Agroforestry has been proposed as a way to reconcile biodiversity conservation, food production and the
delivery of other ecosystem services in tropical landscapes. One such a key ecosystem service, especially
in the light of climate change mitigation, is carbon storage. Increasing human disturbance and
management intensification, however, are known to affect the carbon storage potential of forests. Here
we assessed how the above- and belowground carbon stocks in Ethiopian moist evergreen Afromontane
forest co-varied with their biodiversity, and with increasing agroforestry management intensity for the
production of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.). We assessed above- and belowground carbon storage in
60 plots across a gradient of agricultural intensification ranging from natural forest, over two different
coffee agroforestry systems, to intensified shade plantations. We quantified the diversity of ground
beetles and woody plants in the same plots. Carbon stocks in natural forests (413 55.6 S.E. Mg ha1
) and
in the most extensively managed agroforestry systems (387 50.0 Mg ha1
) were significantly higher
than those in the more intensified agroforest system (258 39.4 Mg ha1
) and in shade plantations
(219 22.8 Mg ha1
). Diversity of woody plants, but not of ground beetles, declined with increasing
management intensity and decreasing carbon stocks. Overall, this study demonstrates that extensive
coffee farming in Ethiopian moist Afromontane forests is able to deliver important co-benefits in terms of
woody plant species conservation and carbon storage. Given the associated coffee yield cost, it is most
likely, however, that supporting payments from certification or policy mechanisms such as REDD+ are
required to keep these extensive coffee agroforestry systems economically viable, which is required to
avoid management intensification and associated carbon and biodiversity losses.
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