Indicating soil quality in cacao-based agroforestry systems and old-growth forests: The potential of soil macrofauna assemblage

► Four baseline abiotic indicators separated cacao agroforestry systems into distinct soil quality clusters. ► Good soil quality cocoa agroforestry systems did not differ from the forest. ► Abundances of selected macrofauna groups correlated well with abiotic indicators and helped elucidate the soil quality clusters identified. ► Macrofauna indicators need to be tailored to local conditions. ► Considering the soil an open system where the non-equilibrium thermodynamic theory applies could help to reformulate the soil quality definition.