Vegetation monitoring

Human induced pressures are the major transformation force of Brazilin Atlantic Forest. The last forest remnants, together with the iconic cabruca agroforests (biodiversity friendly cocoa systems) hosting Southern Bahia’s unique biodiversity continue their rapid vanishing, giving place to intensive agricultural land systems. Our project aims to quantify the current state of plant biodiversity in Southern Bahia, because preserving plant biodiversity is crucial for the conservation of habitats for multiple animal groups. In our research areas, every six months, we monitor the diversity of grasses, shrubs, and trees and their growth, to quantify changes across time. Our monitoring not only involves the incorporation of scientific tools, but also the integration local knowledge to identify plant species, and their value for nature and humans. We hope that by understanding the major social factors driving plant biodiversity changes, we can provide a way forward to their successful conservation.

On these plots, we recorded the characteristics of the vegetation twice a year from 2022 to 2024 in order to assess the changes in vegetation composition in relation to the degree of land use intensification. To do this, we identified and quantified the different species of medium and large trees and shrubs. We also measured the circumference of the trunks of the largest trees and marked them with identification labels. To complete the survey, we estimated the vegetation cover of the soil and the cover of the tree canopy.

The project was carried out with the collaboration of 28 cocoa producers in the region, which has allowed us to install 60 research plots along a land use intensification gradient.

Due to climatic influences and other factors that occur in the study areas, we perform regular maintenance on plots, replace stakes, and identify missing or damaged signs.

In this way, we generated information on factors that may be determining pollination and other important dynamics for biodiversity and agricultural production.