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 Amazonia 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. Resuman: Bosques tropicales dominados por solo urn o dos especies cubren millones de hectares en la Amuzonia En muchos casos las especies dominantes producen frutos, semillas, o aceites de importancia economica Bosques oligarquicos (del griego oligo = poco, arquico = dominado o gobernado por) de seis especies economicas, Euterpe oleracea, Grias peruviana, Jessenia bataua, Mauritia flexuosa, Myrciaria dubia y Orbignya phalerata, fueron estudiados en Brazil y Peru Las poblaciones naturales de estas especies contienen desde 100 hasta 3,000 arboles adultos coespecificos/ha y producen hasta 11.1 toneladas metricas de frutos/ha/ano. Estas poblaciones de plantas son utilizadas, y ocasionalmente manejadas, por pobladores rurales de la region. Las cosechas periodicas de frutos, si estan controlladas, tienen un impacto ecologico minimo sobre la estructura y dinamica del bosque perm pueden rendir ingressos economicos substanciales. La extracion comercial de frutos parece ser una alternative promisoria para integrar el desarrollo y la conservacion de los bosques Amazonicos.