient precipitation to support forests has been cleared of tree cover for agriculture and grazing. Some 100,000 farming properties encompass more than 50 million ha in an arc from tropical far north Queensland along the eastern and southeastern coastlines, with another fertile region in southwestern Australia. Thus there is a role for trees and forests in agroforestry systems that could develop in these often degraded lands. Australia has a strong natural science sector which has contributed useful research on potential agroforestry systems, particularly in the areas of shelterbelts in grazing areas, and the deployment of trees for alleviation of salinity, which is a serious problem in some regions. Efforts to develop the ecosystem services derived from agroforestry have been sporadic, often short-term, in both public and private sectors, although efforts of groups such as Landcare and many regional farm forestry networks have started to make headway.
... The size of the land parcel and human pressure were the main determinants of diversity and richness of birds in Chagga homegardens of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Soini 2005). In Ethiopia, coffee under shade tree AF system had twice as many bird species compared to forests (Buechley et al. 2015). Those birds benefit the farmers by controlling insect pests (Johnson et al. 2010). ...
... The AF showed 91% of mammals, 98% of insects, and 100% of trees found in the forest. Trees provide connectivity, nesting sites, protection against predators, lowrisk areas, breeding areas, food sources, landscape complexity, and heterogeneity, in conventional farming systems, and thereby enhance pollinators, birds, aquatic systems, and beneficial species into the landscape (Harvey and Villalobos 2007;Buechley et al. 2015;Greenler and Ebersole 2015;Barrios et al. 2017). Current literature supports that integration of AF helps improve faunal diversity although literature is limited for each bird species. ...
Chapter
Habitat loss and environmental degradation decrease biodiversity (BD), thereby affecting food security, agricultural sustainability, environmental quality, and other ecosystem services (ES). Based on an extensive review we conclude that integration of agroforestry (AF) improves floral, faunal, and soil microbial diversity compared to monocropping, adjacent crop lands, crop alleys, and some forests. Birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and other animal counts have shown an increase in AF. Soil organisms including fungi (and mycorrhizae), bacteria, enzyme activity, and insects are generally significantly greater in AF than crop and livestock practices. The greater BD in nearly all cases has been attributed to features of AF such as heterogeneous vegetation, favorable microclimate, diverse food sources, organic carbon, improved soil conditions (physical, chemical, and biological), protection, and spatial distribution of perennial vegetation. This synthesis demonstrated that AF can conserve and improve BD.
... Traditional shade-grown coffee often exhibits levels of species richness and diversity similar to native forests, albeit with altered species composition (Valente et al., 2022), and that species richness declines with intensification of management (De Beenhouwer et al., 2013;Philpott et al., 2008). Within Ethiopia, agroforestry coffee farms can support substantial mammal diversity and (in some cases) greater bird species richness than neighbouring forests (Buechley et al., 2015;Etana et al., 2021). Similarly, in Central and South America, there are benefits of coffee agroforestry for migratory birds and other biodiversity (Bakermans et al., 2012;McDermott et al., 2015;Philpott et al., 2008). ...
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Introduction Coffee is a ubiquitous global commodity that is cultivated with a wide range of practices, each with different, yet poorly understood trade‐offs between management intensity, yield, and biodiversity. For example, monocultures prioritise coffee production, but do not necessarily deliver the highest coffee yields, nor the greatest profits. Understanding these trade‐offs is key to informing sustainable coffee production. Methods We synthesized the literature on these relationships, finding that agroforestry farming systems support greater biodiversity while often producing coffee yields that are comparable to monoculture systems. Results Over half of studies (57%) failed to detect a trade‐off between yield and biodiversity in agroforestry systems. Of the 16 cases that investigated pollinators and yield, 85% showed a positive relationship. Farm proximity to natural forests also improved both biodiversity outcomes and coffee yields. Conclusion Studies in our data set revealed that agroforestry systems can deliver additional ecosystem services including carbon sequestration and pest control, with economic benefits accrued through income diversification and improvements to coffee bean quality. Our results illustrate how agroforestry systems within the coffee sector can return positive socio‐ecological outcomes.
... By contrast, the percentage of shrub leaf cover has a positive effect on the abundance of generalists. Buechley et al. (2015) indicate that different types of shade management in coffee plantations can generate more diverse vegetation cover, including trees, grasses, and shrubs -that bene t bird species. Overall, according to Jones et al. (2002), shrubs are more common in forests and understory birds use coffee plantations as a conduit to travel between shrubs in search of food. ...
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Coffee-related agricultural intensification affects bird species abundance, richness, and composition through habitat loss and degradation. Production of specialty coffee is expected to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly than conventional coffee. Nevertheless, not all specialty coffee is grown sustainably. To evaluate environmental sustainability, we evaluated the composition of bird assemblages in six specialty coffee-producing communities in Bolivia’s pre-montane subtropical humid forest region. To do this, we measured the diversity, richness, generalist and specialist species, and the effect of habitat on bird assemblages, comparing coffee plots and secondary forest plots as part of “Nature’s matrix”. We found significant differences in the abundance of generalist bird species. We did not find differences in the richness and diversity of specialist species. Plant strata, herbaceous leaf cover, and shrub leaf cover affected the assemblages of generalist species. Our results represent a first step toward understanding the intricate relationship between biodiversity and specialty coffee production, highlighting the importance of considering regional differences in landscape characteristics – conceived of as Nature’s matrix – when examining biodiversity in specialty coffee systems.
... These systems integrate coffee plants with shade trees, which not only provide a suitable microclimate for coffee production but also support high levels of biodiversity. Studies have shown that shadegrown coffee plantations harbor a rich variety of bird species, insects, and other wildlife, contributing to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health [39]. Another example is the traditional home gardens of Kerala, India. ...
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Agroforestry, the integration of trees and shrubs into agricultural systems, presents a sustainable land-use practice that enhances biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. This review examines the historical development of agroforestry, its various types, and its role in promoting biodiversity and ecosystem health. Traditional agroforestry systems, such as home gardens and shifting cultivation, have long supported diverse species and sustainable land management. Modern agroforestry innovations, including climate-smart and precision agroforestry, further optimize resource use and resilience to climate change. Despite these benefits, the adoption of agroforestry faces significant socioeconomic barriers, including limited financial resources, insecure land tenure, and cultural resistance. Policy and institutional constraints, such as fragmented governance and insufficient support for agroforestry, also impede its widespread implementation. Technical and knowledge gaps, particularly in region-specific practices and long-term ecological impacts, further challenge adoption. Environmental challenges, including climate change and soil degradation, add to the complexity of managing agroforestry systems. Nevertheless, agroforestry's contributions to habitat creation, genetic diversity, species richness, and ecosystem services like soil fertility, water regulation, carbon sequestration, and pest management underscore its importance. Future prospects for agroforestry involve innovations in practice, supportive policies, targeted research, and the active role of stakeholders, including farmers, extension services, NGOs, the private sector, and governments. Effective promotion and implementation require integrated efforts across these domains to overcome existing barriers. This review highlights the need for comprehensive policies, enhanced research and development, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to scale up agroforestry practices globally. As global environmental and climate crises intensify, agroforestry stands out as a viable strategy for creating resilient and sustainable agricultural landscapes, ultimately contributing to food security, rural livelihoods, and ecological health.
... Shade-grown coffee provides "complementary or supplementary habitat" for many forest bird species (Sánchez-Clavijo et al., 2020). Shade coffee farming could benefit both birds and the livelihoods of local communities (Buechley et al., 2015). ...
... The Ethiopian semi-forest production system has been suggested to be among the most bird-friendly and mammal-friendly agroforestry systems in the world 52,53 . However, despite the complex three-dimensional structure of a shade grown coffee farm, such sites generally have a depauperate biodiversity compared to little managed forest sites, with for example fewer specialized forest birds, lianas, and orchids [54][55][56] . ...
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The reality for conservation of biodiversity across our planet is that all ecosystems are modified by humans in some way or another. Thus, biodiversity conservation needs to be implemented in multifunctional landscapes. In this paper we use a fascinating coffee-dominated landscape in southwest Ethiopia as our lens to derive general lessons for biodiversity conservation in a post-wild world. Considering a hierarchy of scales from genes to multi-species interactions and social-ecological system contexts, we focus on (i) threats to the genetic diversity of crop wild relatives, (ii) the mechanisms behind trade-offs between biodiversity and agricultural yields, (iii) underexplored species interactions suppressing pest and disease levels, (iv) how the interactions of climate change and land-use change sometimes provide opportunities for restoration, and finally, (v) how to work closely with stakeholders to identify scenarios for sustainable development. The story on how the ecology and evolution of coffee within its indigenous distribution shape biodiversity conservation from genes to social-ecological systems can inspire us to view other landscapes with fresh eyes. The ubiquitous presence of human-nature interactions demands proactive, creative solutions to foster biodiversity conservation not only in remote protected areas but across entire landscapes inhabited by people.
