Parana pine (Araucaria angustifolia)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 180520070

How land use and management affect population dynamics of Araucaria angustifolia in the highlands of southern Brazil?

The Parana Pine (Araucaria angustifolia) is a species of conifer tree that occurs mainly in southern Brazil. Araucaria has a history of use in past and current South American societies, as its seeds were/are an important source of food and income. In the last century, Araucaria populations were decimated by intense logging activities and the tree became critically endangered of extinction (IUCN). Currently, logging native populations of Araucaria is prohibited and local societies use Araucaria seeds as a source of food and income. These societies employ land management (cattle and fire) in nearby high-altitude grasslands, which have an effect in plant communities (Sühs et al, 2018). Therefore, this project aims to better understand how land use and management affect population dynamics of Araucaria in the highlands of southern Brazil. 

To achieve this goal, we expect to:

1. Understand how past land use and management affects current Araucaria populations;

2. The role current land use and management have on Araucaria trees and high-altitude grasslands;

and 

3. Predict how Araucaria populations will be in scenarios with and without land use and management.

 

The background study for this project has been recently published (Sühs et al., 2018), indicating a strong influence of traditional land management and Araucaria trees on woody vegetation.

 

Update:

Results of this project can be found in the link below for the scientific publication. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S036725302100092X 

 

REFERENCE

Sühs RB, Giehl ELH, Peroni N. 2018. Interaction of land management and araucaria trees in the maintenance of landscape diversity in the highlands of southern Brazil. PLoS ONE 13(11): e0206805. https://doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0206805 

Project documents

• Figure showing the number of recorded individuals of araucaria trees of different stages in each habitat.
• Figure showing the number of recorded individuals of araucaria trees of different stages in each management type.
• Figure showing the number of recorded individuals of araucaria trees of different stages in each habitat and different management type..
• A photograph of team members during a field work. A young araucaria tree can be seen in the middle of the frame, surrounded by the research team.




Project 180520070 location - Brazil, South America