This document discusses a study on the potentials of native plant species in agroforestry systems in Colombia. The study aims to quantify greenhouse gas emissions from small-scale farming, analyze how agroforestry with native plants can reduce emissions, and promote cultivation of endangered native species. It notes lack of local strategies, depletion of traditional knowledge, and lack of research on agroforestry potentials. Preliminary results found endangered and disappeared native medicinal plants in two municipalities. The study will involve community interviews, gas sampling, and designing a homegarden model to evaluate impacts on livelihoods and projections for food/medicine production and greenhouse gas mitigation.

1. Institute of Landscape Ecology
Potentials of native plant species in
Agroforestry systems for reduction
of greenhouse gas emissions and
improvement of local
environmental and communities‘
life conditions
Ana Lucia Cadena Gonzalez-Thiele
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Germany)

2. Location
Municipalities of Campo Hermoso and Zetaquira, Boyacá, Colombia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/
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3. Scenery
• Lack of local plans and strategies – only isolated efforts
• Lack of information on dimensions of losses because of
depletion of resources and global warming at local level
(long heavy rains)
• Lack of research on potentials of Agroforestry systems
• Depletion of traditional knowledge and native plants
resources, lack of strategies to maintain these species.
• Lack of motivation of local community

4. Some effects of heavy rains
Zea mays subsp. mays

5. Preliminary results
Campo Hermoso
Zetaquira
• 15 endangered medicinal
species
9 native species
• 20 dissapeared medicinal
species
7 native species
• Urtica dioica L. popularity
(IUV)
• 7 endangered medicinal
species
3 native species
• 13 dissapeared medicinal
species
6 native species
• Ruta graveolens L.
popularity

6. Main Objectives
• To collect quantitative information on greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions in tropical small scale farming systems of Boyacá,
Colombia.
• To analyse the potential of agroforestry systems with native multipurpose and medicinal plants to reduce GHG emissions.
• To promote the cultivation and conservation of native plant
species, especially endangered species.
• To add benefits to local production of food, medicine and to
improve economy.

7. Hypotheses
• The potential of Agroforestry systems with cultivation
of introduced medicinal plant species is equal to
Agroforestry systems with cultivation of native species
in terms of mitigation of Green House Gas emissions.
• Native multipurpose and medicinal plant species are
often not cultivated in Agroforestry systems due to
the lack of productivity.
• Lack of knowledge of the productivity that native and
multipurpose medicinal plant species can offer to the
local economy has limited investments in projects
related to the cultivation of these species.

8. Methods
Introduction and
diagnostics
-Introduction of
the project
-Survey
-Semi-structured
Interviews
-Data analyses
-Selection of
species -local
interest and
necessities-Previous results
Sampling and
collection of data
-Selection of plots
with agroforestry
systems and
selected species
-Structured
interviews
-Analysis of fluxes
of gases
-Sampling of
gasses
-Statistical
analyses
Design of
homegarden
model
Evaluation of
impact on
livelihoods
-Design of local
homegarden
model with
selected species/
based on local
necessities
(community and
environment)
Productivity
projections
-Promotion of
cultivation of the
homegarden
model in comunal
plots and within
local schools
-Food
production?
-Medicinals
production?
-Influence on local
economy?
-Potentials off
GHG mitigation?

9. Some species to
take into account
Municipality
Campo
Hermoso
Zetaquira
Endangered species
Smilax aspera L., Cattleya
schroederae Rchb.F., Nicotiana
tabacum L., Ocimum
campechianum Mill., Psidium
guineense Sw., Sapindus saponaria
L., Crescentia cujete L., Inga edulis
Mart.
Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn,
Tabebuia sp., Phaseolus sp.
Disappeared species
Carica pentagona Heilborn, Platymiscium
ulei Harms ex Harms, Persea mutisii Kunth ,
Drymis granadensisL. f., Brownea ariza
Benth, Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.
Juglans neotropica Diels, Crescentia cujete
L., Gossypium sp., Solanum betaceum Cav.,
Schizolobium excelsum Vegel., Persea
mutisii Kunth.

10. Additional species
• Melissa officinalis
• Verbena littoralis
• Urtica dioica (popular in Campo
Hermoso)
• Ruta graveolens (popular in
Zetaquira)

11. Expectations
Juglans neotropica Diels
Cattleya schroederae Rchb. F

12. References
•
•
•
•
•
Russell Nathan, 2012. Eco-Efficiency: From Vision to Reality. CIATCGIAR, Cali, Colombia
Nair P.K.R.,1993. An Introduction to Agroforestry, Kluwer
Academic Publishers. Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Nair P.K.R. et al. Agroforestry as a strategy for carbon
sequestration, Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science. 2009.
172 : 1, 10-23
Sinclair, F., et al. 2012. Enhancing the effectiveness of agroforestry
research in Colombia. World Agroforestry Centre ICRAF [online].
Available from:
http://worldagroforestry.org/our_products/publications/details?n
ode=54130 [Accessed Nov 20, 2013]
Annual Report 2011-2012: trees, livelihoods, landscapes. World
Agroforestry Centre ICRAF [online]. Available from:
http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/our_products/publicatio
ns/details?node=53879 [Accessed Nov 20, 2013]

13. THANKS