... Indeed, these agroforestry systems are inhabited by a variety of wildlife communities and provide food and breeding grounds for many groups including birds (Sanchez-Clavijo et al., 2020), amphibians (Murrieta-Galindo et al., 2013) and mammals (Bali et al., 2007;Cortés-Delgado and Sosa, 2014;Mertens et al., 2018). These agroforestry areas also play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation (De Beenhouwer et al., 2013;Tadesse et al., 2014;Buechley et al., 2015;Rodrigues et al., 2019;Mertens et al., 2018;Etana et al., 2021) and understanding the effects of variation in resource availability and disturbance in agroforest habitats is vital to the successful conservation and management of the wild animals that inhabit them (Cavada et al., 2019, Seveque et al., 2020Bedoya-Durán et al., 2023). ...
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Understanding the effects of variation in resource availability and habitat disturbance on the ecology of mammals is vital for successful conservation management. In this study, we examined how human disturbances, resource availability and elevation gradients influence mammal assemblages in both managed coffee forest and natural forest of the Belete-Gera National Forest Priority Area, southwestern Ethiopia. We surveyed mammals using motion-detecting infrared camera traps in 90 locations for a total of 4142 camera days. We measured distance from main roads and settlements as disturbance factors, and distance from water sources, key grazing sites, and forest edges and woody plant diversity as resource variables. We assessed the mammal assemblages in coffee forest and natural forests using generalized linear models. Further, we used linear modelling to compare the relationships of mammal detection rates by feeding guilds and body size to resource variables. In total, we recorded 8815 videos identifying 23 different mammal species. The mammal assemblages in coffee forests were negatively associated with increasing distances from key grazing sites, water sources, and elevation. In contrast, the association with increasing distance from the road and woody plant diversity was positive. In addition, herbivores and large (25–200 kg) and very large (≥200 kg) mammals, were all negatively associated with increasing distance from the natural forest edges. With the conversion of natural forest to coffee forest and the intensification of coffee forest management, sustainable management of key grazing sites, water sources, and diverse woody plant species will be essential to the conservation of mammals. In addition, to ensure mammal conservation, adjacent natural forests around coffee forests should also be protected.
... Performa usaha tani kopi dengan agroforestri mampu memberikan tingkat pendapatan yang lebih berkelanjutan dibandingkan dengan produksi kopi monokultur (Fitriani, et al., 2018). Agroforestri pada usaha tani kopi rakyat selain dapat mengefisienkan biaya usaha tani (Magcale-Macandog, 2014;Haggar et al. (2015); (Magcale-Macandog, et al., 2012;Noponen, et al., 2013;Binam, et al., 2015;Buechley et al., 2015, andEvizal, et al., 2012) juga memberikan manfaat jasa lingkungan. Jasa lingkungan merupakan bentuk eksternalitas positif yang dinikmati secara luas oleh masyarakat. ...
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Buku Referensi dengan judul “Agribisnis Berkelanjutan: Konsep dan Aplikasi” menyandingkan landasan teori keputusan produksi berkelanjutan melalui cross meta analisis dan pendekatan empiris hasil penelitian sistem produksi berkelanjutan yang dilakukan oleh penulis selama kurun 13 tahun terakhir. Buku ini ditujukan bagi mahasiswa, akademisi, pelaku dan pemerhati agribisnis, dan pemangku kebijakan pembangunan sektor pertanian pada berbagai tataran hierarki birokrasi pemerintah pusat dan daerah di Republik Indonesia. Buku ini menghantarkan pembaca pada landasan pengembangan sistem agrisbisnis berkelanjutan dengan basis teori ekonomi perusahaan dan empirikal praktis di lapang. Keputusan praktik produksi agribisnis secara berkelanjutan pada berbagai hak kelola lahan menjadi lokus pembahasan. Spektrum kerangka landscape dan land-use hulu DAS sebagai daerah produksi pertanian pada menjadi kekhususan penting. Best practices produksi berkelanjutan pada hulu DAS diharapkan menjadi landasan adaptif pengembangan agrisbisnis berkelanjutan. Pelibatan partisipasi aktif petani dalam manajemen sumberdaya lahan dengan state property right menjadi sumber belajar yang penting. Agrisbisnis berkelanjutan merupakan basis membangun resiliensi sistem agribisnis. Penulisan buku ini dapat terlaksana dengan baik berkat bantuan dan dukungan dari berbagai pihak. Terima kasih kepada Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Vokasi Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan Riset, dan Teknologi sebagai pemberi dana hibah penelitian riset dasar unggula perguruan tinggi sesuai dengan Kontrak Penelitian Dasar Unggulan Perguruan Tinggi Nomor: 159/SPK/D.D4/PPK.01.APTV/VI/2023. Terima kasih juga disampaikan setulunya kepada Direktur dan jajaran Wakil Direktur Politeknik Negeri Lampung (Polinela), Pimpinan dan anggota Senat Polinela, Pimpinan Pusat, dan Ketua Jurusan Polinela, segenap Tim PAK-P3M Polinela, semua dosen PS Agribisnis Pangan Jurusan Ekonomi dan Bisnis Polinela. Semoga Buku ini bermanfaat dalam pengembangan Ipteks, khusunya dalam membangun penguatan sistem agribisnis yang berkelanjutan yang membuat petani tangguh (resiliensi), adaptif terhadap perubahan dinamika lingkungan eksternal sehingga menjadi produsen yang berdaya saing dan sejahtera.
... Our results are thus in accord with other reports (Wang et al. 2022) that suggest human-dominated landscapes support high avifaunal diversity (Aerts et al. 2008), especially in structurally complex farmland (Otieno et al. 2011, Gove et al. 2013, Marcacci et al. 2022. As found by Gove et al. (2008) and Buechley et al. (2015) small-scale mixed plantations of coffee and khat also harbour high species diversity in our study area. ...
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We recorded 17 bird taxa new for southern Tigray across a mosaic of habitats. Some of these records document substantial geographical extensions of previously known ranges. Many are Acacia woodland and bushland species but were documented in habitats subject to considerable human disturbance. New records for Tigray include White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus, Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus, Three-banded Courser Rhinoptilus cinctus mayaudi, Orange-breasted Bushshrike Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus, House Sparrow Passer domesticus indicus and White-headed Buffalo Weaver Dinemellia dinemelli. In addition, the endemic subspecies erlangeri of Blanford's Lark Calandrella blanfordi, previously known only from the central highlands of Ethiopia, was recorded for the first time in southern Tigray. Focusing on Hugumbirda and Gra-Kahsu State Forest and human-dominated landscapes in southern Tigray, we found key drivers of habitat modification in the area to be the expansion of settlements, farmland and bare land.
... They can reduce the damage to the crops by preying on the larvae of the insect pests in the agricultural landscape (Oerke, 2006;Sánchez-Bayo, 2011). So, in addition to using such chemical pesticides to prevent the damages caused by insect pests, it is important to promote populations of predatory enemies that can feed on crops and attack insect pests in agricultural landscapes (Buechley et al., 2015;Flint and Dreistadt, 1998). The presence of non-crop habitats like fragmented patch forests and woody plant species grown in agricultural landscape are thought to play a crucial role in supporting populations of natural enemies of insect pests (Bianchi et al., 2006;Holland et al., 2016;Pickett and Bugg, 1998). ...
Article
Biological control by predators of insect pests is an important benefit of biodiversity, having a contribution to agricultural production. By preying on crop infesting insect pests, predatory arthropods and birds can provide an important ecosystem service. They support agricultural productivity, boosting crop yield and reducing demand for pesticides expense. Habitat quality of land use types, i.e., explained by vegetation cover, can impact the provision of ecosystem services thereby influencing the prevalence of the predators and their predation rates. In order to better understand the level of insect pest control service by predators, we conducted a field experiment to investigate levels of predation, using an attack on artificial caterpillars in response to land use types varied in vegetation cover. We found the attack rate by arthropods was more consistent across land use types than by birds, and the attack by birds was higher in modified land use types with sparse woody vegetation. Moreover, the attack rate for birds showed a decreasing tendency with increasing woody species richness, cover and stem density, while it showed less variation for arthropods. We conclude that biological control by birds is more effective in habitats with simplified vegetation cover than for arthropods in agricultural landscapes. Therefore, we recommend the prevalence of shade trees and small forest patches in agricultural landscapes for supporting the increased levels of insect pest control services provided by predatory birds and arthropods.
