An index of management intensity for coffee agroecosystems to evaluate butterfly species richness

In spite of the attention that has been focused on the importance of traditional, shade coffee production for biodiversity, little is known about the relative conservation value of different systems of managing the shade canopy. We surveyed fruit-feeding butterfly species richness and vegetation structure on different shade coffee management systems in Chiapas, Mexico, that ranged from intensive commercial to traditional, rustic systems. The impact, of management on the diversity and structure of the shade canopy in each coffee production system was quantified and compared using a Management Index. This Management Index revealed statistically significant differences between management systems that previously were distinguished by researchers using qualitative, gestalt categories. Butterfly species richness was found to decline as management intensity increased, but a significant drop was found between the rustic system and the other more intensive systems, corroborating the importance of preserving rustic, shade coffee production for the conservation of biodiversity. Fruit-feeding butterflies were found to be very sensitive to the intensification of management of the shade canopy, so they may be an effective way to monitor ecological changes that accompany intensification within the coffee agroecosystem. Additionally, the vegetation Management Index may prove useful for quantifying management practices to evaluate certification criteria for conservation benefits.