Title
Rubber agroforestry in Thailand provides some biodiversity benefits without reducing yields
Date Issued
01 January 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Nelson L.
Juthong W.
Bumrungsri S.
Brattström O.
Stroesser L.
Chambon B.
Penot É.
Tongkaemkaew U.
Edwards D.P.
Dolman P.M.
University of East Anglia
Abstract
Monocultural rubber plantations have replaced tropical forest, causing biodiversity loss. While protecting intact or semi-intact biodiverse forest is paramount, improving biodiversity value within the 11.4 million hectares of existing rubber plantations could offer important conservation benefits, if yields are also maintained. Some farmers practice agroforestry with high-yielding clonal rubber varieties to increase and diversify incomes. Here, we ask whether such rubber agroforestry improves biodiversity value or affects rubber yields relative to monoculture. We surveyed birds, fruit-feeding butterflies and reptiles in 25 monocultural and 39 agroforest smallholder rubber plots in Thailand, the world's biggest rubber producer. Management and vegetation structure data were collected from each plot, and landscape composition around plots was quantified. Rubber yield data were collected for a separate set of 34 monocultural and 47 agroforest rubber plots in the same region. Reported rubber yields did not differ between agroforests and monocultures, meaning adoption of agroforestry in this context should not increase land demand for natural rubber. Butterfly richness was greater in agroforests, where richness increased with greater natural forest extent in the landscape. Bird and reptile richness were similar between agroforests and monocultures, but bird richness increased with the height of herbaceous vegetation inside rubber plots. Species composition of butterflies differed between agroforests and monocultures, and in response to natural forest extent, while bird composition was influenced by herbaceous vegetation height within plots, the density of non-rubber trees within plots (representing agroforestry complexity) and natural forest extent in the landscape. Reptile composition was influenced by canopy cover and open habitat extent in the landscape. Conservation priority and forest-dependent birds were not supported within rubber. Synthesis and applications. Rubber agroforestry using clonal varieties provides modest biodiversity benefits relative to monocultures, without compromising yields. Agroforests may also generate ecosystem service and livelihood benefits. Management of monocultural rubber production to increase inter-row vegetation height and complexity may further benefit biodiversity. However, biodiversity losses from encroachment of rubber onto forests will not be offset by rubber agroforestry or rubber plot management. This evidence is important for developing guidelines around biodiversity-friendly rubber and sustainable supply chains, and for farmers interested in diversifying rubber production.
Start page
17
End page
30
Volume
57
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Forestal
Protección y nutrición de las plantas
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85075424640
Source
Journal of Applied Ecology
ISSN of the container
00218901
Sponsor(s)
Funding text 1
E.W.T. was supported by NERC (NE/L50158X/1) and a Small Ornithological Research Grant from the British Ornithologists' Union. Werapun Pichpanus and staff, Nutjarin Petkliang, Tuanjit Sritongchuay and Rinmanat Waiyarat provided logistical support, and Natrada Plappleung provided access to the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum butterfly collection. Alain Brauman provided CIRAD connections. This research was only possible through the exceptional generosity of the rubber farmers, and their families, who participated in the study. We thank Dr Badrul Azhar and Dr Kevin Darras for constructive comments that improved the manuscript.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus