Planning tree species diversification in Kenya based on differences in tree species composition between farms. I. Analysis of tree uses |
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| Authors: | R Kindt P Van Damme A J Simons H Beeckman |
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| Institution: | (1) ICRAF, P.O. Box 30677–00100, Nairobi, Kenya;(2) Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Ethnobotany, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium;(3) Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium;(4) Royal Museum for Central-Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium |
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| Abstract: | Concerns exist about the limited diversity of tree species in agricultural landscapes. Complete tree inventories were carried
out on 201 farms from four villages in western Kenya to establish whether significant differences in tree species composition
existed between farms, and if so their magnitude and implications for new introductions and plantings. Tree species composition
was interpreted to encompass elements of both tree identity and abundance. Tree identity was viewed from both taxonomic and
function (e.g. fruit, timber, medicine) perspectives. Novel types of ordination using the Hellinger ecological distance and
polynomial Redundancy Analysis indicated wide heterogeneity between farms with respect to tree species composition. For the
12 most prevalent functions of trees, the analyses showed significant differences (p<0.05). Partitioning of variance identified that village location explained much of the differences between farms suggesting
that farmers share tree species within villages more than between villages. Differences between farms were assessed on two-dimensional
ordination graphs. For five important tree functions, including beverage, charcoal, construction, fodder and medicine, two
species dominated the compositional differences. For these functions, diversification can be achieved by village-to-village
sharing even in the absence of any new species introductions. A general process to determine the degree of tree diversity
at farm and landscape levels and steps to increase it are discussed. |
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| Keywords: | Diversification Hellinger distance Landscape Ordination Redundancy analysis Species composition |
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