BIRDS

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KARNATAKA, SOUTHERN INDIA
In the Western Ghats, protected reserves are embedded in a matrix production agroforests like coffee, rubber, areca and tea. We examined bird species richness and densities in these areca, coffee and rubber plantations. We found that coffee agroforests are richer in birds than rubber and areca, but all three agroforests play an important role in providing subsidiary habitats for birds in the Western Ghats. Policy decisions need to incorporate biodiversity values and services provided by agroforests to sustain bird communities beyond protected reserves. The results of this study can be accessed here.

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