Ecological and socio-economic functions across tropical land use systems after rainforest conversion

TLDR

Tropical lowland rainforests are increasingly threatened by agricultural expansion, and their conversion to jungle rubber agroforests and monoculture plantations creates dynamic systems that reduce biodiversity and ecosystem functions while offering higher income and education opportunities for smallholders, though productivity varies by crop type. The EFForTS project aims to assess the ecological and socio‑economic impacts of rainforest conversion to jungle rubber agroforests and monoculture plantations to guide decision‑makers toward sustainable tropical agricultural landscapes. The study collects long‑term interdisciplinary data across the conversion gradient to inform stakeholders. The data show that conversion and intensification cause significant biodiversity loss and reduced above‑ and below‑ground carbon stocks.

Abstract

Tropical lowland rainforests are increasingly threatened by the expansion of agriculture and the extraction of natural resources. In Jambi Province, Indonesia, the interdisciplinary EFForTS project focuses on the ecological and socio-economic dimensions of rainforest conversion to jungle rubber agroforests and monoculture plantations of rubber and oil palm. Our data confirm that rainforest transformation and land use intensification lead to substantial losses in biodiversity and related ecosystem functions, such as decreased above- and below-ground carbon stocks. Owing to rapid step-wise transformation from forests to agroforests to monoculture plantations and renewal of each plantation type every few decades, the converted land use systems are continuously dynamic, thus hampering the adaptation of animal and plant communities. On the other hand, agricultural rainforest transformation systems provide increased income and access to education, especially for migrant smallholders. Jungle rubber and rubber monocultures are associated with higher financial land productivity but lower financial labour productivity compared to oil palm, which influences crop choice: smallholders that are labour-scarce would prefer oil palm while land-scarce smallholders would prefer rubber. Collecting long-term data in an interdisciplinary context enables us to provide decision-makers and stakeholders with scientific insights to facilitate the reconciliation between economic interests and ecological sustainability in tropical agricultural landscapes.