Harvesting impact and economic value of Geonoma deversa, Arecaceae, an understory palm used for roof thatching in the Peruvian Amazon
Economic Botany
2000
Journal Article
54
3
267-277
net present value non-timber forest products Puerto Maldonado silviculture extractive reserves plant growth sustainable use of natural resources plants palms Geonoma deversa economic analysis Madre de Dios Bibliography
We evaluated the impact of the leaf harvesting methods on the clonal understory palm Geonoma deversa. In the first method only the leaves are cut, in the second the complete crown is severed. Stands representative for each method are compared with unharvested stands. Both methods of harvesting reduce clone size and reproductive output (inflorescence and infructescence per clone), and lower the number of ramets available for the next harvest. Cutting only the leaves represents a better method of harvest because of a lower impact on the residual stock. Economic analysis reveals that the value of this resource (standing leaf value) is low (2 to 26 U.S. $/ha) compared with labor costs that can be between 55 to 86% of palm thatch revenues. Harvesting Geonoma leaves generates a net present value (NPV) that ranges from 3 to 191 U.S. $/ha depending on the stand location, the wage, and the interest rate employed for the calculation.