Silviculture of Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) Barneby practiced by people originating in the brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Indigenous peoples, in the Brazilian Amazon, have contributed a lot to the domestication of countless plant species used by the contemporary population as a whole. However, these peoples currently face legal limitations to market their forest products produced in a sustainable manner. In this regard, the study aimed to show the population structure of Schizolobium parahyba var amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) Barneby, in environments conducive to natural regeneration and native forest. The species is used in the laminate industry in the region. The research also aims to contribute to the generation of indicators for discussion about the legal aspects of forestry to conduct natural regeneration in indigenous lands, in the Brazilian Amazon. To conduct the study, three environments of occurrence of the referred species were sampled: forests in climax and altered, and area under natural regeneration of the species, conducted by the original peoples, both environments located in the Amazon biome. The result of the study found that in the climax and altered forest the species has its population reduced due to its ecological character, since it is heliophile. Regarding the environment under natural regeneration, the same species showed structural differentiation from the other environments, demonstrating the effect of the forestry practice of conducting regeneration, in the form of polyculture, associated with other agricultural species. However, the lack of legal support for the commercialization of wood by native peoples discourages this sustainable forestry practice, and encourages simplified cultivation such as coffee and other single agricultural crops.

Keywords:
Amazon; Forestry; Indigenous peoples; Pinho-cuiabano