Conservação in situ de Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reiss. (Celastraceae) na Floresta Nacional de Irati - PR
Abstract
The conservation of biodiversity is a priority and strategic question at world level. During the
last decades, the intensive extraction of non-timber species resulted in the loose of biological
diversity and degradation of natural forests. The recent expansion of medicinal plants, almost
exclusively founded on extractivism contributes to degradation of these species in their
natural environment. Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reiss. ( espinheira-santa ), species from the
Sub-Tropical Forests, mainly from the Mixed Ombrophylous Forest (Araucaria Forest), has
medicinal properties for treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. It is now listed among the
endangered species of the flora of Parana and São Paulo States, in the categories of rare and
almost extinct respectively, and has been considered as having priority for protection and
sustainable use. The Protected Areas play a fundamental role in the in situ conservation of the
biological diversity; however, the composition and importance of the biodiversity distributed
in these Areas are not yet well known. There is neither report about in situ conservation of
medicinal species in Brazil nor studies about their ecology in the Protected Areas. This study
evaluates the phenology, size structure and population dynamics of Maytenus ilicifolia in the
Irati National Forest, in order to have basis for its in situ conservation. The Irati National
Forest (25°21 S e 50°35 W), a Protected Area of sustainable use, is localized in the
municipalities of Fernandes Pinheiro and Teixeira Soares, Parana State. The phenologic study
of this species was done in 78 adult individuals, during two years. The intensity of flowering
and fructification events were estimated using a scale from zero to four, with 25% in every
class. For population size structure, height and diameter were evaluated in five groups of
Maytenus ilicifolia between 2004 and 2006, using the Gini coefficient. The dynamics was
evaluated using transition matrices for five developmental stages. It was used to estimate the
finite growth rate of the population (λ), the stable structure and the reproductive value during ...