Ecological Restoration Strategies for Cattle Ranching Landscapes of the Azuero
Details
Note: Yale School of the Environment (YSE) was formerly known as the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES). News articles and events posted prior to July 1, 2020, refer to the School's name at that time.
Summary
The tropical dry forest, the most endangered ecosystem in the tropics, is extremely threatened by the dominance of extensive conventional cattle ranching. The consequences of conventional ranching systems in Panama are particularly severe in the dry forest ecosystem of the Azuero Peninsula. The destruction of forests has degraded ecosystem services such as; water, soil fertility, and biodiversity, which are necessary to support livelihoods. With erratic annual rainfall and a dry season lasting from five to six months, the region’s extreme climate variations compound the stresses of unsustainable land use practices and make efforts to restore the ecosystem particularly challenging. While advances in forest restoration and sustainable ranching have been shown to enhance production and ecosystem services in cattle ranching landscapes, they are virtually absent from the Panamanian landscape, mostly due to the lack of information and incentive available to cattle ranchers. Therefore, ELTI has developed a field-based training course for cattle ranchers interested in learning about and implementing strategies to restore forest cover on their farms as a means to improve ecosystem services and increase productivity.
Over a period of five days, this course aims to provide the practical basis to understand the importance of ecosystem services that originate from forests and how to implement forest restoration strategies in cattle ranching landscapes via silvopastoral system practices. This field-based course will be facilitated in ELTI’s Focal Training Sites in Azuero, which convey ecological principles through its interpretative trail network and demonstration sites. In addition, participants observe the range of socio-economic contexts and associated restoration strategies through visits to model farms and discussions with their respective owners. This course will be offered to Peace Corps Volunteers and their respective community counterparts, who will be conducting forest restoration in their communities. Participation will be by invitation only.
Content
The course content is divided into six thematic modules, which include an introductory lectures with corresponding field-based observations, exercises and analysis:
Module 1: Forest ecology and the provision of ecosystem services
1. Introduction to the ecosystem goods and services from forests
2. Function of tropical dry forests
3. Forest dynamics, succession and natural regeneration of tropical forests
Module 2: Limitations for the restoration and provision of ecosystem services
1. Regional drivers of degradation in Azuero
2. Degradation of ecosystem services
3. Socio-economic consequences of forest degradation
Module 3: Strategies for restoring ecosystem services in cattle ranching landscapes
1. Clarify restoration goals and appropriate restoration models
2. Introduce the conceptual model for restoration
3. Forest restoration methods (range of restoration options: Passive - Active)
Module 4: Sustainable cattle ranching: Environmental and productive contributions
1. The importance of biodiversity in agro-landscapes
2. Introduction to silvopastoral systems (SPS)
3. The establishment and management of SPS
Module 5: The role of community organizations with forest restoration
1. The need, development and dynamics of community-based associations
2. Best practices to implement and manage projects
3. Strategies to disseminate projects to other stakeholders
Module 6: Final exercise: Developing a plan for forest restoration
1. Defining restoration objectives
2. Identifying biophysical and social variables
3. Selecting adequate restoration strategies