Coffee, cocoa and vanilla: An opportunity for more trees in tropical agricultural landscapes

Date:
June 15, 2020
Source:
University of Go"ttingen
Summary:
The cultivation of coffee, cocoa and vanilla secures the income
of many small-holder farmers and also drives land-use change. In
particular, cultivation in agroforestry, in which these crops are
combined with trees that provide shade, is considered to have great
potential for ecologically sustainable cultivation. Researchers
now show that the land- use history of agroforestry systems plays
a crucial role in assessing the sustainability of agroforestry.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The cultivation of coffee, cocoa and vanilla secures the income of many
small- holder farmers and is also a driver of land-use change in many
tropical countries. In particular, cultivation in agroforestry systems,
in which these crops are combined with trees that provide shade, is
often considered to have great potential for ecologically sustainable cultivation. Researchers at the University of Go"ttingen are now showing
that the land-use history of agroforestry systems plays a crucial role
in assessing the sustainability of agroforestry. The results have been published in the journal Conservation Letters.


========================================================================== Tropical agroforests differ greatly in their land-use history, i.e. the
former use of the land now occupied by agroforests. On the one hand, an agroforest can be established directly in a forest -- in this case the undergrowth is removed and replaced by vanilla vines, coffee or cocoa
bushes. In the process, many plant and animal species and important
ecosystem services are lost. On the other hand, an agroforest can be established on land that is open -- for example on a pasture or cornfield
which was forest in former times but had been cleared for farming. In
this case, the land would be replanted with trees, and so animal species
that depend on trees may benefit. Trees also store carbon and may have
a cooling effect, which can reduce global warming.

"Our results show that agroforestry systems can only lead to a
significant enhancement of the landscape for biodiversity if they
are established on open land," says Dominic Martin, first author of
the study. "The conversion of the remaining species-rich tropical
forests into coffee, cocoa or vanilla plantations should, however, be
avoided." This requires incentives, adds Professor Holger Kreft, Head of
the Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography Group at the University
of Go"ttingen. "Sustainability labels should take this into account and
avoid giving certification to plantations that were previously forest. It
is really only in this way that the ecological advantages of cultivation
in agroforestry systems can be achieved. This can then help to ensure
that our morning coffee can be enjoyed without a bitter aftertaste,"
says Kreft.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Go"ttingen. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Dominic Andreas Martin, Kristina Osen, Ingo Grass, Dirk Ho"lscher,
Teja
Tscharntke, Annemarie Wurz, Holger Kreft. Land‐use history
determines ecosystem services and conservation value in tropical
agroforestry. Conservation Letters, 2020; DOI: 10.1111/conl.12740 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200615184148.htm

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