... The number of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) nationally has increased from 69 to 73 since 2003 [54]. However, many of Ethiopia's IBAs have been affected by agricultural activity, deforestation, and overgrazing, similar to the majority of African nations [55][56][57][58][59]. During the study the order of Passeriformes has the highest number of species and population recorded. ...
... The number of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) nationally has increased from 69 to 73 since 2003 [54]. However, many of Ethiopia's IBAs have been affected by agricultural activity, deforestation, and overgrazing, similar to the majority of African nations [55][56][57][58][59]. During the study the order of Passeriformes has the highest number of species and population recorded. ...
Article
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Almost all habitats on the planet are home to birds, from the lowest deserts to the highest mountains. Birds have proved to be excellent indicators of biodiversity or productivity as they are easily observed and are relatively well known compared to other animals. Although bird species are distributed across the globe, habitat destruction, fragmentation, and loss have adversely affected their survival and distribution. Therefore, this study is an attempt to prepare a baseline data on avifaunal diversity with their relative abundance and species richness in different habitats within Lewi Mountain Awi zone, Ethiopia from December 2018 to October 2020, including both the wet and dry seasons. The sampling sites were stratified based on land cover features, and transect count techniques were employed. The data were summarized per season and habitat type in the excel spreadsheet throughout the study period. In this study, one-way ANOVA was used to determine the effect of habitat type on species diversity and abundance. T-tests are also use to analyze bird populations among seasons. A total of 1591 individuals, 56 bird species belonging to 29 families and 12 orders were identified during the two seasons. The Wetland habitat had the highest species diversity index (H’ = 3) with high evenness index (J = 0.88) during the dry season followed by the open shrubs habitat (H’ = 2.97) with the highest evenness index (J = 0.95). The settlement had the lowest species diversity (H' = 2.17) and the lowest evenness index (J = 0.8) in the same season. During the wet season, disturbed forests recorded the highest Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H’ = 3.2) with the highest evenness (J = 0.92) followed by Wetland habitat (H’ = 2.97) with high evenness index (J = 0.87). During dry and wet seasons, the abundance of birds' species in different habitat types did not differ significantly (F = 1.91, p = 0.193, dƒ = 3) and (F = 1.579, p = 0.199, dƒ = 3), respectively. From all studied habitats, the overall mean abundance of bird species between dry and wet seasons was significantly different (F = 3642, P ≤ 0.001, dƒ = 1). In conclusion, settlement had the lowest species diversity and the lowest evenness index in the research area for the entire season. The habitats are important to the conservation of birds, so good habitat management is required, such as minimizing agricultural expansion and overgrazing, demarcating the forest habitats for wild species only, and creating awareness among local communities.
... It comprises an area of about 3800 km 2 (Fig. 2b) and elevation ranges between 1300 and 3000 m above sea level. This highland region holds remnants of moist evergreen Afromontane forest, rich in biodiversity (Buechley et al., 2015;Etana et al., 2021;Mertens et al., 2018;Rodrigues et al., 2018;Shumi et al., 2019b), with more than 30 mammal species recorded in the region (Rodrigues et al., 2021). The natural occurrence of Arabica coffee contributes to the high biodiversity value of these forests. ...
... Bird and mammal community composition generally differs for forest and shade coffee (Leyequi en, de Boer, & Toledo, 2010;Buechley et al., 2015;Mertens et al., 2020;Etana et al., 2021;this study). Birds, however, exhibit greater habitat specialization than mammals (Ducatez, Tingley, & Shine, 2014), and tropical forest birds are closely tied to specific microhabitats related to their specialized resource use (Marra & Remsen, 1997;Stratford & Stouffer, 2015). ...
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Shade coffee is among the most widespread and economically important crops in montane tropical regions and is considered more hospitable to wildlife than non‐shaded crops. Questions remain regarding the value of shade coffee as habitat for wildlife, however, given the historical research focus on small‐bodied and canopy species. Simultaneously, climate‐driven upslope migration of coffee crops represents an emerging threat to well‐conserved tropical montane forest at higher elevations. This study examined ground‐dwelling birds and medium‐large mammals in a shade coffee landscape of the Western Andes of Colombia. We asked the following questions: (1) How do bird and mammal occupancy, richness, and community composition change from continuous forest at higher elevations to middle‐elevation forest fragments and shade coffee? (2) Do birds and mammals differ in their response to shade coffee? (3) Do high‐elevation forests contribute to maintaining biodiversity in mid‐elevation shade coffee? We sampled birds and mammals with camera traps in middle‐elevation shade coffee plantations and forest fragments and in continuous forest further upslope. We then used a multi‐species occupancy model to correct for imperfect detection and to estimate occupancy, richness, and community composition. Shade coffee lacked ~50% of the bird and mammal species found in continuous forest, primarily large‐bodied and insectivorous birds and forest‐specialist and large‐bodied mammals. Forest fragment richness was closer to shade coffee than to continuous forest, but species composition significantly differed between coffee and both forest types. Birds in coffee plantations were generally a unique subset of disturbance‐adapted specialists, whereas mammals in coffee were mostly generalists. Distance from continuous forest was the most important landscape‐level predictor of occupancy for both taxa, suggesting that this forest plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity across the coffee landscape. Biodiversity conservation in shade coffee landscapes, therefore, will be ineffective unless linked to landscape‐level initiatives that conserve higher elevation tropical montane forest.
... Pada usahatani kopi, produksi kopi berkelanjutan berarti petani melakukan aktivitas usahatani kopi dengan kewajiban mengelola lingkungan secara lestari. Kajian keberlanjutan usahatani kopi yang dilakukan di kawasan sekitar hutan dan DAS sangat tergantung pada kinerja penerapan praktik agroforestri yang baik (Haggar et.al., 2015;Noponen, et.al., 2013;Binam, et.al., 2015;Buechley et al., 2015;Evizal, et.al., 2012;Soliha, 2012;Fitriani et al. 2018;Fitriani et al. 2020). Selain itu, penerapan teknologi produksi dan pascapanen yang benar (good agriculture practices) untuk menghasilkan kopi kualitas terbaik perlu terus dibumikan (Arifin, 2012). ...
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Penguatan ketangguhan rumahtangga petani menghadapi risiko ketidakberlanjutan melalui peningkatan kemampuan daya adaptasi dan mitigasi kondisi yang sulit perlu terus dilakukan. Sumber-sumber potensi kerentanan ekonomi rumahatangga petani menjadi informasi awal untuk landasan penanggulan risiko usaha. Kemampuan menemukenali sumber potensi kerentanan ekonomi akan menjadi stimulus upaya peningkatan produktivitas, pendapatan, dan pertumbuhan ekonomi perdesaan. Penelitian ini fokus bertujuan untuk menggali sumber-sumber potensi kerentanan ekonomi rumahtangga petani kopi di hulu DAS Lampung. Penelitian survey dilakukan pada daerah sentra produksi kopi di tiga kecamatan yang berada dalam wilayah tangkapan air DAS Way Besai Lampung Barat, yaitu Kecamatan Air Hitam, Way Tenong, dan Sumber Jaya. Melibatkan jumlah responden 165 petani kopi aktif. Metode analisis data menggunakan pendekatan statistik non-parametrik dengan model multinomial regression. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sumber potensi kerentanan ekonomi petani di hulu DAS sangat terkait erat dengan kepemilikan dan luasan asset lahan yang dimiliki. Asset lahan menjadi sumber utama penerimaan rumahtangga petani, alokasi tenaga kerja, dan pengeluaran rumahtangga baik pangan maupun non pangan, termasuk untuk keperluan tabungan dan investasi. Faktor-faktor penting ini menjadi entry point dalam upaya membangun resilisensi rumahtangga petani yang tangguh. Resiliensi rumahtangga menjadi modal dasar dalam pencapaian produksi berkelanjutan.
... The practice is abundantly found in the southwestern and western parts of the country, where a large proportion of the country's forest cover is found. As coffee shrubs are perennial crops, coffee-based agroforestry practices are believed to form a better biodiversity and biomass carbon sequestration system than other agroforestry practices (Buechley et al., 2015;Hylander et al., 2013;Tesfay et al., 2022). Another benefit of coffee-based agroforestry management is that it slows the rate at which ecosystems with trees are being converted to open agricultural landscapes (Hylander et al., 2013). ...
