Data from: Do Bird Friendly® coffee criteria benefit mammals? Assessment of mammal diversity in Chiapas, Mexico

Biodiversity-friendly coffee certifications offer a viable way to protect
wildlife habitat while providing a financial incentive to farmers. Most
studies related to these certifications focus on avian habitat
requirements and it is not known whether these standards also apply to
other wildlife, such as mammals, that inhabit the coffee landscapes. We
assessed the non-volant mammalian fauna and their associated habitat
requirements in 23 sites representing forest, Bird Friendly® shade,
conventional shade, and sun coffee habitats. We used Sherman trap-grids to
measure small mammal abundance and richness, while camera traps were set
for medium-sized and large mammals. We detected 17 species of mammals,
representing 11 families. This preliminary study indicates that coffee
farms in this region provide an important refuge for mammalian wildlife.
Mammal species density ranked significantly higher in Bird Friendly®
coffee sites than other coffee habitats, although there was no significant
difference for species richness (using Chao2 estimator) among the habitat
types. No significant difference was found in small mammal abundance among
the habitat types. We found a higher species density of medium and large
mammals in sites with larger, more mature shade trees associated with, but
not required by Bird Friendly® certification standards. However, lower
strata vegetation (5 cm to 1 m tall), the only vegetation parameter found
to increase abundance and density for small mammals, is not specified in
the Bird Friendly® standards. Our findings suggest that although the
standards devised for avian habitat do benefit mammals, further study is
needed on the requirements specific for mammals that could be included to
enhance the coffee habitat for mammals that inhabit these coffee
landscapes.