Certification of açaí agroforestry increases the conservation potential of the Amazonian tree flora

Abstract

The harvesting of açaí berries (palm fruits from the genus Euterpe) in Amazonia has increased over the last 20 years due to a high local and global market demand and triggered by their widely acclaimed health benefits as a ‘superfood’. Although such increase represents a financial boom for local communities, unregulated extraction in Amazonia risks negative environmental effects including biodiversity loss through açai intensification and deforestation. Alternatively, the introduction of certified sustainable agroforestry production programs of açaí has been strategically applied to reduce the exploitation of Amazonian forests. Local açaí producers are required to follow principles of defined sustainable management practices, environmental guidelines, and social behaviors, paying specific attention to fair trade and human rights. In this study we investigate whether sustainable agroforestry and certification effectively promotes biodiversity conservation in Amazonia. To address this question, we conducted a forestry inventory in two hectares of long-term certified açai harvesting areas to gain further knowledge on the plant diversity and forest structure in açaí managed forests and to understand the contribution of certification towards sustainable forest management. On average, we found that certified managed forests harbor 50% more tree species than non-certified açaí groves. Trees in certified areas also have significantly higher mean basal area, meaning larger and hence older individuals are more likely to be protected. Certified harvesting sites also harbor dense populations of threatened species as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (e.g. Virola surinamensis, classified as ‘endangered’). Besides increasing the knowledge of plant diversity in açaí managed areas, we present baseline information for monitoring the impact of harvesting activities in natural ecosystems in Amazonia.

Açaí palm management disturbs seed rain and soil seed bank of an Amazonian estuarine forest

“…The practical implication from this situation is that it is unlikely that açaí‐managed forest stands/landscapes will naturally achieve the standards posed by current regulations, a pre requisite to label açaí‐based commodities as sustainable via the certification of açaí fruit production (see Damasco et al, 2022). We refer to forest stands supporting a minimum of 400 clumps/ha according to the current regulation (SEMAS, 2013).…”

“…In response to an increasing global demand, açaí intensification shall continue to expand as transition from extractivism based on natural açaí populations (i.e., traditional forest management (Anderson et al, 1995)) towards açaí‐dominated forests or even plantations/monospecific forest stands (see Freitas et al, 2021; Weinstein and Moegenburg, 2004). Açaí fruit production is the most lucrative NTFP from the Amazon region, a key asset for riverine populations and a potential global “case” of a sustainable NTFP already influencing the collection/cultivation of other native fruits (Damasco et al, 2022; Tregidgo et al, 2020; Sousa & Barros, 2018).…”

“…Açaí-dominated forests have lower biomass and lower canopy/foliar cover due to reduction on tree density (i.e., decline of local seed production), with implications on the light regime and microclimate conditions (Freitas et al, 2021(Freitas et al, , 2015. These changes facilitate some life forms such as light-demanding herbaceous plants (Braga & Jardim, 2019), but also the recruitment of light-demanding species such as the açaí palm (Arango et al, 2010;Damasco et al, 2022), with a positive response particularly among young palms (Ramírez et al, 2015). All of these factors may affect the seed rain and soil seed bank, both taxonomically and functionally, potentially leading to alternative successional trajectory as açaí management intensifies.…”

Brazilian Biodiversity as a Source of Power and Sustainable Development: A Neglected Opportunity

“…The Amazon Third Way initiative connects conservation purposes with physical, digital and biological technologies, a strategy aligned with the 4th Industrial Revolution [65]. Açaí (Euterpe oleracea) agroforestry systems add significant gains to the economy of the Amazon region each year, in addition to contributing to the conservation of the Forest [66,67]. In addition to being exported to different countries for human consumption, açaí is already used in the manufacture of cosmetics and medical products [68].…”

Benefits associated with topoclimatic zoning for native species of the Brazilian Amazon: methodological innovation

“…To identify areas that have potential for forest plantations using native tree species, it is necessary to develop and improve methods that are able to reduce implementation time and nancial costs through integration of biophysical variables to establish areas that have high, medium, and low potential for a speci c species. Zoning for forest species in Brazil has been applied to Eucalyptus in the south of Brazil 11 , edaphic zoning for Amazonian species and bioclimatic zoning for indication species to be used in agroforest systems 12 .…”