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Agroforestry systems are thought to reconcile biodiversity protection with food production and as a means of climate change adaptation and mitigation options. The contribution of a coffee-based agroforestry system to tree diversity and carbon stock along altitudinal gradients in Western Ethiopia was assessed. At 500-m intervals, six transect lines were methodically set up throughout the altitudinal gradient. There were made a total of 60 sample plots, each measuring 40 m by 40 m. A total of 34 woody species were identified. Biomass carbon stocks and tree diversity were quantified across altitudinal gradients. In the middle altitude, there were more woody species (28) than in the top altitude, where there were only a few species (16). The tree plants stored around 40.6 t ha⁻¹ of biomass carbon on average. Aboveground biomass had a carbon stock of 32.22 C t ha⁻¹, whereas belowground biomass had a carbon stock of 8.38 C t ha⁻¹. The lower altitude biomass carbon stocks were substantially bigger than the upper altitude, which were 48.4 C t ha⁻¹ and 25.67 C t ha⁻¹, respectively. With increasing altitude, the study found a statistically significant negative link between tree diversity and biomass carbon storage (P < 0.05). The negative link between biomass carbon stock and altitude was that tree parameters that determine the amount of biomass carbon sequestered in a plant, such as basal area, tree diversity, and density, decreased as altitude increased. Despite differences along altitudinal gradients, the systems supported a diverse range of tree species and biomass carbon stocks.
... Studies have suggested that the extinction risk of birds may increase with ecological specialization (Sekercioglu 2011). Any shifts in the relative abundance of birds are likely to affect ecological processes like seed dispersal, pollination, nutrient cycling (Lens et al. 2002;Sekercioglu 2011;Buechley et al. 2015). ...
Article
Avifaunal diversity acts as an important indicator to evaluate different habitats both quantitatively and qualitatively. Avian species diversity of Ajodhya foothill areas (22.60°–23.50° N and 85.75°–86.65° E), Baghmundi block, Purulia, West Bengal, Eastern India was evaluated from January 2017 to December 2017 to prepare a checklist of birds with their present status and guild structure. The line transect method was used to record the avian diversity of eight study sites (96 samples) selected within the entire study area based on the variability of topography, habitat and vegetation types. The present study, the first scientific record of avian diversity in recent times from this less explored geographical area, recorded 167 bird species belonging to 19 orders and 58 families including two “near threatened” and two “vulnerable” species. The species number mean for a total of 96 samples was 53.66. Out of 167 species, 108 were resident while 59 species showed seasonal (20 species) or passage migration (39 species). Family Muscicapidae (10 species) dominated followed by Accipitridae and Ardeidae (9 species each). The highest species richness value was observed in summer (123) followed by winter (118) and the lowest in the post-monsoon season (101). Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′) of total of 96 samples was 4.17 and evenness (J) 0.815. Analysis of feeding guilds revealed dominance of omnivores (50 species), followed by carnivores (40 species) and insectivores (33 species). Rich avian diversity of the Ajodhya foothill area including some near threatened and vulnerable species recorded during the present study strongly emphasizes enforcement of conservation efforts to save the avian species diversity and its habitats from the prevailing threats.
... yield and shade may have been detected with a continuous measure of shade or another measure of productivity such as yield per coffee plant. The synergy between agroforestry management and biodiversity conservation was most apparent for birds in our study (many endemic to Puerto Rico), with more shade cover being associated with higher bird species richness as other studies have reported (Philpott and Bichier, 2012;Buechley et al., 2015), though we did not examine community composition. Our study also detected a positive relationship between percent ground cover and lizard abundance which could be the result of lizards using herbaceous vegetation in the coffee farms for cover from predators. ...
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Concerns over the capacity of the world’s existing agricultural land to provide food for the global population under climate change and continued biodiversity loss have set the stage for a prevailing narrative of inherent tradeoffs with agricultural production. Coffee, a major export of tropical countries, offers a unique opportunity to examine how different management practices can lead to a variety of outcomes in food security, ecosystem services, and biodiversity conservation. Our study examined this intersection to identify tradeoffs and synergies using compiled data from Puerto Rico. At the island level, we analyzed data on coffee yield and planted area under shade or sun management. At the farm level, we analyzed management variables (percent shade cover, maximum canopy height, ground cover, and food crop richness), non-provisioning ecosystem services variables (total farm carbon storage, soil organic carbon storage, coffee plant carbon biomass, and hurricane resistance and resilience), and biodiversity variables (ant, bird, and lizard richness and abundance). At the island level, we found that planted area was the most significant predictor of total production, suggesting no obvious tradeoff between production and shade management in coffee farms. At the farm level, canopy cover of shade trees was negatively correlated with ground cover and positively correlated with food crop richness, suggesting a synergy between agroforestry and subsistence food production. We detected mostly synergies associated with ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, and agroforestry management and no tradeoffs among ecosystem service and biodiversity parameters. Shade canopy cover significantly increased total carbon storage, coffee plant biomass, hurricane resistance, and bird species richness. Shade canopy height had a similar positive effect on total farm carbon storage while food crop richness had a positive effect on farm resilience following Hurricane Maria. Ground cover was positively associated with soil carbon storage and pest-controlling lizard abundance. Tradeoffs related to agroforestry management included an inverse relationship between ground cover and hurricane resistance and more dominance of an invasive ant species in farms with higher shade canopies. We discuss the implications of practicing agroforestry principles in this smallholder coffee system and highlight opportunities to contribute to more diversified food production systems that support biodiversity and ecosystem services.
... This study reveals that farmland and regenerating fallows had similar bird species richness to old-growth forests (Figure 2), which is consistent with studies in multi-strata agroforestry systems in India (Elsen et al., 2017) and elsewhere (Buechley et al., 2015;Harvey & González Villalobos, 2007;Mulwa et al., 2012;Van Bael et al., 2007). However, previous studies in shifting cultivation have indicated that old-growth forest often supports higher species richness than farmland and regenerating fallows (Martin et al., 2021;Raman et al., 1998). ...
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Aim Shifting cultivation is a widespread land‐use in many tropical countries that also harbours significant levels of biodiversity. Increasing frequency of cultivation cycles and expansion into old‐growth forests have intensified the impacts of shifting cultivation on biodiversity and carbon sequestration. We assessed how bird diversity responds to shifting cultivation and the potential for co‐benefits for both biodiversity and carbon in such landscapes to inform carbon‐based payments for ecosystem service (PES) schemes. Location Nagaland, Northeast India. Methods We surveyed above‐ground carbon stocks and bird communities across various stages of a shifting cultivation system and old‐growth forest using composite carbon sampling plots and repeated point counts directly overlaying the carbon plots in both summer and winter. We assessed species diversity using species accumulation and rarefaction curves based on Hill numbers. We fitted a linear mixed‐effect model to assess the relationship between species richness and fallow age. We also examined possible co‐benefits between carbon and biodiversity from fallow regeneration in terms of relative community similarity to old‐growth forest across carbons stocks. Results Farmland and secondary forests regenerating on fallowed land had similar bird species richness to old‐growth forests in summer and relatively higher species richness in winter. Within regenerating fallows, we did not find any strong evidence that fallow age influenced bird species richness. Bird community resemblance to old‐growth forest increased with secondary forest maturity, correlating also with carbon stocks in summer. However, bird community assemblage did not show a strong association with habitat types and carbon stocks during winter. Main conclusions This study underscores the important role of traditional non‐intensive shifting cultivation in providing refuges for biodiversity within heterogeneous habitat mosaics. Effectively managing these landscapes is crucial for both biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration in the subtropics.
... Indeed, while wildlife-friendly systems such as polycultures and rustic production tend to increase biological pest regulation (Isaacs et al., 2009;Jha et al., 2014), monocultures hold simplified plant and animal communities, reducing the functional diversity associated with service provision Landis, 2017). This is particularly the case for shaded coffee production, which, compared to sun-coffee plantations, may harbor a higher diversity of birds and arthropods and thus increase the potential for the provision of pest control (Borkhataria et al., 2012;Buechley et al., 2015). ...
