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Emory University

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Program Name

Panama: Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems, and Biodiversity Conservation

Abstract

As the human population increases, finding the balance between modifying land use for resources and protecting areas to preserve species that are threatened by anthropogenic disturbance is an ever growing problem. Guadalupe is a town in the Western Highlands of Panamá that struggles in this balance as its primary income source is agriculture, but it is located on the border of two protected areas, Parque Nacional La Amistad and Parque Nacional Volcán Barú. By understanding the unique ways in which avifauna utilize distinct vegetative landscapes, recommendations can be made for management styles of farms in Guadalupe to implement practices that promote conservation. The purpose of this study is to quantify the different contributions to avian diversity of agricultural land, forested land, and the border between the two. Stationary point counts were used in three different sites (forest, forest edge, and cultivated land) within the town of Guadalupe to measure avian diversity and abundance. It was hypothesized that the forest edge would have the highest diversity and abundance followed by the forest and the cultivated land last. Analysis revealed no significant difference in abundance between the three sites but significantly higher Shannon-Wiener and Simpson’s biodiversity indices in both the forest and forest edge sites when compared to the cultivated land. No significant difference was found between the forest and edge sites. Sorenson’s coefficient of community found the highest similarity to be between the forest and edge sites. A high number of endemic species were found in the forest and edge sites compared to the cultivated site. These results show the forest and forest edge hold the highest conservation value and that the forest edge on agricultural land preserves a high percentage of the biodiversity within natural forests. Thus, conservation efforts in Guadalupe should prioritize the interface between forest edge with cultivated land, preservation of forests, and reforestation. Further recommendations include increasing tree cover throughout agricultural plots to increase connectivity in these fragmented landscapes.

Disciplines

Agricultural and Resource Economics | Agriculture | Biodiversity | Environmental Health and Protection | Human Ecology | Natural Resources and Conservation | Ornithology | Sustainability | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

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