WildShare International

Download Here: Sustainable Palm Initiative Working Paper #1:

Evaluating the role of certification in the sustainable harvest of Chamaedorea leaves

Sustainable Palm Initiative

We have launched the Sustainable Palm Initiative to focus on the sustainable management of palm resources.  Currently our activities center on the Chamaedorea trade.

Leaves from several species of palms in the genus Chamaedorea are harvested in Mexico and Central America and are exported to the United States and Europe for use in the international floral industry. Chamaedorea leaves are an important part of the US cut-greens industry (14% of market), and represent the second largest non-timber forest product in Mexico, with millions of leaves exported each year.  The vast majority of leaves are collected from wild palms found in the forests of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. 

Decreasing palm abundance and reduced yields have raised serious concerns about the sustainability of the Chamaedorea trade. Governments, harvesting groups, scientists, and international organizations are interested in developing and promoting sustainable palm harvest guidelines with social, economic, and ecological benefits. However, progress has been hindered by the lack of (1) information regarding biological, social, economic, and political dimensions of the Chamaedorea trade, (2) integration and synthesis of current knowledge, and (3) communication between researchers, harvesters, importers, policy makers, and resource managers. 

We hope to address these needs through applied research, technical assistance, capacity-building and information synthesis. 

Look for our new website for the Sustainable Palm Initiative coming in 2007.

Sustainable Management in El Cielo

Harvest of Chamaedorea leaves is the prime livelihood activity for communities in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve and these leaves are the only forest resource permitted to be collected for commercial purposes. Local communities' heavy dependence on palm resources is a primary concern. We are working with communities on several fronts including: palm reforestation, research, and the development of sustainable harvest guidelines.

Reforestation

Since 2003, WildShare International and collaborators have supported the reforestation of nearly 40,000 palm seedlings in the community of Alta Cima in areas where palms were extirpated due to livestock browsing and over-harvesting. These areas have been fenced exclude livestock, and research is underway to evaluate seedling growth and reforestation success. We hope to expand this program to other nearby communities with the overall goal of planting over 100,000 in the next 5 years.

Best Management Practices

WildShare International, in collaboration with Chamaedorea experts, is currently in the process of developing best management practices and monitoring procedures for the harvest of Chamaedorea palms. To further palm management issues throughout the Americas, WildShare International will be hosting a web-site (www.palmilla.org ), to bring together, biologists, ecologists, economists, social scientists, harvesters, business, and governmental and non-governmental organizations. This website should be online in Spring 2007.

Community Outreach and Education 

Eco-Palms

We assisted in organizing the sale of sustainably harvested palm leaves from El Cielo for a pilot project s in 2005 and 2006 that provided ecologically sustainable palm leaves to churches for Palm Sunday. Church congregations in the Upper Midwest purchased palm leaves for Palm Sunday from communities practicing sustainable palm management. In exchange, the harvesters received three times the regular price. We hope to have El Ceilo’s leaves certified in the next year or two. Collaborators include the Center for Integrated Natural Resource and Agricultural Management ( University of Minnesota), and Continental Floral Greens.