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Implications of shifts in coffee production on tree species richness, composition and structure on small farms around Mount Kenya

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Abstract

Small coffee farms around Mount Kenya in Kenya contain many planted and remnant tree species but little is known in the region about the relationship between trees on farms and the methods and dynamics of coffee production. Shifts in production may alter tree diversity and potentially impact on future biodiversity conservation efforts by affecting niches available for indigenous trees on farms. Here, knowledge was gathered on how changes in coffee production on 180 small farms around Mount Kenya may affect tree diversity, categorizing farms according to coffee yield levels over a period of five years as increasing, decreasing or stable production. Tree species richness, abundance and composition were analyzed using species accumulation curves, Rènyi diversity profiles, rank abundance and ecological distance ordinations, and the effects of coffee production examined using quasi-Poisson generalized linear regressions. Species richness were positively correlated with tree basal area but negatively related to coffee, banana and maize yields value. A difference in average tree species richness, abundance and basal area on increasing farms was observed compared to the decreasing and stable farms, even though formal tests on richness and densities differences were inconclusive. These dynamics do not significantly influence vegetation structure but seem to have a bearing on species composition on farms of different coffee production. The overall low abundance (23 % of trees) but high richness (78 % of species) of indigenous trees on coffee farms could change markedly if the dynamics observed in the current study persist, indicating the need for the development of intensified multi-species cropping systems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the farmers who participated in this study for sharing their deep knowledge on trees on farms. The 29 coffee cooperative societies who collaborated with us to provide information on coffee production by their members are gratefully acknowledged. Fredrick Maingi, Alex Munyi, Sallyannie Muhoro, Samuel Nabea, Paul Kithinji, Susan Kimani and Valentine Gitonga provided support in collecting field data. Eric Tollens and Jason Donavan are thanked for their initial review of this manuscript during a write-shop facilitated by Meine van Noordwijk. Jane Wanjara provided GIS and maps support. Funding from the University of the Free State (CSA) and the EU (support provided to ICRAF) are gratefully acknowledged.

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Correspondence to Sammy Carsan.

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Carsan, S., Stroebel, A., Dawson, I. et al. Implications of shifts in coffee production on tree species richness, composition and structure on small farms around Mount Kenya. Biodivers Conserv 22, 2919–2936 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0563-8

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