Gloria Galeano

Forest use at the pacific coast of chocó, colombia: A quantitative approach

Forest use by Afro-American people on the Pacific coast of Chocó, Colombia, was investigated using a quantitative methodology based upon informant consensus. Information was obtained for all species ≥ cm dbh in three plots totaling 1.8 ha. Eighty-nine uses were recorded; 62.8% of the species, 74% of the families and 83.3% of the individuals have some use. Most uses involve subsistence activities The most important uses were selective extraction of wood for construction, firewood, and materials for technological application. Use values for species and families were dependent on their abundance. For some particularly useful species and families (Lauraceae, Annonaceae, and Sapotaceae), however, use value was higher than expected from their abundance. This may suggest overexploitation of those species and families. Demographic studies of those species are recommended. All recorded uses are listed and information on the use values of the species is provided.ResumenSe investigó el uso del bosque por los Afroamericanos en la costa Pacifica del Chocó, Colombia, utilizando metodología cuantitativa basada en el consenso de informantes. Se obtuvo información para las especies ≥ cm dap encontradas en tres parcelas, para un total muestreado de 1.8 ha. Se registraron 89 usos; 62.8% de las especies, 74% de las familias y 83.3% de los individuos tienen algún uso. La mayoría de usos del bosque está relacionada con actividades de subsistencia. Los usos más importantes involucran la extraction selectiva de modera para constructión, leña y material para aplicaciones tecnológicas. Los valores de uso para especies y familias fueron dependientes de su abundancia. Sin embargo, el valor de uso para algunas especies y familias utiles (Lauraceae, Annonaceae y Sapotaceae) fue más alto que lo esperado dada su abundancia. Esto sugiere que esas especies y familias están siendo sobreexplotadas. Se recomiendan estudios demográficos de esas especies. Se da una lista de los usos e information sobre las especies utiles.

Palm Management in South America

We reviewed information on management of useful palms in South America. We documented management for 96 species, from incidental activities intended to increase populations of wild palms to the inclusion of palms in complex agroforestry systems. Two species, Bactris gasipaes and Parajubaea cocoides, are domesticated. Managed species are remarkably fewer than species used in the region, which suggests that harvesters often disregard the fate of the species they use. The best way of managing palms is to employ harvest methods that do not decimate the populations. Although a variety of harvesting techniques have been documented, overharvest is common, and mismanagement prevails – unnecessary felling of palms in order to harvest leaves or fruits is a widespread practice. Research should focus on assessing production in response to management practices, but eradicating the habit of destructive harvest is an obvious priority. Research on palm management must be combined with actions addressed to all stakeholders of the palm/humans system.ResumenRevisamos la información sobre manejo de palmas útiles en Suramérica. Documentamos manejo para 96 especies, desde el cuidado ocasional de palmas con el fin de incrementar las poblaciones silvestres, hasta la introducción intencional de algunas especies en chagras o en sistemas agroforestales. Dos especies, Bactris gasipaes y Parajubaea cocoides, son domesticadas. Las especies manejadas son notablemente menos que las especies útiles, lo que refleja poco interés de los cosechadores por la suerte de las especies usadas. La mejor forma de manejar las palmas es emplear métodos de cosecha que no diezmen las poblaciones. Aunque se han documentado diversas técnicas de cosecha, la sobrecosecha es común y predomina el mal manejo: tumbar innecesariamente las palmas para cosechar las hojas o los frutos es una práctica común. La investigación debería enfocarse en evaluar la respuesta de las palmas a las prácticas de manejo, pero es prioritario erradicar las prácticas de cosecha destructiva. Se debe combinar la investigación sobre manejo de palmas con acciones dirigidas a todos los actores del sistema palma/hombre.

Vascular plant species count in a wet forest in the Chocó area on the Pacific coast of Colombia

The total number of vascular plant species was counted and growth form distribution was studied in the Chocó area on the Pacific coast of Colombia, in two transects 400×10m and ten transects 2×50m, for a total sampled area of 0.9ha. The species count of the ten transects (442 species in 0.1ha) appears to be the highest number of species recorded with this methodology. There were 970 species for the total area (0.9ha). Ninety to ninety-five percent of the species were under 10cm dbh and 70–86% under 2.5cm dbh, epiphytes and small trees and treelets ≤10cm dbh being the most diverse growth forms. The most species-rich families and genera were those represented by herbaceous plants and treelets. Individuals were counted only in the ten 2 × 50 m transects (0.1 ha), where 4459 individuals were found. Palms and ferns were the most abundant growth forms. Arguments are presented against the way diversity is usually measured. Recommendations are made to include other growth forms besides trees when assessing alpha diversity for conservation purposes.

Impact of Leaf Harvest on Populations of Lepidocaryum tenue, an Amazonian Understory Palm Used for Thatching

Leaves of the palm Lepidocaryum tenue are one of the most prized thatching materials in northwestern Amazonia. We studied the population dynamics of this stoloniferous palm in Colombian Amazonia, using ramet-based Lefkovitch matrices, and assessed the impact of leaf harvest on population structure and dynamics, through experimental defoliation. Leaf production rate of unharvested palms ranged between 0.93 leaves per year in seedlings and 1.71 in adults. Vegetative shoots produced through stolons are more important than seedlings for maintaining the population; stolons act also as a reserve to overcome damage in the population. The potential population growth rate was 8.3 % per year (λ = 1.083). Juveniles had the highest contribution to population growth, and permanence was the most important life parameter. Thus, harvest of leaves for thatching can jeopardize the population if juveniles are also harvested. An initial harvest intensity of more than 50% of the leaves in a crown, or leaving the palm with fewer than four leaves, would have a negative impact on leaf production. Although matrix modeling suggests that all adult ramets can be harvested, this must be taken with caution, as clonal integration may play an important role in population dynamics. Long-term harvest of Lepidocaryum leaves is possible, if plots are harvested in turns of four years, thus allowing palms to recover from the previous harvest. A better control on the quality of the braided tiles sold in the market would also ensure their longer duration, thus reducing the pressure on the resource.

