Trade-offs between rubber production and maintenance of diversity: the structure of rubber gardens in West Kalimantan, Indonesia
✍ Scribed by D. C. Lawrence
- Publisher
- Springer
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 935 KB
- Volume
- 34
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0167-4366
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✦ Synopsis
The goal of this study was to assess the potential of small-holder rubber cultivation in agroforestry gardens to fulfill simultaneously the goals of conservation and sustainable rural development. I examined the structure and species composition of trees in 11 rubber gardens in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, using a single 0.10 ha plot per garden. Although 41 distinct morphotypes were encountered, rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) dominated the sample of 370 trees. Richness within plots varied (3-15 morphotypes), as did the predominance of rubber (24-97% of all basal area, 24-91% of all individuals). The importance of rubber within a garden was significantly negatively correlated with the number of morphotypes present. This result suggests that tree diversity may limit potential productivity of rubber gardens. Thus, small-holders may not be willing to maintain diversity at the scale of a single garden. Although species-accumulation curves indicate that substantial tree diversity may exist across all rubber holdings, diversity is likely to be lost from the system if individual owners reduce species richness in their gardens. Rubber agroforestry as currently practiced in West Kalimantan is not an ideal model for matching rural development needs with the achievement of conservation goals. Other models, such as tengkawang-and durian-based fruit gardens, do exist in Kalimantan and elsewhere, and should be evaluated for incorporation into policy and development strategies.