An assessment of the state of silvipastoral systems and their capacity to generate ecosystem services in the Colombian Amazon

The authors assessed 159 plots. They identified 143 tree species belonging to 37 families, 22 species being the most common (relative frequency of occurrence = 57%).
On the basis of tree species composition, they characterised four states of silvopastoral conditions (hereafter "plot state types") using clustering techniques: (i) high structural complexity and highest tree species richness (HSCR); (ii) high species diversity and large trees (HDTT); (iii) high species diversity and medium trees (HDMT); (iv) simple structure and lowest species richness (SSLR).
Tree species richness was significantly higher in the HSCR zone (11.70 ± 1.47 per plot) than in the SSLR zone (2.86 ± 0.80). The HDTT and HDMT showed similar richness, with intermediate values (5.55 ± 0.82 and 6.38 ± 0.51, respectively).
Farmers value a number of ecosystem services provided by the silvipastoral system, but a limited number of tree species are valued. This indicates the need for additional measures to conserve biodiversity in these landscapes, including measures to improve knowledge of the value of tree species that are sparsely present or at low densities.