Arboreal/Arbustive Component Associated to Livestock Systems in San Vicente del Caguán Municipality, Caquetá—Colombia

Abstract

Livestock is the most important economic activity in San Vicente del Caguán municipality, Caquetá department (located in Colombian Amazon region). Indeed, livestock activities have a big responsibility of Colombian Amazon forest deforestation for extensive grazing lands formation, causing soil degradation processes. However, recently some cattle ranchers have changed their thoughts to a sustainable production, applying different ecological strategies. So, application of silvopastoral systems, which is a very important mode of agroforestry, consists that in the same area and time, it can interact in the ecosystem stratums different species among grasses, shrubs, and trees. On this way, the objective of this study is to determine descriptively the arboreal/arbustive component associated to livestock systems, represented according to its uses in San Vicente del Caguán, Colombia. It was made through a direct survey to 13 smallholders in this municipality. As a result, mainly, we found 58 plant species (49 arboreal and nine arbustive, corresponding to 84.48% and 15.52%, respectively). Of these, 20 species had more than one use at a time. In fact, the shade was the use most common with 29 species, corresponding to 34.94% of total species (25 arboreal and just four arbustive, corresponding to 30.12% and 4.82%, respectively). On this way, according to smallholders surveyed, we can conclude that shade provided by trees integration in silvopastoral systems is for diminishing heat stress on cattle caused by enduring climate change of tropical, thus contributing to good welfare for animals.