The place of agroforestry in managing tropical forests

Althoug agroforestry has lately reveived much attention, its relationship to management of tropical forests is far from clear; in fact certain agroforestry practices are often in open conflict with desirable high forest management, particularly in moist environments. However those agroforestry practices that provide stability to rural inhabitants, leading to better land use and its conservation, and therefore relieve the pressure on the natural forests, providing firewood and other local and industrial needs, should be promoted. This is borne out from various successful agroforestry case studies from high rainfall areas of Costa Rica that are describe: 1) the adding of a high canopy of the valuable timber tree Cordia alliodora over coffee and cocoa, above a canopy of leguminous shade trees that are kept low by intensive pruning; 2) the addition of different trees within pastures in the lowlands; 3) the favored gradual replacement of pastures by valuable secondary forests through the channeling of natural succession; and 4) the planting of N fixing alder trees, Alnus acuminata in the highlands of Costa Rica's dairy region, under intensive management. The controversial case of Taungya particularly when it impies conversion oi the heterogeneous high forest to monocultures, is discussed. It is argued that Taungya is most promising when established on degraded forest or on savannas and that selected tree crops should be established as fearly as possible jointly with food crops. The success or failure of agroforestry schemes is linked to the attention given to social and economic aspects that contribute to rural development