Article
Biological pest control is one of the key services from which agricultural production benefits. Despite being a well-studied ecosystem service, the potential of different matrices in shaping natural enemy contributions to pest predation is not yet clear. We used an experimental approach with predation experiments to investigate whether matrices with different degrees of structural similarity to the native forest (coffee and pasture) modulated the effects of forest cover and forest proximity on predation rate from different natural enemies. The effects of landscape structure on predation rates varied with natural enemy response to matrix type. Predation rates by arthropods (the main natural enemy acting in both matrices) were higher in coffee plantations and were positively and negatively affected by landscape and local forest cover, respectively. Predation rates by birds were higher near the forest in both matrices and two times higher in coffee plantations than in pastures. Regardless of natural enemy identity, predation rates inside agricultural matrices were higher in low-contrasting matrices, and increase with forest cover and proximity to forest. Given the clear importance of matrix type in modulating the effects of forest cover and forest proximity on predation rates, we recommend that agricultural management consider reducing habitat-matrix contrasts while increasing contact and habitat cover in the landscape to improve biological pest control. Among matrix management strategies, we recommend within-farm actions that would lead to greater matrix heterogeneity and permeability, along with an increase in landscape habitat cover, such as more sustainable and wildlife-friendly agricultural systems and the restoration of protected areas within farms.
... The key informant interviewees from natural resources experts assured that there are various animals and birds in the area "when asked, what kinds of natural community-based ecotourism potential products are available in Bela Mountain and its environs?" Previous study showed that birds in Ethiopian highland have caught the interest of the ornithologist and international birding community (Buechleya et al., 2015;Teshome et al., 2018). Table 4 the respondents' agreed that Bela Mountain and its environs are full of man-made ecotourism potentials like a monastery, churches, diversified ancient manuscripts, unique events, and festivals. ...
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Community-based ecotourism is a type of tourism that takes economic, environmental, and socio-cultural sustainability into account. This research aimed to identify tourism potentials for community-based ecotourism business development and mountain ecosystem conservation for livelihood improvement in the area near Bela Mountain. A cross-sectional study design with the mixed method was employed. Key informants' data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The majority, 88.8% agreed that Bela Mountain has huge natural physical tourism potentials and 91.3% of respondents agreed that the site has huge biological tourism potentials for community-based ecotourism development. Those biological tourism resources have a significant value for ecosystem conservation. The study area is full of man-made ecotourism potentials and the area is gifted with major cultural ecotourism resources. A combination of spectacular land scenery, diversified flora species, amazing cliffs and caves makes Bela Mountain and its environs a rich opportunity for the development of community-based ecotourism.
... However, particularly regarding developing nations, where funds and national strategies for conservation and protected areas are low, protected are frequently fail to achieve desire objectives adequately. Consider the high rate of deforestation of tropical ecosystem globally, understanding the combined conservation role of protected and unprotected forests is critical for species survival and allocation of resources (Buechley et al., 2015;Cavada et al., 2019). Anthropogenic pressure most often impacts the loss and fragmentation from legal and illegal resources extraction (logging, mining and fossil fuel extraction), agriculture and infrastructure development. ...
... Diverse shade systems have been known to play important roles in maintaining biodiversity and crop productivity [22]. Coffee agroforestry systems are potential refugia for various wildlife including butterflies [23], birds [24,25], and mammals [16,26,27]. Evidence on the effect of shade tree removal on wildlife diversity are, however, still unclear and evidence is biased towards the Neotropics and Africa [8,15,16,18,26,27]. ...
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Deforestation in the tropics is mainly driven by the need to expand agriculture and forestry land. Tropical cropland has also undergone a process of intensification, particularly evident in regions that are the main exporters of deforestation-driven commodities. Around 25 million people in the world depend on coffee production, which has a profound contribution to global biodiversity loss through agricultural extensification and intensification. Nevertheless, coffee agroforestry systems have been postulated to serve as an alternative refuge for biodiversity across different regions. We aim to compare bird abundance, diversity, and richness in commercial polyculture coffee systems (i.e., the highest degree of habitat complexity that can be achieved in coffee fields after deforestation) with other coffee agroforestry systems and human modified habitats in Java, Indonesia. We collected data in 21 sites (1228 points) on Java from February to August 2021 using the point sampling method. Via generalised additive models, we tested whether the abundance, diversity, and richness of birds were different between different human modified habitats including other potential predictors such as elevation, distance to protected areas, shade tree richness, and plant diversity. Using the non-metric multidimensional scaling, we tested whether there was a difference in terms of the composition of foraging guilds between habitats. Commercial polyculture coffee fields can sustain levels of bird abundance, diversity, and richness comparable to agroforestry systems under natural forest, and higher than sun coffee and shaded monoculture coffee, and of other human modified habitats such as crop/fruit fields and tree farms. Coffee agroforestry systems have a higher proportion of nectarivores, insectivores, and frugivores than other systems that can sustain high diversity and richness of birds such as paddy fields that mainly have granivores and carnivores. Complex polycultures can represent an avenue for the future of sustainable agriculture in conditions where deforestation rates are high and in crops such as coffee, which maintain high yield in the presence of diverse shade.
... However, we expected species richness and abundance to peak in both forests and agroforests in the rainy season owing to the higher resource availability (Burke et al., 2019). Third, related to dietary preferences we hypothesized that, contrary to the often documented sensitivity of insectivorous species to land-use change, insectivorous species in our tropical dry forest landscape would benefit more from agroforestry systems than other feeding guilds, given the more stable offer of insect resources in these agroecosystems (Buechley et al., 2015;Wordley et al., 2017). Fourth, we hypothesized forest specialists to prefer forested areas and benefit from agroforestry systems only during the dry season (Burke et al., 2019), whereas we did not expect any contrasting seasonal responses for habitat generalists and open-land species (Muhamad et al., 2013). ...
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Agricultural expansion and intensification increasingly threaten birds and bats, especially insectivorous species from the tropics. Cacao agroforests in tropical rainforest areas have been shown to support higher bird and bat biodiversity than other land-use systems, but their suitability for tropical dry forest biodiversity remains unclear. We present the first assessment of bird and bat diversity patterns in cacao agroforests inside tropical dry forest landscapes. We investigated the response of bird and bat species richness and abundance to forest distance and season across 12 smallholder, organic cacao agroforests and adjacent tropical dry forests in the Peruvian lowlands of Piura. We found that insectivorous bird abundance and species richness increased with forest distance in the dry but not in the rainy season, indicating the value of cacao agroforests for these birds when resources are scarce in forests. In the case of bats, we observed more species in agroforests with increasing forest distance independent of season, and the abundance of insectivorous species increased along the gradient. Other dietary groups and forest specialists of both taxa did not vary notably across the forest distance gradient. Our findings point to the relevance of cacao agroforests as alternative habitats for insectivorous birds and bats in tropical dry forest landscapes, especially during the dry season. We suggest that the maintenance of wildlife friendly cacao agroforests, parallel to dry forest conservation and restoration, creates win-win situations for both the conservation of tropical dry forest fauna and the maintenance of related ecosystem services from which cacao smallholders may benefit.
... According to Petit and Petit (2003), some cultivated areas are important for the conservation of Neotropical birds, recognizing that plantations that offer a degree of shading to the environment are important for harboring species related to different environments. Coffee plantations, for example, can provide important habitat for many bird species in agricultural areas (Petit and Petit 2003;Tejeda-Cruz and Sutherland 2004;Leyequién et al. 2010;Hernandez et al. 2013;Buechley et al. 2015). Other studies have demonstrated the importance of irrigated rice farming for some species was associated to bodiesientes aquáticos, especially as a place for feeding and resting Ruiz 1996, 1997;López-Lanús et al. 2007;Eadie et al. 2008). ...
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Agricultural intensification negatively affects bird communities, and the response of birds to these changes varies from those that survive and increase their populations (disturb-tolerant species) to those that cannot adapt to new conditions and are regionally extinct (disturb-sensitive species). Thus, the present study sought to investigate the bird community in 39 guava orchards in the semiarid region of the state of Sergipe, northeast Brazil. Field observations were made between July and October 2017, through a one-hour visit to each orchard. Samplings were conducted using the MacKinnon’s List method. In addition to bird sampling, walks were carried out in the orchards to observe nesting. Seventy-six species of birds belonging to 30 families were recorded using the guava orchards. The most frequent species were Vanellus chilensis , Columbina talpacoti , Columbina picui , Crotophaga ani , Pitangus sulphuratus and Sporophila albogularis . Of the 186 nests recorded in the orchards, the majority (n = 144 nests; 77.4%) belonged to Columbina picui , Columbina talpacoti and Columbina minuta . The results demonstrate that the bird community in the guava orchards is formed only by disturb-tolerant species, showing that the studied guava orchards are not favorable to the conservation of disturb-sensitive birds of the Caatinga domain.
