Effects of different levels of exploration on the ecological processes of Dimorphandra gardneriana, a tropical savanna tree.

The exploitation of forest resources, especially non-timber forest products, has effects on different biological levels, from the biochemical level of an organism to the ecosystem level. The present study addresses the effects of different management strategies (protected area, managed area, and an area where the species is cultivated in agroforestry systems) in reproductive phenology, fruit features, and phytochemical profiles of Dimorphandra gardneriana (Leguminosae), a tree species, pioneer, and socioeconomically important plant of the Brazilian Savanna. Its fruits are exploited by extractivist communities to obtain rutin and quercetin, which are internationally traded bioflavonoids (two of the ten most exported phytochemicals in Brazil). The results showed that the effects on these parameters were characterized as positive, increasing according to the level of exploitation. The agroforestry system had higher yields of flavonoids of economic interest, viable fruits and seeds, followed by the management area and the protected area. Finally, knowledge about the planting effects on fava d'anta fruit production can be a great ally for effectively managing forest resources. A varied system of exploitation implies greater and more stable economic returns for extractive communities, favoring the conservation of the species in protected areas.

Ethnobotany and Management of Dimorphandra gardneriana in a Protected Area of Chapada do Araripe Semiarid Ceará, Northeastern Brazil.

The development of conservation strategies for nontimber forest products requires the characterization of the management systems and ethnoecological knowledge of the used species, as well as the analysis of the biological impacts of these processes. This study aimed to evaluate management systems and extractivist areas and related ethnoecological knowledge of Dimorphandra gardneriana (fava d'anta) in the semiarid region of Ceará, Northeast of Brazil. Fava d'anta produces fruits with high concentration of bioflavonoids, substances with various pharmacological properties, being exploited by extractivist communities in the mosaic of protected areas in Chapada do Araripe, Ceará. Ethnoecological knowledge has been concentrated on collectors who have been in activity for a longer time and/or plant the species. We identified three management systems that can impact in different ways on fava d'anta populations, depending on the area and level of human interference with the species. The extractivists respect the zoning of protected areas and do not enter in the full protection area, choosing areas with the highest tree density. The different systems produce a mosaic that creates different extraction opportunities and modifications to the local landscape and to fava d'anta populations. Factors that may have effects on the conservation of the species are the lack of supervision and overexploitation of the resource in native areas, while the factors that affect the health of extractivists are the infrastructure of the work and exposure to wild environments.