Lacandon Maya traditional ecological knowledge and rainforest restoration: Soil fertility beneath six agroforestry system trees

•We assess how tree species used by Lacandon Maya affect soil fertility.•P. armata, C. odorata, and L. guatemalensis augment available phosphorus.•L. guatemalensis may increase soil organic matter and nitrogen.•Lacandon Maya TEK ecosystem management can aid in species selection for forest restoration.

The swidden agroforestry system of the Lacandon Maya has allowed them to sustainably manage their land for hundreds of years without observed soil degradation. Lacandon land managers plant and care for many particular tree species during the fallow period of their multi-successional swidden system to facilitate the restoration of soil fertility. Soil samples were taken around six of tree species (Poulsenia armata, Cedrela odorata, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Swietenia macrophylla, Lonchocarpus guatemalensis, and Heliocarpus appendiculatus) in different-aged sites to evaluate their effect on soil fertility. Soil nutrient levels increased in the later successional stages of the Lacandon agroforestry system. Available phosphorus was elevated in soils beneath P. armata, C. odorata, and L. guatemalensis trees, and decreased with distance away from the trunk. L. guatemalensis presented similar effects with total nitrogen and soil organic matter content. These results demonstrate that Lacandon Maya agroforestry management choices relate positively to soil restoration. This TEK could lend guidance to countering the ecological degradation of the surrounding Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve region and for other humid Neotropical lowland forests.