... Our study did not look at the effect of forest size on insectivorous bird populations but given our findings that forests are important in providing the ecosystem service of pest control, more applied research in this area would be helpful in order to advise farmers on farm design. Moreover, it may be that planting stands of trees would be beneficial, as has been shown in other agricultural landscapes [3,101]. Also, other factors that we did not consider in this study can affect pest predation. ...
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To what extent birds provide the ecosystem service of pest control in subsistence farms, and how this service might depend on retained natural habitats near farmlands is unexplored in West Africa. To fill this knowledge gap, we placed plasticine mimics of insect pests on experimentally grown crops on the Mambilla Plateau, South Eastern Nigeria. We recorded bird attacks on the mimics and the proportion of mimics removed by birds. We also determined the influence of distance of crops from forest fragments on both attack and removal rates. We placed 90 potted plants of groundnut (Arachis hypogea) and bambara nut (Vigna subterranea) along 15 transects running 4.5 km from forest edge into open grassland. Each plant had six of the 540 mimics in total placed on their leaves. We inspected the potted plants weekly for 12 weeks to record (i) the presence of bird beak marks on mimics, and (ii) the number of missing mimics. Once a week we collected all the mimics from the plants and counted the number of assumed beak marks. After counting we replaced the mimics on the plants, mark free. We found a strong positive correlation between the abundance of insectivorous birds and the mean number of missing mimics and/or bird attack marks on mimics. However, this positive effect of insectivorous bird abundance on prey mimic attack/removal became less strong the farther they were from a forest fragment. We found increased predation rates and abundance of insectivorous birds closer to forest fragments. Our data suggest that pest predation may be a key ecosystem service provided by insectivorous birds on Nigerian farmlands. Farmlands that are closer to forest fragments may experience a higher rate of pest control by insectivorous birds than those further away, suggesting that retaining forest fragments in the landscape may enhance pest control services in sub-Saharan subsistence farms.
... Conversion of tropical rainforest to agriculture including pastures, and thus increasing forest fragmentation, constitutes one of the most important threats to tropical insectivorous birds, as discussed above (Figure 1). Some agricultural land uses such as selectively logged forests and some agro-forestry and mixed cropping protect some biodiversity, and mitigate against climate change (e.g., Porro et al., 2012;Buechley et al., 2015; see section climate change), but most agriculture has strongly negative impacts that are increasing, particularly where the human population is growing most in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America (Sekercioglu, 2012;Laurance et al., 2014;Raven and Wagner, 2021). Agriculture is also particularly important regionally in the southeastern portion of Amazonia (Davidson et al., 2012). ...
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Epigraph: “The house is burning. We do not need a thermometer. We need a fire hose.” (P. 102, Janzen and Hallwachs, 2019). Insectivorous birds are declining widely, and for diverse reasons. Tropical insectivorous birds, more than 60% of all tropical birds, are particularly sensitive to human disturbances including habitat loss and fragmentation, intensive agriculture and pesticide use, and climate change; and the mechanisms are incompletely understood. This review addresses multiple, complementary and sometimes synergistic explanations for tropical insectivore declines, by categorizing explanations into ultimate vs. proximate, and direct versus indirect. Ultimate explanations are diverse human Anthropocene activities and the evolutionary history of these birds. This evolutionary history, synthesized by the Biotic Challenge Hypothesis (BCH), explains tropical insectivorous birds' vulnerabilities to many proximate threats as a function of both these birds' evolutionary feeding specialization and poor dispersal capacity. These traits were favored evolutionarily by both the diversity of insectivorous clades competing intensely for prey and co-evolution with arthropods over long evolutionary time periods. More proximate, ecological threats include bottom-up forces like declining insect populations, top-down forces like meso-predator increases, plus the Anthropocene activities underlying these factors, especially habitat loss and fragmentation, agricultural intensification, and climate change. All these conditions peak in the lowland, mainland Neotropics, where insectivorous bird declines have been repeatedly documented, but also occur in other tropical locales and continents. This multiplicity of interacting evolutionary and ecological factors informs conservation implications and recommendations for tropical insectivorous birds: (1) Why they are so sensitive to global change phenomena is no longer enigmatic, (2) distinguishing ultimate versus proximate stressors matters, (3) evolutionary life-histories predispose these birds to be particularly sensitive to the Anthropocene, (4) tropical regions and continents vary with respect to these birds' ecological sensitivity, (5) biodiversity concepts need stronger incorporation of species' evolutionary histories, (6) protecting these birds will require more, larger reserves for multiple reasons, and (7) these birds have greater value than generally recognized.
Chapter
This chapter aims to highlight the role of trees in the multifunctional landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on biodiversity, multipurpose tree management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and tree-based approaches to the rehabilitation of degraded landscapes. Trees play a crucial role in contributing significantly to biodiversity, environmental management, and climate change mitigation in sub-Saharan Africa. Agroforestry is a sustainable system that promotes biodiversity conservation and economic benefits. In multifunctional landscapes, trees fulfil a variety of functions, ranging from supporting wildlife diversity to income generation through the production of fruit, fodder, wood, and timber. Sustainable agroforestry practices, combined with traditional knowledge, are crucial to the effective management of trees on farms, helping to address livelihood challenges. Trees in agroforestry systems are key players in the rehabilitation of degraded landscapes, regulating run-off water, preventing soil erosion, and maintaining water quality. In response to biodiversity loss, land degradation and climate change, a holistic approach to managing trees in multifunctional landscapes is essential to restore and strengthen the resilience of ecosystems.
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Rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face livelihood challenges due to limited opportunities, and increasing dependency on vulnerable landscapes. These challenges are exacerbated by population growth and the consequent ecological footprint, primarily driven by agricultural expansion, leading to significant landscape changes thus affecting tropical forests and semi-arid environments. This book explores the concept of multifunctional landscapes and tree-based ecosystem approaches, highlighting the need for employing sustainable landscape management practices to maximize ecosystem services and ensure equitable benefit distribution. The book details how the integration of traditional and contemporary agroforestry practices enhances local food security and nutrition, health care provision, and income, identifying a diversity of tree species/taxonomic groups of interest. It emphasizes the role of trees in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and restoration of degraded landscapes while addressing the socio-economic challenges of landscape management. Key tree-based ecosystem management practices such as tree domestication, natural regeneration of trees, assisted or enrichment planting, fire management, sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and agroforestry systems and technologies, are discussed to provide a basis for innovation in integrating trees in multifunctional landscapes in different biophysical contexts across SSA. Ways of overcoming various ecological and socio-economic challenges of landscape management are also discussed, including biocontrol strategies against invasive species and approaches for quality tree germplasms provisioning. The book underscores the need to integrate scientific and indigenous knowledge, and develop adaptive policy and governance to support sustainable landscape management while fostering cultural resilience. It emphasizes the critical role of landscape-scale interventions and large-scale stakeholders’ collaboration through the Community-based natural resource management approach. Notably, the book recognizes the importance of establishing incentives to bolster community engagement, essential to achieving sustainable outcomes. Future research directions identified include (i) deepening the understanding of ecosystem services provided by trees and the underlying functional traits, (ii) developing innovative practices for sustainable agroforestry practices, (iii) promoting climate-smart agriculture, and (iv) developing more rigorous approaches in assessing both the socio-economic benefits of trees in SSA and the efficacy of policy interventions for sustainable landscape management. By prioritizing holistic and collaborative approaches, stakeholders can ensure the resilience and vitality of SSA’s landscapes, thereby supporting rural livelihoods and biodiversity conservation for future generations.
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In this chapter, the effects of climate change are explored in relation to the coffee crop and its nine major pests and diseases (i.e. American Leaf Spot Disease, Black Coffee Twig Borer, Brown Eye Spot, Coffee Berry Borer, Coffee Berry Disease, Coffee Berry Moth, Coffee Leaf Rust, Coffee Red Blister Disease and Coffee Wilt Disease). Data and primary literature were examined from six coffee producing countries namely Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Mesoamerica (with an emphasis on Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras). A so-called “ecosystem dis-equilibrium” was hypothesised, with some coffee pests and diseases predicted to become more of a problem under future climate scenarios, while others could vanish altogether. Using air temperature as a proxy for climate change, we synthesised novel data and expert insights to analyse this hypothesis. This resulted in a classification of coffee pests and diseases based on a “cool” or “warm” climate preference. A geographical shift was also forecasted for the future of coffee cultivation, upward in both latitude and elevation, favoured by “warm” climate preference pests and diseases.
