Enhancing Biodiversity in Neotropical Silvopastoral Systems: Use of Indigenous Trees and Palms

Relatively few native trees and palms are actively managed by cattle ranchers in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, throughout the region, the need for reducing heat stress and adapting to climate change has provided a strong motivation for ranchers to plant or maintain more trees and palms on their lands. This chapter describes a new approach for enhancing the density and diversity of native woody plants in cattle dominated landscapes. The concept of focal species is applied to identify a set of native trees and palms of global conservation concern that can be planted or managed in silvopastoral systems and riparian buffers to enhance the conservation value of these agricultural landscapes. This agroforestry version of the focal species concept combines pragmatic criteria such as the direct benefits of trees for livestock production systems with cultural and esthetic values, together with the provision of habitat and food resources for wildlife. The following sections focus on outstanding focal species: Sect. 3 describes the growth and survival of two focal species planted in live fences—a highly endangered and valuable timber tree (big-leaf mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla) and an endemic nitrogen-fixing tree (Mimosa trianae) with exceptional performance in silvopastoral systems—and Sect. 4 highlights the contribution of Acrocomia aculeata palms in pasturelands as a food source of high nutritional value for livestock. Pasturelands offer a great opportunity for ecological restoration in Latin America. Promoting a larger diversity of native trees and palms in silvopastoral systems and restoration projects is an important step in mainstreaming biodiversity into sustainable cattle ranching.