FAO TECHNICAL PAPERS NON-WOOD FOREST PRODUCTS 1. Flavours and fragrances of plant origin (1995) 2. Gum naval stores: turpentine and rosin from pine resin (1995) 3. Report of the International Expert Consultation on Non-Wood Forest Products (1995) 4. Natural colourants and dyestuffs (1995) 5. Edible nuts (1995) 6. Gums, resins and latexes of plant origin (1995) 7. Non-wood forest products for rural income and sustainable forestry (1995) 8. Trade restrictions affecting international trade in non-wood forest products (1995) 9. Domestication and commercialization of non-timber forest products in agroforestry systems (1996) 10. Tropical palms (1998) 11. Medicinal plants for forest conservation and health care (1997) 12. Non-wood forest products from conifers (1998) 13. Resource assessment of non-wood forest products Experience and biometric principles (2001) 14. Rattan – Current research issues and prospects for conservation and sustainable development (2002) 15. Non-wood forest products from temperate broad-leaved trees (2002) 16. Rattan glossary and Compendium glossary with emphasis on Africa (2004) 17. Wild edible fungi – A global overview of their use and importance to people (2004) 18. World bamboo resources – A thematic study prepared in the framework of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (2007) 19. Bees and their role in forest livelihoods – A guide to the services provided by bees and the sustainable harvesting, processing and marketing of their products (2009) 20. Fruit trees and useful plants in Amazonian life (2011) The FAO Technical Papers are available through the authorized FAO Sales Agents [email protected] )UXLWWUHHVDQGXVHIXOSODQWV LQ$PD]RQLDQOLIH Editors Patricia Shanley Margaret Cymerys Murilo Serra Gabriel Medina Illustrators Silvia Cordeiro Miguel Imbiriba Published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Center for International Forestry Research and People and Plants International IUXLWVBLQGE The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-107007-9 All rights reserved. FAO encourages reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Non-commercial uses will be authorized free of charge, upon request. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes, including educational purposes, may incur fees. Applications for permission to reproduce or disseminate FAO copyright material, and all queries concerning rights and licences, should be addressed by e-mail to [email protected] or to the Chief, Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy © FAO, CIFOR and PPI 2011 (English edition) This edition is a revised and updated version of the original Portuguese edition. © CIFOR and IMAZON, 2005 (Portuguese edition) IUXLWVBLQGE iii -2(/6$5725( “I have never planted here; I am guarding these woods. There is piquia in this forest. I am protecting it for my children and grandchildren.” Senhor Braz Traditional Healer IUXLWVBLQGE iv (GLWRUV 3DWULFLD6KDQOH\ 0DUJDUHW&\PHU\V 0XULOR6HUUD *DEULHO0HGLQD 7UDQVODWLRQ 7ULOE\0DF'RQDOG ,OOXVWUDWLRQVRI)ORUDDQG)DXQD 6LOYLD&RUGHLUR $QW{QLR9DOHQWHGD6LOYD %HH*XQQ 'HQQLV/HY\ ,OOXVWUDWLRQV 0LJXHO,PELULED )iELR6WU\PSO 'DGL6XQJNRZR /D\RXW &KULVVL5HGIHUQ ,VUDHO*XWHPEHUJ 0DSV $WLH3XQWRGHZR &RS\(GLWRUV %HWWLQD1LFHO\-RKQVRQ 7LQD(WKHULQJWRQ ,QGH[HU $QJLH+LSNLQ 6XSSRUW Production of the English version of this book was made possible by support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, People and Plants International, the Center for International Forestry Research and the Melza M. and Frank T. Barr Foundation. Generous support towards research and collaboration in Brazil came from the Overbrook Foundation, Tinker Foundation, Christensen Fund and Woods & Wayside International. Research which gave rise to an earlier edition of this book in Portuguese was supported by: the Institute of Man and the Environment (IMAZON); The Woods Hole Research Center; USAID; International Center for Research on Women (ICRW); the International Development Research Center (IDRC); the Educational Foundation of America; Earth Love Fund; Rainforest Alliance; and IUCN Netherlands. IUXLWVBLQGE v 3$75,&,$6+$1/(< Dedicated To the people of the Amazon who are nourished by the fruits and plants of the forest. IUXLWVBLQGE vii COVER OF THE 2010 PORTUGUESE VERSION (available from www.mma.gov.br/estruturas/sbf_agrobio/_publicacao/89_publicacao08072011032100.pdf