Deforestation in southwestern Nicaragua as a result of converting rare dry tropical forest to pastures has created fragmented forest habitats and decreased the potential for this area to continue its historical role as a critical biological corridor. The conservation organization Paso Pacifico works to to increase habitat potential and connectivity in the region via restoration and conservation. Live fence implementation is one potential reforestation method that Paso Pacifico is interested in exploring. Establishing living fence rows would involve a targeted planting of trees along designated boundaries of pastures, producing potential ecological and subsistence benefits of trees without sacrificing grazing land. Living fence rows are already present in southwestern Nicaragua, but they have not been investigated in regards to landowner use and perception or how different taxa respond to them. Our team explored these dimensions for a sample of living fence rows in the region to provide insight necessary for developing a program for promoting living fence rows.
We first produced a literature review to assess the dual value living fences present in both working and natural landscapes. Then, we conducted semi-structured interviews with landowners who own living fence rows to investigate their perceptions and use of these features. We also performed biodiversity assessments of these existing fence rows in order to better understand their conservation potential. Our findings are that landowners generally perceive living fence rows to be a worthwhile long-term investment that are useful for humans, cattle, and the environment. We also found that bees of the locally important tribe Meliponini showed a strong positive reaction to the living fences in our sample.
Based on these findings, we have developed specific recommendations for how living fence row-based restoration projects could be implemented. Living fence rows would be most valuable to landowners for whom spatial concerns have deterred participation in past reforestation programs. New fences based upon Gliricidia sepium are amenable to current landowner practices and would support meliponine bees. However, multiple other benefits may be created by integrating select tree and plant species into fence row plantings, including the generation of advantageous microclimates from multistrata vegetation. Finally, we recommend areas of future research to further explore the social and ecological dimensions of living fence rows in the region and how Paso Pacifico should design a program for promoting live fences in the region.