Management and conservation of closed forests in tropical America

152 Pages·1993·4.9 MB·English

by  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

ISSN0258-6150
Management and
conservation of
closed forests in
tropical America
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Coverphoto:Diametermeasurementinnaturalforest(slidefromParacon,FrenchGuiana)
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Management and FAO
FORESTRY
PAPER
conservation of
101
closed forests in
tropical America
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OArgrgiacnuilztautrieon
otUNfhnaeittieodns
Rome,1993
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aoNrraetbaioouonnrsdoafcroiitnescsae.urtnhoirnigtitehse,olregcaolnscteartnuisngoftahenydecloiumnittratyi,onteorfriittosryf,rocnittiyeorrs
M-36
ISBN92-5*103147-9
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©FAO1993
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PREFACE
TheForestResourcesDivisionofFAO'sForestryDepartmenthasundertakenin
recentyearsthepublicationofaseriesofForestryPapersonthemanagementofmoist
tropicalforestsincollaborationwithvariousnationalorganizations.Thefirstofthese
documentspresentedexamplesoftropicalforestmanagementinIndia,Ghana,Hondurasand
TrinidadandTobago(FAOForestryPapersNos53and55). Thesewerefollowedby
regionalsurveysofforestmanagementsystemscurrentlypracticedinAfricaandAsia,
publishedin1989(FAOForestryPapersNos88and89). Thispapercontinuestheseries
withasurveyofthemanagementsystemsimplementedinthemoisttropicalforestsofLatin
AmericaandtheCaribbean.
Thisistheregionthathasthelargestareaofclosedtropicalforestsintheworld.
Asinmostofthetropicalworld,thedestructionoftheseforestsisproceedingatarapid
pace.AlthoughthegreatAmazonianforestisstilllargelyintact,inspiteofconsiderable
deforestationonitsoutskirts,themaintenanceofasufficientamountofforestcoverinother
tropicalpartsofthecontinentisproblematical,orevengravelycompromised.
Themanagementoftropicalforestswithaviewtothesustainedproductionofwood
and/orotherproductsandservicesisasinequanonnotonlyfortheirconservationbut
alsoforimprovementofthequalityoflifeofthemillionsofpersonswholiveinornear
theseforests.
IntheAmazonBasincountries,wherepopulationdensityislow,zoningbasedon
solidscientificcriteriashouldmakeitpossibletodirectlandsettlementtowardstherichest
soils,todevelopthepermanentforestsandtoreserveacertainnumberofprotectedareas.
Extensive,ratherthanintensiveforestmanagementshouldbeenvisagedintheinitialphases
ofsuchdevelopment.
TheCentralAmericanandCaribbeancountries,ontheotherhand,haveahigh
populationdensityandarefacedwithwoodsupplyproblems.Theirlandreservesarelimited
andthereismuchsoilerosion. Inthiscontextapolicybasedonthedelimitationof
permanentnationalproductiveforestsisimperative,andmustbeaccompaniedbyintensive
forestmanagement,possiblyinassociationwithagro-silvo-pastoral-activities.
Wehopethatthisstudywillserveasareferencebookforthoseinterestedinthis
subject,whethertheybeforestersornot,andthatitwillhelpthemtounderstandmorefully,
andpossiblyalsotosolve,theproblemsposedinthemanagementoftropicalAmerican
forests.
Director
ForestResourcesDivision
ForestryDepartment
This One
GXQ3-XL9-SXD5
(hiedmaterial
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ThisdocumentisbasedonseveralcontributedcasestudieswhoseauthorsFAO
wishestoacknowledge:
"InformerelativoalmanejodebosquestropicaleshumedosenMexico"-Miguel
CaballeroDeloya,CarlosRodriguezFranco,InstitutoNacionaldeInvestigaciones
ForestalesyAgropecuariasdeMexico,Mexico.
“ElmanejodebosqueshumedostropicalesenAmericaCentral”-HdctorA.
