Evaluation of ecosystem services of golden camellia–cinnamon agroforestry system in Western Nghe An, North–Central Vietnam

The private and public sectors of Nghe An Province have been actively working on Acacia mangium afforestation, which has contributed to the recovery of woody vegetation on slash-and-burn agricultural slopes. However, it also has negative effects on the region, such as the homogenization of vegetation with non-native species and increasing erosion risks after harvest. Western Nghe An was nominated as a biosphere reserve in 2007; thus, revegetation planning must have considered the surrounding vegetation after the designation; however, the non-native species A. mangium remain a dominant species for planting, even though several economically high-valued native species grow in this region. In the northwestern area of Western Nghe An, a local Cinnamomum species called Saigon cinnamon has been traditionally grown by ethnic minorities. Recently, some households started cultivating the highly economically valued native shrub tree Camellia quephongensis (golden camellia) under cinnamon tree canopies, that is, the golden camellia–cinnamon (GCC) agroforestry system was adopted in this region. However, the cinnamon afforestation area has not been widely increased because of the long period required for harvest compared with A. mangium. Thus, we clarified advantages in ecosystem services of GCC agroforestry system compared with golden camellia–acacia (GCA) agroforestry system to expand the cinnamon forest. The GCC agroforestry system has superior supporting services; more than 2-fold greater standing crop stem volume and functioning feeding places for small birds supplying berries. For regulation services, carbon sequestration in the GCC agroforestry system is 3.3–3.7-fold higher than that in the GCA agroforestry system. These findings could encourage stakeholders such as forestry managers, golden camellia tea processors, scientists, and policymakers to introduce the GCC agroforestry system in this region.