NOTES ON OENOCARPUS (PALMAE) IN THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON

Five species ofOenocarpus from the Río Caquetá, in the Colombian Amazon, are discussed. Two of themOenocarpus simplex andOenocarpus makeru are described as new.Oenocarpus bacaba var.parvus is shown to be a synonym ofO. balickii; this species andO. minor are recorded for the first time in Colombia. Some comments on the poorly knownO. circumtextus are also given. The new findings support the inclusion ofJessenia inOenocarpus.ResumenSe discuten cinco especies deOenocarpus de la región del río Caquetá, en la Amazonia Colombiana. Dos de ellas,Oenocarpus simplex yOenocarpus makeru se describen como nuevas.Oenocarpus bacaba var.parvus es considerada un sinónimo deO. balickii, y esta especie, junto conO. minor, es registrada por primera vez en Colombia. Se da información adicional sobreO. circumtextus, una especie muy poco conocida. Los nuevos hallazgos respaldan la unión deJessenia yOenocarpus.

Juvenile Resilience and Adult Longevity Explain Residual Populations of the Andean Wax Palm Ceroxylon quindiuense after Deforestation

Wax palms are an important element of the cloud forests in the tropical Andes. Despite heavy deforestation, the density of adults seems to be similar in deforested pastures as in forests. We aimed to infer the mechanisms responsible for this apparent resilience in pastures and we tested two hypotheses to explain it: 1) adult palms survived in pastures because they were spared from logging, and 2) adults occurred in pastures through the resilience of large juvenile rosettes, which survived through subterranean meristems and later developed into adults. For this purpose, we characterized the demographic structure of C. quindiuense in a total of 122 plots of 400 m2 in forests and pastures at two sites with contrasted land use histories in Colombia and Peru. Additionally, we implemented growth models that allowed us to estimate the age of individuals at four sites. These data were combined with information collected from local land managers in order to complete our knowledge on the land use history at each site. At two sites, the presence of old individuals up to 169 years and a wide age range evidenced that, at least, a portion of current adults in pastures were spared from logging at the time of deforestation. However, at the two other sites, the absence of older adults in pastures and the narrow age range of the populations indicated that individuals came exclusively from rosette resilience. These interpretations were consistent with the land use history of sites. In consequence, the combination of the two hypotheses (spared individuals and rosette resilience) explained patterns of C. quindiuense in pastures on a regional scale. Regeneration through subterranean meristems in palms is an important, yet overlooked mechanism of resilience, which occurs in a number of palm species and deserves being integrated in the conceptual framework of disturbance ecology.

Botswanan Palm Basketry among the Wounaan of Western Colombia: Lessons from an Intercontinental Technology Transfer

Traditional palm basketry of the Ba Yei and HaMbukushu people of the Okavango delta region in Botswana was introduced in the 1970s by a missionary to the Wounaan aborigines of western Colombia, who had a related weaving technique. The African technique was quickly assimilated by the Wounaan and enriched with shapes and decoration based on their own cultural patterns. The Chocoan palm Astrocaryum standleyanum, which the Wounaan used in their traditional baskets, replaced the African Hyphaene petersiana used in Botswana. The high quality of the new basketry led to a rapid success and turned Wounaan Astrocaryum baskets into an icon among Colombian handicrafts. Market pressure led to a severe depletion of the fiber-producing palm near Indian villages in the late twentieth century, as palms were felled by the hundreds to harvest the spear leaves. Educational campaigns and the introduction of an appropriate harvest tool have subsequently reduced the impact of leaf harvest, and A. standleyanum is now protected by the Wounaan. This case pinpoints the importance of a careful resource management assessment before introducing new market pressures on a traditional plant product. It is also a good example of positive results from a sustained campaign for appropriate resource management.

Up and Down the Blind Alley: Population Divergence with Scant Gene Flow in an Endangered Tropical Lineage of Andean Palms (Ceroxylon quindiuense Clade: Ceroxyloideae)

Given the geographical complexity of the Andes, species distributions hold interesting information regarding the history of isolation and gene flow across geographic barriers and ecological gradients. Moreover, current threats to the region’s enormous plant diversity pose an additional challenge to the understanding of these patterns. We explored the geographic structure of genetic diversity within the Ceroxylon quindiuense species complex (wax palms) at a regional scale, using a model-based approach to disentangle the historical mechanisms by which these species have dispersed over a range encompassing 17° of latitude in the tropical Andes. A total of 10 microsatellite loci were cross-amplified in 8 populations of the 3 species comprising the C. quindiuense complex. Analyses performed include estimates of molecular diversity and genetic structure, testing for genetic bottlenecks and an evaluation of the colonization scenario under approximate Bayesian computation. We showed that there was a geographical diversity gradient reflecting the orogenetic pattern of the northern Andes and its end at the cordilleras facing the Caribbean Sea. A general pattern of diversity suggests that the cordilleras of Colombia have served as historical recipients of gene flow occurring only scantly along the northern Andes. We provided evidence of important isolation between the largest populations of this complex, suggesting that both historical constraints to dispersal but also current anthropogenic effects might explain the high levels of population structuring. We provide a list of advisable measures for conservation stakeholders.

A new species of Euterpe (Palmae) from Peru

Euterpe luminosa, a new species from Peru, is described and illustrated. The differences between it and its congeners are discussed.