Patterns of growth in Aechmea magdalenae (Bromeliaceae) and its potential as a forest crop and conservation strategy

Abstract

Forest cultivation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can provide economic incentives for local farmers to conserve forest environments. Assessing the agronomic and conservation potential of NTFP requires the integration of ecological information on optimal conditions for growth and reproduction with socioeconomic data on local farming economies and labor calendars. The terrestrial bromeliad, Aechmea magdalenae, is a typical NTFP harvested for its fiber in the rainforests of southern Mexico and Guatemala. In the buffer zone of Mexico’s Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, cultivation trials using ramets transplanted from wild populations were initiated as a strategy to conserve buffer zone forests. We compared four measures of growth and survival of rosettes under the different light conditions of primary versus secondary forests; wild versus cultivated populations; over different seasons; and propagated by different methods. We also contrasted initial costs, economic returns and labor demands for A. magdalenae cultivation with the other major land-uses in the region. Compared to cattle production, the major cause of deforestation in the region, A. magdalenae cultivation offers high economic returns and low labor and initial costs. Seasonal differences in rates of leaf and ramet production indicated that the optimal timing for harvest of these parts does not interfere with local farmers subsistence agricultural duties. Secondary forest rosettes grew faster than primary forest rosettes due to higher light conditions, and secondary forests were also more accessible to local farmers for cultivation. Cultivation implied ecological costs in terms of ramet severance and adaptation, but the less-dense growing conditions of cultivated plants resulted in higher growth rates by the end of the second year. A. magdalenae cultivation trials in Los Tuxtlas have illustrated that farmers will protect their forests from deforestation and forest fires when they hold economic value.