Illegal Palm Heart (Geonoma edulis) Harvest in Costa Rican National Parks: Patterns of Consumption and Extraction

Abstract

Illegal Palm Heart (Geonoma edulis) Harvest in Costa Rican National Parks: Patterns of Consumption and Extraction. Illegal extraction of non-timber forest products in the tropics is widespread, and many protected areas face the challenge of balancing conservation needs with cultural practices related to the use and extraction of animals and plants. We studied the illegal wild palm heart extraction of Geonoma edulis, locally known as súrtuba, in Volcán Poás and Braulio Carrillo National Parks in Costa Rica. Through 96 questionnaires administered in three communities bordering these national parks, and by semistructured interviews with poachers and park managers, this study examined extraction and consumption motives, patterns, and frequencies. This palm is sought out by the communities for use during Holy Week to satisfy cultural traditions, for its associated nutritive value, and because of its unique bitter flavor, not comparable to domesticated palm heart. Whereas the majority of the respondents consume it during Holy Week (55.2%), a substantial number (27.1%) consume G. edulis palm heart at least once a month. The majority extract once a year (58%); however, a minority (2.1%) rely on G. edulis for economic subsistence. This accounts for 72.6% of the reported extraction (over 4,500 palms per year) and is supplying a year-round market for nontraditional use. Our results show that what most likely began as a cultural tradition has become an uncontrolled, nontraditional source of income. Additional efforts should determine the feasibility of limited extraction outside protected areas to satisfy traditional use. Such an effort entails the decentralization of biodiversity policies and innovative methods to implement protective measures, as well as incentives for community involvement in the management of this palm heart species.

Use of the palm Euterpe edulismartius in landscape units managed by migrants of German origin in Southern Brazil

“…In this study, there was interest in cultivation of the species close to residents’ homes. The pattern of palm cultivation that occurs when use is suppressed to meet cultural needs was shown in Costa Rica for Geonoma edulis [87]. …”

The electronic trade in endemic plants of Cyprus through the Internet

“…Our knowledge on the trafficking of plants over the Internet had been limited to only a few incidents (e.g. McMahan & Walter 1989;Wolf & Konings 2001;Entwistle et al 2002;Flores-Palacios & Valencia-Diaz 2007;Alacs & Georges 2008;Sylvester & Avalos 2009;Jiménez-Sierra & Eguiarte 2010;Williams et al 2012;Shirey et al 2013) until very recently, when the e-commerce of the endemic plants of Greece was studied in a systematic way (Krigas et al 2014).…”

Demography of the Clonal Palm Prestoea Acuminata in the Colombian Andes: Sustainable Household Extraction of Palm Hearts

“…As a comparison, the management strategy for the Brazilian palm Euterpe edulis in the Atlantic forest is to maintain 50-60 seed trees ha -1 [58]. We would like to emphasize that our management recommendations are not based on the matrix model alone, but on the species´ demography Some studies have shown how a culturally driven extraction can become an uncontrolled, nontraditional source of income [60,61]. Since informal stalls selling P. acuminata palm hearts were observed during Holy Week at villages near our study site, quantitative data on P.acuminata local palm heart demand, consumption motivations and preferences should be obtained [60].…”

“…We would like to emphasize that our management recommendations are not based on the matrix model alone, but on the species´ demography Some studies have shown how a culturally driven extraction can become an uncontrolled, nontraditional source of income [60,61]. Since informal stalls selling P. acuminata palm hearts were observed during Holy Week at villages near our study site, quantitative data on P.acuminata local palm heart demand, consumption motivations and preferences should be obtained [60]. Current and past harvest practices [11,62], traditional ecological knowledge and traditional resource management of the species should also be studied in detail [63].…”