Non-timber forest products of the North-West District of Guyana Part I TROPENBOS-GUYANA SERIES 8 The Tropenbos-Guyana Series publishes results of research projects carried out in the framework of the Tropenbos-Guyana Programme. The Tropenbos-Guyana Programme operates within the framework of the international programme of the Tropenbos foundation and is executed under the responsibility of Utrecht University. The multi- disciplinary Tropenbos-Guyana Programme contributes to the conservation and wise utilization of forest resources in Guyana by conducting strategic and applied research and upgrading Guyanese capabilities in the field of forest-related sciences. T.R. van Andel Non-timber forest products of the North-West District of Guyana Part I Tropenbos-Guyana Series 8a Tropenbos-Guyana Programme-Georgetown, Guyana ISBN: 90-393-2536-7 Keywords: Non-timber forest products, Guyana, indigenous peoples, ethnobotany. © 2000 Tropenbos-Guyana Programme, Tinde van Andel All rights reserved. No part of this publication, apart from bibliographic data and brief quotations in critical reviews, may be reproduced, re-recorded or published in any form including photography, microfilm, electronic or electromagnetic record, without written permission. 2 Printed by PrintPartners Ipskamp B.V. Cover Front page: Carib children eating the fruits of Inga thibaudiana subsp. thibaudiana Back page: Small-scale furniture workshop along the Haimaracabra River All photographs by Tinde van Andel Photographic layout Frits Kindt Cover design Femke Bulten 3 Non-timber forest products of the North-West District of Guyana Part I Niet-hout bosprodukten van het Noordwest District van Guyana Deel I (Met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) Proefschrift Ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht, op gezag van de Rector Magnificus, Prof. Dr. H.O. Voorma, ingevolge het besluit van het College voor Promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 29 November 2000 des middags te 14:30 uur door 4 Tulemore Ruth van Andel geboren op 16 Mei 1967 te Sorengo (Zwitserland) 5 Promotor: Prof. Dr. P.J.M. Maas Hoogleraar in de Plantensystematiek Nationaal Herbarium Nederland Universiteit Utrecht 6 The research reported in this thesis was carried out in the North-West District of Guyana, within the framework of the Tropenbos-Guyana Programme, 12 E Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, Guyana, and at the Utrecht branch of the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, p.o. box 80102, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands. E- mail: [email protected] This research was funded by the European Union. Additional funding was provided by the Alberta Mennega Stichting and the Van Leersum Fonds (KNAW). 7 “Life on the Barama, unlike that reported from certain other tropical environments, cannot be supported by so simple a means as merely plucking the fruits which a bountiful nature places within easy reach of the hand of man. The jungle yields no vegetable products which are or can be used as a staple human diet; and the animals which inhabit the bush have a wary way of eluding unskilful hunters. Likewise the fish of the streams show an annoying liking for the water of their native habitats in preference to that of a cooking pot……” The Barama River Caribs of British Guiana, by John Gillin (1936: 1). ….And the wise old turtle mother told her small turtles: “No matter how much you like to eat plum, when a storm comes, you must never hide under a plum tree. Because when the plum tree falls, it grows back from the stump and you will be trapped between the branches. You better hide under a Mora tree, when it falls on you it is no problem, you just wait till the Mora tree rots and then you come out under the takouba….” Arawak joke about the patience of the turtle to wait for a chance to escape from captivity. 8 Aan mijn vader, die mij zijn liefde voor planten en de wetenschap heeft bijgebracht, en aan mijn moeder, die mij heeft geleerd nooit de moed op te geven…. 