Journal
ECOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 16, Issue 11, Pages 1339-1347Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/ele.12173
Keywords
Agriculture; agro-forestry; bat; bird; conservation biological control; countryside biogeography; ecosystem services; landscape complexity; natural enemies; tropical forest
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation
- Organisation for Tropical Studies, Bat Conservation International
- Moore Family Foundation
- Winslow Foundation
- Ralph and Louise Haberfeld
- Peter and Helen Bing
- Division Of Environmental Biology
- Direct For Biological Sciences [1209335] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Efforts to maximise crop yields are fuelling agricultural intensification, exacerbating the biodiversity crisis. Low-intensity agricultural practices, however, may not sacrifice yields if they support biodiversity-driven ecosystem services. We quantified the value native predators provide to farmers by consuming coffee's most damaging insect pest, the coffee berry borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampei). Our experiments in Costa Rica showed birds reduced infestation by 50%, bats played a marginal role, and farmland forest cover increased pest removal. We identified borer-consuming bird species by assaying faeces for borer DNA and found higher borer-predator abundances on more forested plantations. Our coarse estimate is that forest patches doubled pest control over 230km(2) by providing habitat for 55000 borer-consuming birds. These pest-control services prevented US$75-US$310ha-year(-1) in damage, a benefit per plantation on par with the average annual income of a Costa Rican citizen. Retaining forest and accounting for pest control demonstrates a win-win for biodiversity and coffee farmers.
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