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Agroforestry within REDD+: experiences of an indigenous Emberá community in Panama

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Abstract

Reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) has become central to efforts to mitigate climate change. Approximately 10 % of the world’s forests are managed by local and indigenous peoples. Agroforestry may provide these communities with a means to engage in carbon offsetting initiatives without forfeiting access to, or benefits from, forests. Here, we present an analysis of social and ecological data from a four-year-old, reforestation-based carbon-offset project on the collective lands of Ipetí-Emberá, Panama. Mixed-species agroforests or timber-only plots were established by a subset of community members under voluntary carbon-offset agreements with a private client. We (1) describe how plot carbon accumulation trajectories were related to species composition; (2) determine if established agroforests are likely to meet carbon sequestration targets by the end of the 25-year project period; (3) describe the motivations and experiences of participants who chose to establish agroforests; and (4) compare socio-economics of participants versus non-participants. Our study provides data on early mortality, tree growth and the carbon sequestration capacity of 29 species that are commonly used by small farming households in Latin America and elsewhere. The study highlights strategies for reducing risks associated with agroforestry as a carbon sequestration strategy in the context of carbon offset projects, such as the replanting of dead trees and the establishment of a carbon buffer. We also provide evidence to counter claims that offset projects could amplify inequality in rural communities as participants to agroforestry, when compared to non-participants, were not remarkable in terms of their assets or wealth. Overall, this case study provides an encouraging example of how agroforestry may help forest communities engage with REDD+ in a way that benefits both their livelihoods and the global climate change agenda.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Phillippe Brunet, Etienne Lafortune, Julie Raynaud, Xoco Shinbrot and Kirsten Wiens for their assistance in data collection and early analysis of this data during their internships from the Panama field study semester. We would also like to particularly acknowledged Petra Tschakert for her assistance in the design and implementation of the socio-economic survey as well as Tamara Benjamin who assisted in designing and conducting the participatory workshop for designing the agroforestry systems. Thanks to the Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Gobierno de Chile (CONYCIT) for the scholarship provided to I. Holmes and to the Blue Moon Fund. Special thanks for the entire community of Ipetí-Emberá and the participants to this study and in particular to Olga Dogirama who hosted I. Holmes while in the community. Thanks to Lady Mancilla and José Monteza for their constant support in data collection and field work. Finally, thanks to Claire Salisbury, Sylvia Wood, Divya Sharma, David Ross, Alain Olivier and Laura Donohue for their useful comments and reviews of early versions of this manuscript. We are also very grateful to the anonymous reviewer, whose comments allowed us to greatly improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Doctor Penfield Avenue, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada

    Ignacia Holmes & Catherine Potvin

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada

    Kathryn R. Kirby

  3. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosevelt Avenue, Tupper Building - 401, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama

    Catherine Potvin

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  1. Ignacia Holmes
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Correspondence to Ignacia Holmes.

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Holmes, I., Kirby, K.R. & Potvin, C. Agroforestry within REDD+: experiences of an indigenous Emberá community in Panama. Agroforest Syst 91, 1181–1197 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-0003-3

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