Ecological and economic services provided by birds on Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee farms

Graduation Date

2007

Document Type

Project

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, Natural Resources: Wildlife, 2007

Committee Chair Name

Matthew D. Johnson

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Pest control, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Wildlife, Jamaica, Coffee, Coffee berry-borer, Ecosystem services, Migratory birds

Abstract

Coffee farms can support significant biodiversity, yet intensification of farming practices is degrading agricultural habitats, compromising ecosystem services such as biological pest control. The Coffee Berry-borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the world's primary coffee pest. Studies indicate that birds can reduce insect abundance on coffee farms, although no research has examined avian control of berry-borer or quantified avian benefits to crop yield or farm income. I conducted a bird exclosure experiment on four coffee farms in the Blue Mountains, Jamaica to document avian pest control of berry-borer, identify potential avian predator species, associate predator abundance and berry-borer reductions with habitat complexity, and economically quantify resulting yield increases. Coffee plants excluded from foraging birds had significantly greater infestation, more broods, and greater berry damage than paired control plants. We identified 17 predator species; 67% of detections were wintering Neotropical migrants, and three primary species comprised 50% of these. Migrant predators overall did not respond to vegetation complexity while primary predators increased with proximity to habitat patches. Resident predator species increased with shade-tree cover and coffee shrub density. Berry-borer reductions were not correlated with predator abundance or vegetation complexity. The market value of increased berries from pest reductions was U.S. $44-$105 per hectare for 2005/2006. High regional landscape heterogeneity may allow primary predators to provide pest control broadly, despite localized farming intensities, but further agricultural intensification could disrupt current services. These results provide the first evidence that birds control berry-borer, increasing coffee yield and farm income, a potentially important conservation incentive for producers.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/cc08hh903

Share

 
COinS