Importance of Traditional Vanilla Cultivation in the Conservation of Plant Diversity in Tropical Forests in Northern Veracruz, Mexico

Noé Velázquez-Rosas (), Santiago Sinaca Colin, Guillermo Vázquez-Domínguez, Abril Velasco-Murguía, Evodia Silva Rivera, Betsabé Ruiz-Guerra, Fabio Levi Friedrich, Rosenda Cortés Galindo, Samaria Armenta-Montero and Rodolfo Martínez-Mota ()
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Noé Velázquez-Rosas: Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91000, Mexico
Santiago Sinaca Colin: Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91000, Mexico
Guillermo Vázquez-Domínguez: Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91000, Mexico
Abril Velasco-Murguía: Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91000, Mexico
Evodia Silva Rivera: Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91000, Mexico
Betsabé Ruiz-Guerra: Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa 91073, Mexico
Fabio Levi Friedrich: Institute of Ecology, University of Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Rosenda Cortés Galindo: Coordinación Territorial, Subsecretaria de Inclusión Productiva y Desarrollo Rural, Secretaria de Bienestar, Mexico City 06600, Mexico
Samaria Armenta-Montero: Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91000, Mexico
Rodolfo Martínez-Mota: Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91000, Mexico

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-19

Abstract: The significance of traditional agroforestry systems in preserving and enhancing tropical forest biodiversity in landscapes dominated by human activities has recently been recognized. We assessed the role of traditional vanilla cultivation on sustaining plant diversity in the tropical forests of northern Veracruz, Mexico. We analyzed the composition, alpha (Shannon and Simpson exponential) and beta diversity, the structure (stem density and basal area) and types of regeneration of woody plants across different vanilla production systems, including traditional vanilla plots, the agroforestry production of vanilla, the citrus–vanilla system, and fragments of tropical rain forest. Our findings revealed that traditional vanilla plots preserve 67% of the woody plants’ richness, with an alpha diversity similar to that of the forest fragments. The similarity between vanilla production systems and vegetation fragments was less than 30%. Traditional vanilla plots accounted for 34% of the basal area and had a stem density similar to that of the forest, while retaining 25% of shade-tolerant species. These results suggest that traditional vanilla plots are key landscape elements for conserving plant diversity and supporting the ecological functions of tropical forests.

Keywords: traditional vanilla cultivation; Vanilla planifolia; traditional ecological knowledge; Totonac biocultural landscapes; biodiversity conservation; tropical rain forest conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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