Wax palm
conservation
(Ceroxylon quindiuense)
2 3 Daniel M. Díaz-Rueda, Andrés Caro, Jaime Polanía 1
Zapatoca,
in
1
©2015
Semillero de Investigación en Conservación y Restauración de Ecosistemas Departamento de Ciencias Forestales Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín
Colombia.
1
damdiazru@unal.edu.co
Objectives
Introduction The Serranía de los Yariguies is an isolated branch of the Colombian Eastern Cordillera, whose relief—500-3200 m altitudinal gradient—and climate, configure different soil types and environmental conditions, and enable the establishment of a diverse and understudied biota (Díaz, 2008). Zapatoca and 15 more municipalities make up this Serrania, which is located in the middle of the department of Santander. They show a representative ecosystem diversity, where the creation of Nature Reserves of the Civil Society (NRCS) has been noteworthy in recent years.
We want to assess the status and the restoration potential of the wax palm in a Zapatoca private nature reserve, as well as develop alternatives for its conservation in terms of propagation, environmental education and legal issues.
The wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense (H. Karst.) H. Wendl), has been declared the Colombian National Tree (Act 61 of 1985). The palm trees can be found from Venezuela to Perú, and over the three mountain ranges of the Colombian Andes. Nevertheless wax palm trees are less common in both the Oriental and Occidental Cordilleras than in the Central Cordillera (Galeano & Bernal, 2010), and include other species such as C. vogelianum. The wax palm trees have been affected mainly by: (i) loss of habitat due to the expansion of agriculture and livestock boundaries with slash and burn techniques; ii) the use of their leaves to build brooms; and (iii) the use of their buds or juvenile leaves as blessed palm fronds during the catholic celebrations of Holy Week. Santander is one of the few regions in Colombia where this practice is still used.
RESERV A NA L LA Mágica-El MO NTA ÑAPoleo M ÁGICA "EL PO LEO " Nature Reserve LaTURA Montaña 1085000
1085200
1085400
Table 1. Population structure
1248200
40 30 20 10 0
JUV. 1
JUV. 2
JUV. 3
ADULTS
Measuring Juv. 3
Number of individuals
Table 2. Abundance 16 14 12 10 8
ADULTS
6 4
JUV. 3
2 0
0-5
5,1-10
10,1-15 15,1-20
20,1-25 25,1-30
Tagging adult
Height class
Lindero La Diosa (53,4 La Diosa (53.4 ha)ha)
El Poleo (32.7 ha)ha) Lindero El Poleo (32,7 Creek El Quebrada El Poleo Poleo
1248000
1248000
La Diosa 1247800
1247800
1247600
1247600
El Poleo 1247400
1247400
1247200
1247200 1085200
1085400
1085600
150
1085800
1:8.000 300
1086000
450
1086200
1086400
600 m
Senderos Trails Camino RealReal Camino Sendero La Diosa La Diosa Las Palmas Sendero Palmas Sendero PiedraPiedra Sendero Renacimiento Renacimiento Casa Casa Sendero Ubicación: Santander, Zapatoca, Location Vereda La Cacica Vereda La Cacica, Zapatoca,Predio Santander, Colombia. El Poleo: Geo Info Daniel M. Díaz Rueda, Levantó: Reynaldo Rueda, Rueda El Poleo:Díaz Daniel M. Josué Díaz-Rueda Rueda Reynaldo Díaz-Rueda Josue Rueda Predio La Diosa: LaLevantó: Diosa:Daniel DanielM.M. Díaz-Rueda Díaz Rueda, Reynaldo Díaz-Rueda Reynaldo Díaz Rueda, Carlos Duarte. Carlos Duarte Elaboró: Mayra A. Bedoya Villate, Map M. Díaz&Rueda. MayraDaniel A. Bedolla Daniel Área M. Díaz-Rueda Total: 86,1 ha
Total Area: 86.1 ha Sistema de Coordenadas: Colombia Coordinate system: Bogota ZoneBogotá Fecha de elaboración: 24/08/2014 Date: 24/08/2014
Study Area The NRCS "La Montaña Mágica-El Poleo" is located between 06° 50’ N and 73°18’ O, and comprises an area of 86.3 ha; it shows an altitudinal gradient from 1850 to 2300 masl, an average temperature of 18 °C, and belongs to the montane rain forest (bh-PM) Life Zone. There is wax palm tree stand, associated to oak tree (Quercus humboldtii) relicts that was recently discovered. Its existence and species were confirmed at a specialist’s visit from the Neotropical Wild Palms Research Group of the Natural Sciences Institute at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in 2012.