9 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 12 1.1 The importance of NTFPs in forest management 12 1.2 Tropenbos research strategy on NTFPs 14 1.3 Aims and objectives of this research 14 1.4 NTFP harvesting in Guyana 15 1.4.1 From early Amerindian trading systems to colonialism 15 1.4.2 Present-day NTFP harvesting in Guyana 19 1.5 Study sites 19 1.5.1. The North-West District 19 1.5.2. The Barama River Caribs 20 1.5.3 The Santa Rosa Arawaks 22 1.5.4 The Warao 23 1.6 Presentation of results 23 2. FLORISTIC COMPOSITION AND DIVERSITY OF MIXED PRIMARY AND SECONDARY FORESTS IN NORTHWEST GUYANA 27 2.1 Introduction 27 2.2 Methodology 29 2.2.1 Study area 29 2.2.2 Layout of hectare plots 31 2.2.3 Plant collection 33 2.2.4 Data analysis 33 2.3 Results 34 2.3.1 General forest composition 34 2.3.2 Barama mixed forest 36 2.3.3 Moruca mixed forest 39 2.3.4 20-year-old secondary forest (Barama) 41 2.3.5 60 year-old secondary forest (Moruca) 44 2.4 Discussion 46 2.4.1 Classification of mixed forest 46 2.4.2 Disturbance and succession 48 2.4.3 Efficacy of one-hectare plots 49 2.4.4 Biodiversity 49 2.5 Conclusions 52 2.6 Appendix 53 3. FLORISTIC COMPOSITION AND DIVERSITY OF THREE SWAMP FORESTS IN NORTHWEST GUYANA 66 3.1 Introduction 66 3.2 Study sites 67 3.3 Methodology 68 3.4 Results 68 3.4.1 General forest composition 68 3.4.2 Mora forest 70 10 3.4.3 Quackal swamp 73 3.4.4 Savannas 75 3.4.5 Manicole swamp 76 3.5 Discussion 79 3.5.1 Classification of Mora forest 79 3.5.2 Classification of manicole swamp 79 3.5.3 Classification of quackal swamp 80 3.5.4 Savannas 81 3.5.5 Comparison with other Amazonian floodplain forests 82 3.5.6 Usefulness of one-hectare plots 83 3.5.7 Biodiversity 83 3.5.8 Conservation priorities 85 3.6 Appendix 86 4. USEFUL PLANT SPECIES IN THE SEVEN FOREST HECTARE PLOTS 94 4.1 Introduction 94 4.1.1 Quantitative ethnobotany 94 4.4.2 Valuation of forests 95 4.4.3 Quantitative NTFP studies in Guyana 95 4.2 Methodology 96 4.3 Results 98 4.3.1 Food 100 4.3.2 Construction 100 4.3.3 Technology 102 4.3.4 Medicine 103 4.3.5 Other uses 104 4.3.6 Firewood 105 4.3.7 Differences in forest use 105 4.4 Use values and actual ntfp harvesting in the different forest types. 106 4.4.1 Barama mixed forest 106 4.4.2 Young secondary forest 106 4.4.3 Mora forest 107 4.4.4 Moruca mixed forest 108 4.4.5 Late secondary forest 109 4.4.6 Quackal swamp 110 4.4.7 Ité savannas 111 4.4.8 Manicole swamp 112 4.4.9 Most important NTFP species from the seven hectare plots 113 4.4.10 Commercialisation of NTFPs 116 4.4.11 Most important NTFP families 116 4.5 Discussion 118 4.5.1 Nested sampling and plot size 118 4.5.2 Arawak vs. Carib plant use 119 4.5.3 Valuation of forests 119 4.5.4 Use percentages and categories 121 4.5.5 Forest diversity and marketing of NTFPs 123 4.5.6 Secondary forest 124 4.6 Conclusions 126 4.7 Appendix 127 11 5. COMMERCIAL EXTRACTION OF PALM HEARTS 147 5.1 Introduction 147 5.2 Methodology 151 5.2.1 Climate and topography 151 5.2.2 Field inventories 151 5.2.3 Data processing and statistical analysis 149 5.3 The socio-economic setting of palm heart harvesting 156 5.3.1 Types of palm heart harvested in the North-West District 156 5.3.2 Extraction techniques 157 5.3.3 Selection criteria 159 5.3.4 Provenance of the resource 159 5.3.5 Canals 161 5.3.6 Processing of palm hearts 161 5.3.7 The economics of palm heart extraction 162 5.3.8 The role of palm heart harvesting in the village economy 164 5.3.9 Opening the undisturbed areas 168 5.3.10 Relationship between cutters and the Company 166 5.4 Quantitative impacts of palm heart harvesting on Euterpe populations 170 5.4.1 Population structure 170 5.4.2 Sucker and clump mortality 174 5.4.3 Palm heart yield 174 5.4.4 Effects of harvesting practices per study site 175 5.4.5 Harvesting the virgin swamp 176 5.4.6 Harvesting of Euterpe precatoria 176 5.4.7 Growth of Euterpe oleracea in cultivation 177 5.4.8 Effects of palm heart harvesting on other NTFPs 178 5.5 Discussion 178 5.5.1 Impact of palm heart harvesting on Euterpe populations 178 5.5.2 Fallow periods and growth rates 179 5.5.3 Decline in production: Guyana versus Brazil 180 5.5.4 Socio-economic benefits of palm heart harvesting 181 5.6 Recommendations 182 5.6.1 Management plan 182 5.6.2 Further research 182 5.6.3 Certification 183 5.6.4 Large-scale rotation systems 183 5.6.5 Small-scale rotation systems 184 5.6.6 Safety 186 5.6.7 Utilisation of Euterpe fruits 186 5.7 Conclusions 187 6. COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS IN GUYANA’S NORTH-WEST DISTRICT 189 6.1 Introduction 189 6.2 Methodology 191 6.3 Results 193 6.3.1 Total export revenues of NTFPs 193 12 6.3.2 Wildlife 194 6.3.3 Palm heart 197 6.3.4 Nibi and kufa furniture 197 6.3.5 Tibisiri 200 6.3.6 Mokru 200 6.3.7 Medicinal plants 201 6.3.8 Mangrove bark 202 6.3.9 Palm leaves 203 6.3.10 Other NTFPs 204 6.3.11 Importance of non-commercial NTFPs 205 6.4 Discussion 205 6.4.1 Monitoring of NTFP harvesting and export 205 6.4.2 Social advantages of commercial NTFP extraction 207 6.4.3 NTFP extraction: development or underdevelopment? 207 6.4.4 Land tenure 208 6.4.5 Participatory forest management 208 6.4.6 Future commercial NTFPs 209 6.4.7 The potential contribution of NTFPs to forest conservation 210 6.5 Conclusions 211 7.