The Political ecology and ecosystem services in Yerba Maté (Ilex paraguariensis) agroforestry of the South America Atlantic forest
Date
2012-04-11
Authors
Beatty, Branden John
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Abstract
Agroforestry offers a land-use management methodology that may provide solutions to
environmental degradation in the tropics. However, practitioners of agroforestry are faced
with the dilemma of clearing more forest cover in order to increase crop size and sustain
their income. The aim of this study is to understand the agroforester’s dilemma and to
measure the value of the agroforestry ecosystem stewardship in yerba maté (Ilex
paraguariensis A. St. Hil.) agroforestry parcels of the South American Atlantic forest
eco-region. Biodiversity, carbon sequestration and vegetation cover were measured to be
considerably higher in yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil.) agroforestry
plantations than in neighboring monoculture crops. Agroforestry vegetation cover values
were measured to have between 65-89% cover while monocultures had roughly 25%
cover. Agroforestry stored carbon values ranged between 154.7-172.7 Mg C ha-1,
compared to monoculture plantation values of 81.3 Mg C ha-1. Finally, as measured
using the Shannon index, values of species richness ranged from 2.7-3.5 in agroforestry
parcels and between 0.9-1.3 in monocultures, and values of evenness ranged between 0.6
and 0.8 in agroforestry parcels, and 0.2 in monocultures. These findings illustrate that
yerba maté agroforestry can potentially contribute as a regional climate change mitigation
strategy. Valuating and monetizing ecosystem services and engaging smaller farmers
with worldwide ecosystem marketplaces offer the potential to expand the dialogue around
payments for the valuable ecosystem services that agroforesters are providing. An
analysis of market prices available within the ecosystem marketplace for total ecosystem
services being conserved on agroforestry parcels amounted to a range in value between
$16 – $160 ha-1 yr-1. To address environmental degradation in the Atlantic Forest region,
in South America, governments should motivate environmental conservation to support a
shift towards sustainable yerba maté production which supports livelihoods of small-scale
farmers, economic justice and environmental sustainability.
Description
Keywords
agroforestry, ecosystems, crops, conservation