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The mosaic landscape of small-scale cropping, agroforests, and secondary forests common to steep-sloped, volcanic islands in the Caribbean provide habitats and food sources for many terrestrial bird species. Information on the diets of species living in these agroecosystems can inform conservation management and land-use decisions, and reveal the ecosystem services performed by these unique island bird communities. We obtained fecal samples from 356 individuals of 14 bird species, including 3 Lesser Antilles endemics, that occur in various agroforests, pasture, and cropping habitats on the island of Grenada, May–September 2018 and January–March 2019, and determined diet items using DNA meta-barcoding analysis. Identified food items included 14 orders and 259 genera of arthropods, and 25 orders and 98 genera of plants. We found a wide mix of arthropod and plant genera across an annual cycle in every bird species studied, including those believed to be nominally nectarivorous, frugivorous, or granivorous, supporting predictions that small-island bird populations exhibit generalist foraging. Similarly, diet composition varied among species within each study site to a similar degree that diets varied among study sites within each species further indicating opportunistic/generalist foraging. In addition, we found 26 arthropod genera and 34 plant genera that were frequently shared by 3 or more bird species, suggesting the importance of specific food resources for sustaining bird communities in these heterogeneous agricultural landscapes. We also found 4 known invertebrate crop pathogens amongst 5 bird species. Together, this study reveals the various roles that these generalist species play in agroforest habitats (e.g., crop-plant pest control, pollination, seed dispersal), and the results can be used to further explore land-use practices that best provide food resources to support this unique island bird community and the ecosystem functions they carry out.
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Successful implementation of natural resource planning and land management systems requires understanding of how land use and land cover (LULC) have changed in the past and how they will change in the future, taking into account both space and time. The Yayo Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve (YCFBR), in southwestern Ethiopia, is currently experiencing the consequences of different human actions such as wildfires and the expansion of coffee plantations. Although the Biosphere Reserve (BR) has undergone significant changes and efforts since it was registered by UNESCO in 2010 as a high biodiversity area of international importance, there is still a lack of information about the anticipated changes in LULC in the future. The primary aim of the study is to simulate the potential changes in LULC in the YCFBR area for the upcoming three decades. In this study, we utilized Landsat satellite imagery taken in 1992, 2007, and 2022 for analysis. The findings suggest that the agricultural area is expected to grow from 20.3% in 2022 to 24% in 2052, while the proportion of open forest is predicted to rise from 13.4% in 2022 to 18% in 2052. In addition, there is an anticipated decrease in both high forest and grazing lands. High forest is expected to decline from 50.1% in 2022 to 40% in 2052, while grazing lands are projected to decrease from 8.3% in 2022 to 6% in 2052. Thus, the study revealed a significant shift of grazing land to agriculture and high forest to more open forest types. We recommend a proper land use zoning to prevent further loss of the forest cover due to human activities and also restore the degraded parts of the area.
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Secondary forests and coffee cultivation systems with shade trees might have great potential for carbon sequestration as a means of climate change adaptation and mitigation. This study aimed to measure carbon stocks in coffee plantations under different managements and secondary forest systems in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest (San Martín Region). The carbon stock in secondary forest trees was estimated using allometric equations, while carbon stocks in soil, herbaceous biomass, and leaf litter were determined through sampling and laboratory analysis. The biomass carbon stock in secondary forests was 132.2 t/ha, while in coffee plantations with Inga sp. shade trees it was 118.2 t/ha. Carbon stocks were 76.5 t/ha in coffee with polyculture farming, and the lowest amount of carbon was found in coffee without shade trees (31.1 t/ha). The carbon sequestered by coffee plants in all agroforestry systems examined had an average of 2.65 t/ha, corresponding to 4.63 % of the total carbon sequestered, being the highest stored in the coffee system with Inga sp. shade trees. A higher content of glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP) was found in coffee without shade trees, with 18.5 mg/g. This is evidence that Inga sp. is the most compatible model of shade system for coffee farms. We recommend the conservation of secondary forests due to the greater biomass and carbon storage, and establishing coffee plantations with Inga sp. shade trees for its integral benefits, such as climate change mitigation.
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Context: Shade coffee plantations are purported to maintain forest biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Understanding their conservation importance is hindered, however, by the limited taxa studied and failure to account for the landscape context of plantations and quality of reference sites. Objectives/Research questions: (1) how occupancy of mammals and birds changed from continuous forest to fragmented forest and coffee plantations while statistically controlling for landscape context, and (2) whether mammal and bird communities responded differently to shade coffee with regard to richness and composition. Methods: We used camera traps to sample ground-dwelling birds and medium- and large-bodied mammals (31 and 29 species, respectively) in shade coffee plantations and two types of reference forest (fragmented and continuous) in Colombia’s Western Andes. We used a multi-species occupancy model to correct for detection and to estimate occupancy, richness, and community composition. Results Shade coffee lacked ~50% of the species found in continuous forest, primarily forest-specialist insectivorous birds and forest-specialist and large-bodied mammals, resulting in different species composition between coffee and forest assemblages. Coffee plantation birds were generally a unique subset of disturbance-adapted specialists, whereas mammals in coffee were mostly generalists encountered across land uses. Forest fragments had species richness more similar to shade coffee than to continuous forest. Species sensitive to shade coffee responded negatively to isolation and disturbance at the landscape scale. Conclusions: Studies comparing coffee with relictual forest fragments may overestimate the conservation value of shade coffee. Conservation of biodiversity in shade coffee landscapes will be ineffective unless these efforts are linked to larger landscape-level conservation initiatives.
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Coffee, one of the major traded commodities in the world, has economic value for rural livelihood and potentially as habitat for forest wildlife. Previous work in Central Kenya has demonstrated that when cultivated with shade trees, coffee farms can host high levels of bird diversity. However, questions of how the African bird communities in shade coffee farms compares to those in natural forest remained unanswered. Using three visits to each of 160-point count locations in natural forest (80) and shade coffee sites (80) in Central Kenya, we estimated bird abundance and species richness in natural forest and shade coffee. Specifically, we tested hypotheses that the abundance and diversity of birds in shade-coffee and natural forests varies by feeding guilds and forest-association status. We found that, compared to natural forest, shade coffee had higher bird abundance and species richness of carnivores, granivores, omnivores, and insectivores, including understory forest insectivores specifically. Frugivores and nectivores had similar abundance in forest and coffee, but were more species rich in forest and coffee, respectively. The abundance and species richness of forest specialists and forest visitors were higher in natural forest than in shade coffee, whereas forest generalists and birds with no forest association status were more abundant and species rich in shade coffee. Our study confirms the value of remnant native trees within coffee plantations for the persistence and conservation of avian communities, while also clarifying that some groups of birds are reliant on natural forests and unlikely to be conserved in shade coffee farms.
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Coffee agroforestry systems or coffee plantations under shade represent less than 3% of the current cultivated coffee surface, the number of farms with this system is very low and difficult to find. This study assessed 30 farms through semi-structured interviews and an on-site evaluation to analyze the shade conditions in family farming coffee systems in the central region of Tolima, Colombia, with the purpose of promote environmental incentives and get better prices for the producer. Thirty-five tree species with arrangements utilizing from 2 to 9 associated tree species were found. The classification was made according to the shade structure and agronomic management. Forty-one percent of the systems meet the requirements of two environmental certifications. Of these, 55% can obtain the Bird Friendly certification, and the remaining, Rainforest Alliance. The presence of Magnolia henandezii (alma negra), an endemic species of the eastern slope of the Central Cordillera and classified as Endangered, was found.
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While sustainable agriculture relies on natural pest control, we lack insights into the relative importance of bottom-up and top-down factors on pest levels, especially along broad environmental and management gradients. To this aim, we focused on bottom-up and top-down control of herbivore damage in sixty sites in the centre of origin of Arabica coffee in southwestern Ethiopia, where coffee grows along a management gradient ranging from little or no management in the natural forest to commercial plantations. More specifically, we examined how canopy cover, percentage of surrounding forest and management intensity affected caffeine and chlorogenic acid concentration (bottom-up process) and attack of dummy caterpillars by ants and birds (top-down process), and how these in turn affected pest levels. Caffeine and chlorogenic acid concentration were negatively related to canopy cover, while ant attack rate was positively related to canopy cover. Both ant and bird attack rate increased with the percentage of surrounding forest. Yet, secondary chemistry and caterpillar attack rates were unrelated to herbivory, and herbivory was only directly and positively affected by management intensity. Our study highlights that canopy cover can have contrasting effects on plant defence and predation, and that changes in bottom-up and top-down factors do – unlike often assumed – not necessarily translate into reduced pest levels. Instead, direct effects of management on pest levels may be more important than bottom-up or top-down mediated effects.
