Evaluating wildlife and shade tree communities in cacao agricultural landscapes of Cameroon

The cocoa agroforests of southern Cameroon are known for their tree diversity and are seen as a potential model for sustainable cocoa production systems across West Africa. There is an interest identifying the ecosystem services these agroforests provide at a larger landscape level. Baseline data are needed to understand which birds are ecologically important in cacao agroecosystems. In addition, documenting management practices and resource availability for birds is an important first step to evaluating the conservation potential from cacao agroecosystems. To assess the conservation value of Cameroon cacao agroforests, we used mist-netting and area searches at the farm level (~1 ha) to survey birds found in 7 cacao-producing villages (4 farms per village, 28 total). We found that Cameroon cacao agroforests support a high diversity of birds (150 observed species with 56 species in the cacao layer). This is not surprising considering the high diversity of trees observed in these farms (112 species). A high proportion of the birds found in the cacao vegetative layer were insectivorous and could help reduce pest outbreaks for farmers, providing an incentive for farmers to have an interest in their birds. In addition, many of the shade trees found in these cacao agroforests were also observed being used by hornbills in previous research in the nearby Dja Reserve. Many of these trees also provide economic value for farmers creating the possibility of a “win-win” scenario where farmer economic interests are in line with conservation. This research demonstrates the potential value of cacao agroforests for biodiversity conservation.