Oligarchic forests of economic plants in amazonia: utilization and conservation of an important tropical resource.
Tropical forests dominated by only one or two tree species occupy tens of millions of hectares in Ammonia In many cases, the dominant species produce fruits, seeds, or oils of economic importance. Oligarchic (Gr. oligo = few, archic = dominated or ruled by) forests of six economic species, i. e., Euterpe oleracea, Grias peruviana, Jessenia bataua, Mauritia flexuosa, Myrciaria dubia, and Orbignya phalerata, were studied in Brazil and Peru Natural populations of these species contain from 100 to 3,000 conspecific adult trees/ha and produce up to 11.1 metric tons of fruit/hd/yr. These plant populations are utilized and occasionally managed, by rural inhabitants in the region. Periodic fruit harvests, if properly controlled have only a minimal impact on forest structure and function, yet can generate substantial economic returns Market-oriented extraction of the fruits produced by oligarchic forests appears to represent a promising alternative for reconciling the development and conservation of Amazonian forests.
Institute of Economic Botany The New York Botanical Garden Bronx, New York 10458, U.S.A. Institute of Economic Botany The New York Botanical Garden Bronx, New York 10458, U.S.A. Institut Français de Recherche Scientifique pour le Développement en Coopération (ORSTOM) Lima, Peru Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi 66.000, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
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Peters
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Balick
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Kahn
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Anderson