Harvesting of Geonoma macrostachys Mart. leaves for thatch: An exploration of sustainability

Abstract:

Palm leaves are an important source of roof thatch for rural communities in many parts of the tropics. Often leaves are harvested from wild populations, and as a non-timber forest product may promote local commitment to forest conservation. Nevertheless, reports suggest that at least some wild populations are declining due to over-harvesting. In Amazonian Ecuador the understory palm Geonoma macrostachys Mart. is often the preferred species for thatching. Here we explore the limits to sustainable harvesting of this species combining ethnobotanical data on the use of this species by the Huaorani indigenous group with ecological data and transition matrix modeling. We find that due to severe light limitation there seems to be little scope for sustainable harvesting of this species from old-growth forest. Instead high rates of sustainable harvesting could probably be achieved in semi-open anthropogenic habitats, e.g. agroforestry systems or young secondary forests. We also find that harvesting scheme has a strong impact on sustainable harvesting rates; if only adults (leaf length 100-223 cm) are harvested, while subadults (leaf length 35-99 cm) are left unharvested, two to three times as much leaf material can be harvested per area (at a fixed density) as when subadults are also harvested. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Año de publicación:

2002

Keywords:

• sustainable management
• Extractivism
• Transition matrix analysis
• Non-Timber Forest Products
• Palm leaves
• Tropical rain forest

Fuente:

scopus