or www.cifor.org/nc/online-library/browse/view-publication/publication/1732.html) IUXLWVBLQGE viii 3UHIDFH This book features the uncommon quality of bringing together original scientific knowledge on fruits and useful plants of the Amazon forest and the sensibility to detect the deep interaction between life, traditional knowledge of our forests and folk culture. With its language at the same time accessible, pleasant and practical, the book has become a vehicle to disseminate information that is fundamental to the future of the Amazon and to bring alive the dream of a development model that is economically and socially fair, and that respects the environment. In this book, we from the State of Acre have the privilege of seeing our flora in a dialogue of experiences from eastern, central, and western Amazon. Mahogany, solitary aÇaí palm and rubber – which are part of the history of our region as well as part of our struggles – along with the songs, the gestures full of local culture and universal spirit are all in the book. I would like to draw the reader’s attention to three important aspects of the work of Patricia, Margaret and Gabriel. The first one is related to the impact of this work on collective health, by strengthening the use of plants capable of substantially improving the nutritional value of our diet and, consequently, preventing the so called “illnesses of the poor”. The studies developed by the authors correlated the seasonal availability of fruits in the forest with the incidence of diseases, showing that during periods of scarcity the number of cases of some diseases is highest. The second aspect is related to a powerful characteristic of the Amazon, still under- explored and poorly documented: the role of women in the knowledge and use of the non- timber forest patrimony. The advancement of sustainable experiences in the Amazon has witnessed a strong contribution of women – especially in the reinforcement of community actions and creativity to guarantee the social and material survival of the family. Women may be the strategic leverage to provide both the cement and scale needed to create a new paradigm in the region. In this new edition, the Articulated Movement of the Amazon Women (MAMA) from Acre is studied as a personification of this role. The third aspect I would like to highlight is the ability to associate forests and development – a true one, which instead of throwing us into the vortex of limitless competitiveness and selfishness, leads us to community, to solidarity, and to human and spiritual values as mediators of each one’s goals. The reader will also find studies on community management (Center of Amazonian Workers, CTA, project, Acre), environmental education (Health and Happiness Project, Santarém – Pará State; and SOS Amazon, Acre) and other tracks that lead to integral sustainability, in which it makes sense to take care of the environment since this is the way to take care of life itself, of children and our future. I want to again express my gratitude for this book, which is an extraordinary poem to the Amazon, which touches our emotions with the truths expressed in the simple and powerful figures of our animals, our plants, our aromas, our flavours. A sentiment arises within us, finally, and for our lives, simply and so proudly Amazonian. Marina Silva Former Minister of the Environment, Brazil IUXLWVBLQGE ix FAO preface Since the early 1970s, FAO has been working to support the efforts of forest communities to improve their lives by involving them in the decisions which affect their very existence. Today, an estimated 1.6 billion people around the world use forest resources to meet some of their needs for food, shelter, medicine and cash income. In fact, some 80 percent of people living in the developing world rely on non-wood forest products (NWFPs) such as fruits and medicinal plants for nutritional and health needs. These communities possess a deep knowledge of forests and their products, as well as their benefits to humankind and the environment. They are active caretakers of the forest. Today, more than ever, in the face of the multiple challenges facing the sector, FAO continues to stress the importance of involving forest communities in development initiatives. Nevertheless, a weakness in exchange of information between the scientific community and local populations