Socioecological effects of swidden management in traditional Maya agroforests in the Selva Lacandona of Chiapas, Mexico

For millennia, Maya farmers (i.e., milperos) throughout Mesoamerica have managed milpa: sequential agroforests initiated by slashing and burning patches of secondary forest and then cultivating a diverse polyculture of trees and annual crops. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with deforestation, the Mexican government and non-governmental organizations have urged milperos to cease burning. We collaborated with Maya milperos in several communities in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve region in Chiapas, Mexico to determine carbon retained as char in traditional milpas, carbon loss associated with burning, and effects of burning on soil quality. We found the carbon retention of char in Maya milpas (24 ± 6.5% of C in vegetation) is 4–1400% higher than other slash-and-burn agroecosystems reported in the literature. Burning resulted in significant carbon loss of 12.6 (±3.6) t C ha−1 yr−1, but this was partially mitigated by char production (3.0 [±0.6] t C ha−1 yr−1) and incomplete combustion of woody biomass. The effects of burning on soil were minimal, with the only significant changes observed being increases in pH, potassium availability, and cation exchange capacity (2, 100, and 7%, respectively). The mean residence times of charred materials were at least double that of uncharred biomass. While there is a risk that shortening fallow periods would undermine the sustainability of Maya swidden agroecology, proper management and secure land tenure can help maintain intensive production without enduring environmental degradation. The char produced in these swiddens and successional management could allow this agroforestry system to be a long-term carbon sink. [Display omitted] •Slash-and-burn/swidden management can be sustainable and offset carbon emissions.•Traditional Maya swiddening converts, on average, 24% of biomass carbon into char.•Maya farmers recognize the threats climate changes pose to their agroecosystems.