NATURAL REGENERATION OF HIGH EVERGREEN FOREST IN ABANDONED COFFEE (COFFEA ARABICA L.) PLANTATIONS IN VERACRUZ, MEXICO

Background: The tropical rain forest (TRF) has been transformed by the land use change. Coffee plantations are part of the landscape, and their abandonment can favor the original vegetation regeneration. Hypothesis: The abandoned coffee plantations protection in TRF favors natural regeneration, allowing the development of secondary forests in different succession phases. Study site: Colipa, Veracruz, Mexico. Two abandoned coffee plantations and a fragment of TRF. Methods: In 24 transects (50 x 2 m), diameters and heights of woody species (DBH >= 5 cm) were recorded and measured. In each transect, quadrants (2 x 2 m) were marked to record shrub and seedlings species. Regeneration status was evaluated through densities of seedlings, juveniles and adults. Results: 60 species were recorded. The highest number of species was present in the TRF and the nearby coffee plantation, they were the sites with the most shared species. The other coffee plantation (3 km away) had the highest density of trees while the TRF had the highest bushes and seedlings density. The 50 % of the species characteristic of TRF in the & aacute;rea are regenerating in coffee plantations, while cultivated species showed poor or no regeneration. Conclusions: After more than 25 years of abandonment, the structure and composition of species is similar to the TRF. Abandoned shade coffee plantations contribute to natural regeneration and function as reservoirs of native germplasm for the region.