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Socioecological effects of swidden management in traditional Maya agroforests in the Selva Lacandona of Chiapas, Mexico.
Falkowski, Tomasz B; Chankin, Adolfo; Lehmann, Johannes; Drinkwater, Laurie E; Diemont, Stewart A W; Nigh, Ronald.
Afiliação
  • Falkowski TB; Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. Electronic address: tbfalkowski@nmhu.edu.
  • Chankin A; Lacanjá Chansayab, Chiapas, Mexico.
  • Lehmann J; Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
  • Drinkwater LE; Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
  • Diemont SAW; Department of Environmental Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, USA.
  • Nigh R; Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.
J Environ Manage ; 341: 118035, 2023 Sep 01.
Article em En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37209592
For millennia, Maya farmers (i.e., milperos) throughout Mesoamerica have managed milpa: sequential agroforests initiated by slashing and burning patches of secondary forest and then cultivating a diverse polyculture of trees and annual crops. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with deforestation, the Mexican government and non-governmental organizations have urged milperos to cease burning. We collaborated with Maya milperos in several communities in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve region in Chiapas, Mexico to determine carbon retained as char in traditional milpas, carbon loss associated with burning, and effects of burning on soil quality. We found the carbon retention of char in Maya milpas (24 ± 6.5% of C in vegetation) is 4-1400% higher than other slash-and-burn agroecosystems reported in the literature. Burning resulted in significant carbon loss of 12.6 (±3.6) t C ha-1 yr-1, but this was partially mitigated by char production (3.0 [±0.6] t C ha-1 yr-1) and incomplete combustion of woody biomass. The effects of burning on soil were minimal, with the only significant changes observed being increases in pH, potassium availability, and cation exchange capacity (2, 100, and 7%, respectively). The mean residence times of charred materials were at least double that of uncharred biomass. While there is a risk that shortening fallow periods would undermine the sustainability of Maya swidden agroecology, proper management and secure land tenure can help maintain intensive production without enduring environmental degradation. The char produced in these swiddens and successional management could allow this agroforestry system to be a long-term carbon sink.
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Texto completo: 1 Coleções: 01-internacional Base de dados: MEDLINE Assunto principal: Solo / Florestas Aspecto: Determinantes_sociais_saude País/Região como assunto: Mexico Idioma: En Revista: J Environ Manage Ano de publicação: 2023 Tipo de documento: Article País de publicação: Reino Unido
Texto completo
Adicionar na Minha BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar no Google

Texto completo: 1 Coleções: 01-internacional Base de dados: MEDLINE Assunto principal: Solo / Florestas Aspecto: Determinantes_sociais_saude País/Região como assunto: Mexico Idioma: En Revista: J Environ Manage Ano de publicação: 2023 Tipo de documento: Article País de publicação: Reino Unido