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en The Guineo-Congolian “rain” forest (G-C forest) in West and Central Africa is threatened by deforestation. From 1975 to 2013, the extent of the G-C forest decreased by 37%, from about 131,000 to 83,000 km². Overall, 46% of bird species in the G-C forest (123 of 268) have declining populations, and about 31 species (12%) are categorized as endangered, near threatened, or vulnerable. Impacts of harvesting for “bushmeat” and the cage bird industry are largely unknown, but, of 60 species of birds in the G-C forest known to be hunted or trapped, six are categorized as vulnerable, one as near threatened, and one as endangered. In addition, 35 of the 60 species are estimated to have decreasing populations, 18 species have stable populations, and three are increasing in number. The impacts of clearing or disturbing G-C forest to cultivate cash crops are not fully known, except that avian diversity is markedly reduced in such areas. Traditional “sacred groves,” mostly small patches of forest, are not formally designated as conservation areas, but may serve as protected sites for some species of birds. Temperatures have increased and rainfall has decreased over the last five decades in West Africa. These changes will likely contribute to a further loss of suitable habitat for range-restricted species of birds. In addition, species currently found in lowland and montane habitats may be forced to move to higher elevations. Of 53 species of birds found in lowland habitat, five are endangered, seven are near threatened, 11 are vulnerable, and one is data deficient, suggesting that ~44% of lowland species may have an increased risk of extinction. Countries with G-C forest all have large human populations with high incidences of poverty, resources harvested at unsustainable rates, and increasing rates of deforestation. Networks of large protected areas in West and Central Africa, with much tighter controls over unsustainable harvesting, are urgently needed to ensure conservation of the birds and, more generally, the biodiversity of the G-C forest. RESUMEN es Una reseña del estatus de conservación de las aves del bosque guineo-congolés de África El bosque ‘lluvioso’ guineo-congolés (bosque G-C) en el occidente y centro de África está amenazado por la deforestación. De 1975 a 2013, la extensión del bosque G-C decreció 37%, de cerca de 131,000 a 83,000 km². En general, 46% de las especies de aves en el bosque G-C (123 de 268) tienen poblaciones en declive y cerca de 31 especies (12%) están caracterizadas como en peligro, casi amenazadas o vulnerables. Los impactos de la extracción de ‘carne de monte’ y la industria de aves de jaula son en su mayoría desconocidos, pero, de 60 especies de aves que se cazan o capturan en el bosque G-C, seis están categorizadas como vulnerables, una como casi amenazada y una como en peligro. Adicionalmente, se estima que 35 de las 60 especies tienen poblaciones en declive, 18 tienen poblaciones estables y tres están incrementando sus números. Los impactos del desmonte o perturbación del bosque G-C por cultivos comerciales no es del todo conocido, excepto que la diversidad de aves es marcadamente reducida en dichas áreas. Los ‘huertos sagrados’ tradicionales, en su mayoría pequeños parches de bosque, no están designados como áreas de conservación pero podrían servir como sitios protegidos para algunas especies de aves. En el occidente de África, las temperaturas se han incrementado y la precipitación ha decrecido. Estos cambios muy probablemente contribuirán a una mayor pérdida del hábitat apropiado para especies de aves de hábitats restringidos. Adicionalmente, las especies que actualmente se encuentran en hábitats de tierras bajas y montanos podrían ser forzadas a desplazarse a mayores elevaciones. De 53 especies de aves en hábitats de tierras bajas, cinco están en peligro, siete están casi amenazadas, 11 son vulnerables y una es deficiente en datos, lo que sugiere que ~44% de las especies de tierras bajas podrían tener un mayor riesgo de extinción. Todos los países con bosque G-C tienen grandes poblaciones humanas con altos índices de pobreza, recursos extraídos a tasas no-sostenibles y crecientes tasas de deforestación. Las redes de grandes áreas protegidas en África occidental y central, con controles mucho mayores sobre la extracción no-sostenible, se necesitan urgentemente para asegurar la conservación de las aves y, más ampliamente, la biodiversidad del bosque G-C.
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A key problem for conservation is the coincidence of regions of high biodiversity with regions of high human impact. Twenty-five of the most threatened centers of plant diversity were identified by Myers et al., and these “hotspots” play a crucial role in international conservation strategies. The primary goal of the hotspots is to cover the most threatened centers of plant diversity, but their efficacy has not yet been tested empirically. For sub-Saharan Africa, our study evaluates the hotspots postulated by Myers and compares them to a set of redefined hotspots proposed on the basis of mapped distribution data for 5985 plant species. The two sets of hotspots overlap by 48%. Our redefined hotspots include 80% of the species and 66% of the range-restricted species of the sub-Saharan flora in areas under high humanimpact, whereas these values are 15% and 11% lower for Myers’s hotspots. Despite having equal size and a considerable spatial overlap with Myers’s hotspots, our redefined hotspots include further highly threatened centers of plant diversity in the Maputaland Pondoland Region, in Katanga, the East African Afromontane region, the Lower Guinea Region, and the Albertine Rift. Many of these redefined hotspots are poorly protected centers of plant and animal diversity. Their conservation is essential for a comprehensive coverage of Africa’s centers of biodiversity.
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Local abiotic conditions (microclimates) vary spatially and selection of favorable microclimates within a habitat can influence an animal’s energy budgets, behavior, and ultimately, fitness. Insectivorous birds that inhabit the understory of tropical forests may be especially sensitive to environmental variation and may select habitat based on microclimatic (e.g. temperature, humidity, light) conditions. Sensitivity to microclimate could contribute to the population declines of understory insectivores in response to forest fragmentation or degradation, which changes the physical structure of the forest, thereby increasing light intensity and temperature and decreasing humidity. To understand the role of microclimates in the habitat selection of understory insectivores, we characterized the microclimatic associations of nine species of understory insectivores at three sites along a precipitation gradient and across seasons in central Panama. We compared the distributions of microclimates selected by birds with microclimates at randomly chosen points within their home ranges to test for microclimate selectivity. We predicted that: (1) birds would select microclimates that are more humid, cooler, and less bright than random microclimates, (2) selectivity would be greater in hotter, drier habitats and (3) selectivity would be greatest in the dry season. We found no evidence of selectivity for the nine species we sampled on a seasonal or spatial basis. Microclimate variation was minimal in the forest understory at all sites, particularly in the wet season. Understory insectivores did not use microhabitats characterized by high light intensity, and may be sensitive to light, though the mechanism remains unclear. The lack of microclimate variation in the understory of tropical forests may have serious fitness consequences for understory insectivores due to increasing temperatures associated with climate change coupled with a lack of thermal refugia.
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The extent and distribution of soil degradation in the highlands as a whole is outlined and shows significantly greater damage in the northern and eastern regions which were settled first. There, the poor soil quality today results in reduced crop productivity and greater vulnerability to famine. Actual rates of soil loss are estimated according to the USLE; the highest soil erosion rates occur in the western areas which clearly indicates that soils here are degrading more rapidly than soils in the north. -from Author
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Interest in the ecology and conservation of birds in coffee plantations around the world has greatly increased since the early 1990s, especially in the Neotropical region. Much of the interest was inspired by untested hypotheses proposing that extensive conversion of traditional coffee plantations, grown under a diverse canopy of shade trees, into modern, technified plantations with severely reduced shade canopy, contributed to concurrent declines of long-distance migratory birds. This possible relationship sparked major publicity campaigns during the late 1990s and continuing today, promoting shaded coffee plantations as quality habitat for migratory birds. Based on a review of the published scientific literature concerning avian use of coffee plantations, I summarize avian ecology in coffee agroecosystems, and evaluate the hypothesis that coffee plantations are important for the conservation of migratory or resident birds. While no literature has presented strong evidence that coffee plantations in general negatively affect bird populations of conservation importance, nonetheless published studies have not tested hypotheses that birds have greater survivability, fitness or productivity in coffee plantations compared with other available habitats (natural or artificial), or that any species selects coffee plantations over other available habitats for foraging or for breeding. While coffee plantations may have higher avian richness and abundance than other highly disturbed agricultural habitats and some natural habitats, more research is needed to evaluate whether and how certain coffee agroecosystems contribute to the conservation or decline of avian diversity.
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