Open-land-derived agroforestry and effects of abandonment of management of the main crop on ecosystem services and woody plant diversity

Abstract

Tropical forests are biodiversity hotspots threatened by deforestation and fragmentation. One strategy to restore tropical forest is to establish agroforestry on open land. However, we lack insights into the social and ecological dynamics of open-land-derived agroforests, and specifically the reasons for and consequences of abandonment. We combined semi-quantitative interviews with biodiversity surveys to examine the reasons for abandonment and the consequences for ecosystem services, disservices, and the woody plant community in the Atlantic Forest region. Reasons for abandonment were primarily related to agroecology. Ecosystem services, disservices, and woody plant diversity had not (yet) differentiated after the abandonment of management. Strengthening agronomic support to farmers is essential to maintain and expand open-land-derived agroforestry. Notably, as abandoned agroforests were not converted back to open land, partly due to legal restrictions, they continued to provide ecosystem services and contributed to the restoration of native tree cover across the landscape.