Implications of Mayan agroforestry for biodiversity conservation in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Agroforestry for production and ecosystem health is a centuries-old form of ecosystem management used in many cultures indigenous to Mesoamerica, yet implications of such practices for biodiversity conservation are not well understood. Agroforestry systems were studied using interviews of farmers and field surveys of tree and bird diversity in three communities surrounding the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Campeche, Mexico to examine how differences in forest management practices affect forest biodiversity. Tree diversity and bird species richness were higher in areas surrounding communities that generated a greater variety of forest products and that cultivated "restoration trees," species planted to aid in regeneration of mature forest. We conclude that traditional ecosystem management methods in areas surrounding natural reserves as practiced by inhabitants who depend on resources in the reserve for survival are compatible with maintaining and perhaps enhancing diversity of bird and tree communities at the site level.