Latin America and Caribbean
Mining in the Amazon: Importance, impacts, and challenges to restore degraded ecosystems. Are we on the right way?Background:With mining playing a significant role in the economies of Amazonian countries, there is a growing urgency to understand, mitigate, and restore the degraded ecosystems that result from these mining operations. These tasks present a complex set of challenges, including technological limitations, legal inconsistencies, and a shortage of qualified professionals. Available with subscription or purchase |
Exotic Eucalypts: From Demonized Trees to Allies of Tropical Forest Restoration?Background:Timber, being a product in high demand globally, presents a lucrative market opportunity, and restoration efforts could potentially generate income through the targeted extraction of this material. While the incorporation of commercially valuable exotic trees might incentivize farmers to participate in restoration projects, it raises significant ecological concerns among experts. Available with subscription or purchase |
Patterns and controls on island-wide aboveground biomass accumulation in second-growth forests of Puerto RicoBackgroundSecondary or second-growth forests after land abandonment are a valuable contribution to global carbon sinks. Approximately 70% of the world’s tropical forests are secondary growth, so understanding the carbon sequestration rates on a large scale is important. Sequestration rates are controlled by both abiotic and biotic factors in each region. Open access copy available |
Aboveground carbon responses to experimental and natural hurricane impacts in a subtropical wet forest in Puerto RicoBackgroundCarbon sequestration is a major climate mitigating process. Tropical forests in particular sequester high amounts of carbon, however disturbance events such as storms can alter the ability of forests to sequester more carbon. Hurricanes create forest gaps and increase ground debris which both provide resources that may promote plant recruitment and growth. Open access copy available |
Optimal restoration for pollination services increases forest cover while doubling agricultural profitsBackgroundIn the midst of a global biodiversity crisis and a rapidly expanding food demand, improving agricultural techniques is a high priority. Pollinators are at the forefront of this restoration goal partially due to their rapid decline in population, and also their crucial role in food production. 75% of globally common food depends on pollinators. Though improving agriculture is important, it is also expensive and risky for land owners. A framework is needed to determine best arrangements and practices for sustainable agriculture. Open access copy available |
Tree diversity in a tropical agricultural‑forest mosaic landscape in HondurasBackgroundTropical forests hold high biodiversity values, but are also valued for agricultural land uses. Particularly in Central America, a region with particularly high biodiversity, intensive land management practices have reduced and continue to reduce forest and species abundance. There is a push to change land use practices in order to restore and promote biodiversity, though the potential for biodiversity on agricultural landscapes is an understudied subject. Open access copy available |
Soil Biological Activity, Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Modified Coffee Agroforestry Systems in MexicoBackgroundCoffee agroforestry systems bring a plethora of economic, social, and ecological benefits. Specifically, they aid soil biological activity. In Mexico, due to cost and production challenges, coffee is being replaced by avocado plantations. The impact of coffee agroforestry systems on specific soil biological characteristics and processes is not fully understood. Nor are the impacts of avocado plantations on soil biological activity. Open access copy available |
Shaded-Coffee: A Nature-Based Strategy for Coffee Production Under Climate Change? A ReviewBackgroundCoffee agroforestry systems are a natural climate solution that are used to reduce the impact of coffee cultivation on ecosystem health. Coffee generates over $200 billion in income globally each year, so ensuring the efficiency and success of cultivation is crucial for human livelihood. Coffee agroforestry systems are often variable, and there lacks a compiled knowledge base about these systems and practices. Open access copy available |
The Embedded Agroecology of Coffee Agroforestry: A Contextualized Review of Smallholder Farmers’ Adoption and ResistanceBackgroundAgroforestry crops are known to provide many benefits to both people and nature. Implementing agroforestry practices can be complex and requires improvement in certain regions and practices. Coffee agroforestry is not widely adopted and there is a lack of knowledge about the implementation of agroforestry techniques for coffee production. Goals and MethodsThe authors conduct a literature review including coffee production in Colombia, Malawi, and Uganda to understand their perceptions of coffee agroforestry, decisions on implementation, local policies, and capacity to adopt new practices. Open access copy available |
Disrupted montane forest recovery hinders biodiversity conservation in the tropical AndesBackgroundIn the U.N. Decade on Restoration, recovering degraded forests is a high priority. Andean montane forests are a biodiversity hotspot, storing large quantities of carbon, and providing many sources for human livelihood. Many parts of the Andean forests are recovering after agriculture abandonment, but it is not yet known how the dynamics of these recovery processes progress over time. Knowledge of forest regeneration trajectory is crucial for further restoration planning. Open access copy available |
