Potentials of native plant species in Agroforestry systems for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and

improvement of local environmental and communities‘

life conditions

Ana Lucia Cadena Gonzalez-ThieleWestfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Germany)

Institute of Landscape Ecology

Location Municipalities of Campo Hermoso and Zetaquira, Boyacá, Colombia

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Colombia-departaments-sa.svg/240px-Colombia-departaments-sa.svg.png

Scenery• Lack of local plans and strategies – only isolated efforts• Lack of information on dimensions of losses because of

depletion of resources and global warming at local level (long heavy rains)

• Lack of research on potentials of Agroforestry systems• Depletion of traditional knowledge and native plants

resources, lack of strategies to maintain these species.• Lack of motivation of local community

Some effects of heavy rains

Zea mays subsp. mays

Preliminary resultsCampo Hermoso• 15 endangered medicinal

species 9 native species• 20 dissapeared medicinal

species 7 native species• Urtica dioica L. popularity

(IUV)

Zetaquira• 7 endangered medicinal

species 3 native species• 13 dissapeared medicinal

species 6 native species• Ruta graveolens L.

popularity

Main Objectives• To collect quantitative information on greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions in tropical small scale farming systems of Boyacá, Colombia.

• To analyse the potential of agroforestry systems with native multi-purpose and medicinal plants to reduce GHG emissions.

• To promote the cultivation and conservation of native plant species, especially endangered species.

• To add benefits to local production of food, medicine and to improve economy.

Hypotheses• The potential of Agroforestry systems with cultivation

of introduced medicinal plant species is equal to Agroforestry systems with cultivation of native species in terms of mitigation of Green House Gas emissions.

• Native multipurpose and medicinal plant species are often not cultivated in Agroforestry systems due to the lack of productivity.

• Lack of knowledge of the productivity that native and multipurpose medicinal plant species can offer to the local economy has limited investments in projects related to the cultivation of these species.

Methods

Productivity projections-Food production?-Medicinals production? -Influence on local economy? -Potentials off GHG mitigation?

Evaluation of impact on livelihoods

-Design of local homegarden model with selected species/ based on local necessities (community and environment) -Promotion of cultivation of the homegarden model in comunal plots and within local schools

Design of homegarden

model

-Selection of plots with agroforestry systems and selected species -Structured interviews -Analysis of fluxes of gases-Sampling of gasses -Statistical analyses

Sampling and collection of data

-Introduction of the project-Survey-Semi-structured Interviews-Data analyses-Selection of species -local interest and necessities--Previous results

Introduction and diagnostics

Some species to take into account

Municipality Endangered species Disappeared speciesCampo Hermoso

Smilax aspera L., Cattleya schroederae Rchb.F., Nicotiana tabacum L., Ocimum campechianum Mill., Psidium guineense Sw., Sapindus saponaria L., Crescentia cujete L., Inga edulis Mart.

Carica pentagona Heilborn, Platymiscium ulei Harms ex Harms, Persea mutisii Kunth , Drymis granadensis L. f., Brownea ariza Benth, Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.

Zetaquira Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn, Tabebuia sp., Phaseolus sp.

Juglans neotropica Diels, Crescentia cujete L., Gossypium sp., Solanum betaceum Cav., Schizolobium excelsum Vegel., Persea mutisii Kunth.

Additional species• Melissa officinalis • Verbena littoralis• Urtica dioica (popular in Campo

Hermoso)• Ruta graveolens (popular in

Zetaquira)

Expectations Juglans neotropica Diels

Cattleya schroederae Rchb. F

References• Russell Nathan, 2012. Eco-Efficiency: From Vision to Reality. CIAT-

CGIAR, Cali, Colombia • Nair P.K.R.,1993. An Introduction to Agroforestry, Kluwer Academic

Publishers. Dordrecht, The Netherlands.• Nair P.K.R. et al. Agroforestry as a strategy for carbon sequestration,

Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science. 2009. 172 : 1, 10-23 • Sinclair, F., et al. 2012. Enhancing the effectiveness of agroforestry

research in Colombia. World Agroforestry Centre ICRAF [online]. Available from: http://worldagroforestry.org/our_products/publications/details?node=54130 [Accessed Nov 20, 2013]

• Annual Report 2011-2012: trees, livelihoods, landscapes. World Agroforestry Centre ICRAF [online]. Available from: http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/our_products/publications/details?node=53879 [Accessed Nov 20, 2013]

THANKS