PARENT SESSION
Wednesday, August 9, 1:30-5:00 pm
COS 70 - Forest ecology and management
L-5, L-6, L-7, Lobby Level, Cook Convention Center
Presiders: S Bigelow and C Miller
A comparison between wild populations and agroforestry plantings of moriche palm (Mauritia flexuosa) in the Amazon Basin.
Penn, James*,1, Miller, Christopher2, 1 Department of Geography and Planning, Allendale, MI2 Department of Math and Science, Saint Leo, FL
ABSTRACT- Aguaje or morete palm (Mauritia flexuosa L.f.) is the most economically important palm in the Iquitos region of the Peruvian Amazon. Wild populations there have experienced widespread destruction due to felling of palms for their fruit which is highly coveted in the urban center of Iquitos; in contrast, some wild populations in Ecuador located near urban areas are relatively intact. Currently, plantings in agroforestry systems in Peru are yielding some promising results with potential for significant fruit production. Growth rates are compared in a number of agroforestry environments to intact wild populations in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We contrast cultural preferences in Ecuador and Peru and examine the implications of harvesting wild populations versus harvesting agroforestry palms.
Key words: agroforestry, palms, Amazon