Tree Clearing for Coffee Production Threatens the Tropical Cloud Montane Forests of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, with Implications for Soil Fertility

Luis G. García-Montero, Marisol Fragela, Stervins Alexis and Gonzalo Almendros ()
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Luis G. García-Montero: Centro para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad y el Desarrollo Sostenible (CBDS), E.T.S.I. Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain
Marisol Fragela: Centro para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad y el Desarrollo Sostenible (CBDS), E.T.S.I. Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain
Stervins Alexis: Centro de Estudios para Ciudades y Pueblos Sostenibles Pedernales (CIRUSP), Calle Central 4, Urb. María del Mar, Santo Domingo Este 11705, Dominican Republic
Gonzalo Almendros: National Museum of Natural History (MNCN, CSIC), Serrano 115 B, 28006 Madrid, Spain

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-18

Abstract: Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) are biodiversity hotspots that have been increasingly cleared to cultivate coffee under full sun exposure, replacing traditional shaded agroforestry systems. This study evaluated the impact of TMCF clearing on soil quality by analyzing 108 samples from undisturbed primary and secondary forests and deforested coffee plantations in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Our findings indicate that forest clearing has a substantial adverse impact on soil nutrient status. Soils from undisturbed plots had total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations 4.83 units higher than those from cleared plots. Nitrogen levels were reduced by 28–61%, and available potassium declined by 23–51% in soils that had been cleared. Conversely, the available phosphorus levels exhibited a modest increase (ranging from 23% to 27%) following the clearing process, presumably attributable to diminished plant uptake and augmented mineralization in conditions characterized by diminished organic matter. However, given that phosphorus is not a limiting factor for coffee growth, this marginal gain does not compensate for the broader degradation of soil fertility. The study emphasizes that allowing TMCFs to be used for sun-grown coffee results in long-term nutrient depletion through erosion and leaching, which poses a threat to both the productivity of the soil and the ecological integrity of these valuable forest systems.

Keywords: coffee plantation; tropical forest clearing; soil fertility; soil K; soil N; soil P; soil total organic carbon; tropical montane cloud forest (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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