Conclusions
50
Seedling
Juvenile 2
Juvenile 1
Juvenile 3
Adult
• The palm tree stand disruption scenario is partly consistent with both hypothesis, long-lived adults left and resilient rosettes, since there are some taller individuals present. However most of them have a uniform height, which is an evidence that rosettes of the same age were left after deforestation. • The wax palm stands present acceptable structural characteristics, with plenty of regeneration and female adults producing seeds, despite the loss and degradation of their habitat, and the former use as blessed palm fronds. • The rich palm tree stand regeneration rate allows for assisted regeneration—with the rescue of palm seedlings, and replanting in other areas of the reserve—as well as sexual spreading with seeds, could be promising tools for regional restoration projects. • Although the local population seed production is poor, we are not considering the introduction of seedlings from other populations of the Cordillera Central (e.g. from the Cocora Valley). • The search for new palm tree stands in the region, or the regional exchange of seeds and/or seedlings, could be an alternative to increase the richness and the area covered by local palms. Catholic culture is deeply rooted in the region. However, some alternatives to the blessed palm fronds in processions—as other bouquets made of corn husks, treelets, and other plants—have served to reduce its current use. We hope this use can be completely eradicated in the near future. • This work contributes across the four lines of action proposed in the "Plan for the Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use of the Palm Wax," prepared by the Ministry of the Environment in conjunction with the Research Neotropical Wild Palms Group: (i) research and monitoring, (ii) conservation, (iii) management and instruments policies; and (iv) education and communication.
2014
35 30
Height (m)
Number of individuals
60
1086400
1248200
Methods
Counting seedlings
1086200
Legend Leyenda
0
Seedlings were the more abundant life stage, with 658 individuals. The environmental leader Mr. Reynaldo Díaz Rueda helped to produce the following draft of a city council agreement, "Whereby the wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense) and the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) are declared flagship species of the Zapatoca municipality". This agreement shall be submitted as a symbolic act for the community to recognize the importance of their local biodiversity.
1086000
1248400
1085000
Results
1085800
1248400
The study of the structure and abundance of the wax palm in the Cordillera Oriental has been almost nil. According to Sanin et al. (2013) the remaining palm tree stands in the Andes are the result of two possible scenarios: (i) either long lived adults were left, while the area was deforested; or (ii) the resilient rosettes are of the same age.
Individuals were located and classified according to the life stages proposed by Anthelme et al. (2011), they were labeled and georeferenced. The height of juvenile 3 and adults were measured. Restoration and conservation alternatives for palms were evaluated according to the social and economic dynamics of the region.
1085600
Table 3. Height comparison
25 20 15 10 5 0
Bibliography
ADULTS JUV. 3 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Number of individuals
Damage
Catholic rituals 2015
Wood harvest
Fracture
Fire
Rottening
• Anthelme F., J. Lincango, C. Gully, N. Duarte, R. Montúfar (2011) How anthropogenic disturbances affect the resilience of a keystone palm tree in the threatened Andean cloud forest? Biol Conserv 144: 1059-1067. • Díaz, M. (2008) Plan de manejo del Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de Los Yariguíes. Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia. Informe. • Galeano, G. & R. Bernal. (2010) Palmas de Colombia. Guía de Campo. Editorial Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias-Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. Colombia. • Sanín MJ, F. Anthelme, J-C. Pintaud, G. Galeano, R. Bernal (2013) Juvenile Resilience and Adult Longevity Explain Residual Populations of the Andean Wax Palm Ceroxylon quindiuense after Deforestation. PLoS ONE 8(10).
Acknowledgements Many thanks to María José Sanín and Rodrigo Bernal for their help with the methodology and data analysis. To Mayra Bedoya for building the maps. To Colciencias and Fundación Polanía for financing part of this research.
diseño-design
juancamilo.jaramillo@gmail.com