Journal
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
Volume 28, Issue 5, Pages 1135-1144Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/rec.13171
Keywords
agroforestry; Coffea arabicaL; ecological indicators; forest landscape restoration; natural regeneration; shade coffee
Categories
Funding
- CoordenacAo de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior-Brasil (CAPES) [001]
- Institute of Ecological Research (IPE)
- National Council for Scientific and Technological Development of Brazil (CNPq) [304817/2015-5]
- SAo Paulo Research Foundation [2018/21338-3, 2019/14697-0]
- WeForest Asbl/Vzw
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Large-scale forest restoration relies on approaches that are cost-effective and economically attractive to farmers, and in this context agroforestry systems may be a valuable option. Here, we compared ecological outcomes among (1) 12-15-year-old coffee agroforests established with several native shade trees, (2) 12-15-year-old high-diversity restoration plantations, and (3) reference old-growth forests, within a landscape restoration project in the Pontal do Paranapanema region, in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. We compared the aboveground biomass, canopy cover, and abundance, richness, and composition of trees, and the regenerating saplings in the three forest types. In addition, we investigated the landscape drivers of natural regeneration in the restoration plantations and coffee agroforests. Reference forests had a higher abundance of trees and regenerating saplings, but had similar levels of species richness compared to coffee agroforests. High-diversity agroforests and restoration plantations did not differ in tree abundance. However, compared to restoration plantations, agroforests showed higher abundance and species richness of regenerating saplings, a higher proportion of animal-dispersed species, and higher canopy cover. The abundance of regenerating saplings declined with increasing density of coffee plants, thus indicating a potential trade-off between productivity and ecological benefits. High-diversity coffee agroforests provide a cost-effective and ecologically viable alternative to high-diversity native tree plantations for large-scale forest restoration within agricultural landscapes managed by local communities, and should be included as part of the portfolio of reforestation options used to promote the global agenda on forest and landscape restoration.
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