Martinez,RonniedeCamino,CentroAgrondmicoTropicaldeInvestigacidny
Enseiianza-CATIE,CostaRica.
"ManagementoftropicalmoistforestinSuriname”-J.HendrisonandW.B.J.
Jonkers,LandbouwHogeschool,Wageningen,Netherlands.
"RapportnationalsurI'amdnagementdesforetsnaturellestropicaleshumidesen
AmdriqueLatine”,OfficeNationaldesForets-ONFandleCentreTechnique
ForestierTropical-CTFT,FrenchGuiana.
FAOsincerelythanksthe"CentreTechniqueForestierTropical"inFrancetowhich
itcommittedthesynthesisandfinaleditingofthedocument.Inparticular,FAOwishesto
thanktheauthors:MessrsH.F.Maitre,D.Laurent,A.Coic,C.FargeotandV.Favrichon
fortheiroutstandingwork.
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CONTENTS
Pape
L INTRODUCTION I
1. Previouspapers 1
2. Presentation 1
3. Managementandconservation 2
IL EXTENTANDCLASSIFICATIONOFCLOSEDFORESTS
INTROPICALAMERICA 5
21.. TThheetirsolpaincdalfofroersetssts-othfeMCeaxriicbobeaanndCentralAmerica 59
3. TheGuyaneseforestregion 12
4. TheAmazonianforestregion 15
III. FORESTPOLICIES.LEGISLATIONANDADMINISTRATION 25
L TheIsthmusentries 25
2. TheCaribbeanarchipelagocountries 28
2. TheGuyaneseregioncountries 29
4. TheAmazoniancountries 22
5. Recapitulation 40
IV. STATEOFTHF.RESOURCE-INVENTORIES
ANDDEFORESTATION 43
L TheIsthmuscountries 44
2. Mexico 48
2. Belize 48
4. TheCaribbean 49
5. TheGuyaneseregion 51
Z6. TGehneerAamlazcoonncilaunsicoonusntries 5526
V. ECONOMICFACTORSANDWOODPROCESSING 52
1. Generalintroduction 52
? TheIsthmusandCaribbeancountries 60
3. TheGuyaneseregioncountries 66
4^TheAmazonianandAndeancountries 20
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YL RESEARCH 26
21.. TThheeIGsutyhamnuesseanrdegCiaornibcboeunatnriceosuntries 7296
3. TheAmazonianandAndeancountries 82
4. Overallsummaryofresearch 87
YiL MANAGEMENTPROGRAMMESANDPROJECTS 90
1. Overview 90
2. TheIsthmusandCaribbeancountries 21
3. TheGuyaneseshieldcountries 98
4. TheAmazonianandAndeancountries 1111
YUL CASESTUDIES IfflZ
1. CasestudyN°1 107
2. CasestudyN°2 113
3. CasestudyN°3 117
4. CasestudyN°4 124
5. CasestudyN°5 128
6. CasestudyN°6 131
DC GENERALSUMMARY-CONCLUSION 133
BIBLIOGRAPHY 132
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I. INTRODUCTION
manageme1.ntPraenvdiocuosnspearpveartsio:nWpirtohgraavmimeews,tothteheFpAlOanFnoirnegstarnydDperpeapratrmateinotnhoafsctroompmiicaslsifoorneesdt
anumberofpapersontropicalmoistforestmanagement.Themostrecentandsignificantof
theseare:
"ReviewofforestmanagementsystemsofTropicalAsia"(FAOFORESTRYPAPER89)
basedoncasestudiesoftimber-orientedprojectsinIndia,MalaysiaandthePhilippines;and
"ManagementoftropicalmoistforestsinAfrica"(FAOFORESTRYPAPER88),which
dealsessentiallywithlowlandtropicalmoistforests.
