Tree-rich landscapes help birds and bats nearly double cacao yields in Peru

Tropical farmers are often expected to choose between high crop yields and protecting wildlife. However, an international team of researchers led by the University of Vienna, in collaboration with the universities of Göttingen and Würzburg in Germany and Bioversity International in Peru, shows that biodiversity conservation reinforces cacao production in agroforests via associated ecosystem services, such as natural pest control. The new study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, provides important evidence for sustainable farm and landscape management in one of the world's most biodiverse regions.