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Ecology, uses and management of tagua (phytelephas aequatoriales spruce) in the cordillera chongón colonche

Abstract:

Tagua is a species of palm that grows in and adjacent to wet forests along the coast of Ecuador and in the Chocó Region. The purpose of this study is to identify best management practices and regulate tagua (seed) or vegetable ivory and palm leaf (cade) harvesting. A socio-economic and ecological characterization was conducted in seven communities, four located inside Machalilla National Park and three outside. Quantitative information was gathered on the tagua populations, the forest in general, traditional harvesting practices, and on socio-economic aspects related to these practices. Each community has traditional harvesting areas, which have two harvesting seasons per year: one from August to November and another from February to April. In general, community members that own land use goodharvesting practices; however, people that come to harvest from other areas often without permission use poor practices. 100% of the people interviewed received income from tagua sales. The natural tagua population for seedlings and those under 10 cm of diameter breast height (DBH) is 436 trees/ha and 177 trees/ha above that size. There are many uses for dried tagua nuts and leaves. The proposals for good management practices for tagua nuts and palm leaves are based on local knowledge and an analysis of the plant population.