America2.anPdresAemnatzaotinoina:,Thainsdparpeevriedwesalsthaebofvoreesatllswiittuhatlioown-atlytpiitcuadleomfoimstosftoretsrtospiicnalCenLtatrianl
AmericannationsandprevailinginthedefinitionandapplicationofForestManagement
Plans.
ItsummarizestheavailabledocumentscollectedbytheFAOForestryDepartment.
Theseareeithernationalreportswrittenexpresslyforthepurposesofthepresentpaper(as
inthecasesofCentralAmerica,Suriname,andFrenchGuiana),orprojectreportsorfinal
assessmentsdrawnupbyvariousexpertsandparticipants(asinthecasesofBrazil,Mexico,
Venezuela,etc....).
Foreasierreading,inthefollowingchaptersthevariouscountrieshavebeengrouped
togetheringeographicalblocsorsub-regions:
- Thefirst,consistingofMexico,theCentralAmericanIsthmuscountriesand
Belize,constitutesarelativelyhomogeneousunitwhosenaturalforestformations
arepresentedingreatestdetailinthesectiononMexico;
- ThesecondistheCaribeanArchipelago,anareaonwhichonlyscantydatais
availableinmanycases;
- ThenextgroupconsistsofSuriname,GuyanaandFrenchGuiana(including
VenezuelanGuyana)whichduetotheirsizeandtheirinclusionintheGuyanese
ShieldaresomewhatalooffromtheAmazonianforestregion;
- ThelastgroupismadeupofallthoseSouthAmericannationsthatinclude
portionsofAmazonianforest,namelyBrazil,Bolivia,Colombia,Ecuador,Peru
andVenezuela;themostdetailedpresentationoftheseforestformationsisgiven
inthesectiononBrazil.
Thesegroupingsarefurtherjustifiedbytheconceptofaninteractiverelationship
betweenforestcoveranddeforestation,thelatterbeingdirectlyrelatedtopopulationdensity
pWeorrlkdm?”2.TMhAeTTgrIapPhAsLhOown&bJeUloRwKI(taSkAenLMfIrom19"8D7e,foTrhesetaFtiinoinshorFodreevsetloRpemseenatrcihnItnhsetiTthutier)d,
whichestablishesthecorrelationbetweenforestcoverandpopulationdensityinLatin
Americain1980,isextremelyeloquent:
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Foreisoto%- *FR.GUIANA *SURINA•MGEUYANA
cover
%
*PERU
*BRAZIL *ECUADOR
*BOLIVIA
*COLOMBIA
•VENEZUELA
*COSTARICA
*MEXICO
•HAITI
0
2,7 7,4 20 55 148
Densitypop/km3
TheGuyaneseShieldcountriesaregroupedtogetherin thesectorwith low
populationdensityandhighrateofcover,whilstCostaRica(Isthmus)andMexicoareinthe
oppositesector(highpopulationdensityandlowforestcover);mostoftheAmazonian
countriesaremidwaybetweenthetwo.
(AttentionisdrawntothedramaticsituationinHaiti).
Nnaottuera:lSfooreasst,toitspcroensseerrvveattihoencaonndsidsetveenlcyop(maenndt,pwreimhaarvyemdoetciivdaetdiotno)omoift,thoirsrpaatpheerr,,tnoaamveolidy
dealingatanylengthwithman-madeforestplantations(andtheirsilviculturaltechniques),
whicharecertainlyverynumerousandwouldhavetakenupadisproportionateamountof
spaceinthetext,althoughinthelastanalysistheymerelyconstituteatechnicalalternative
whenthenaturalforestecosystemcannolongerbesustained.
toprotec3t.aMafnoaregsetmiesnttoawndorckonisnerivta;timoonr:eThsepreceifciacnallbye,ncoondtoiunbutoutshatanodnepoefrmtahneebnetstfworaeysst
managementcombinesallthecrucialelementsrequiredtoassureforestconservation,andthis
isevenmoretruewhenthesemeasuresareabletogiverisetopositiveeconomic,ecological,
socialandscientificrepercussions.
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