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Cinderella fruits and cultural forest in Pacaya-Samiria, Peruvian Amazon

Por
Nigel Smith, Rodolfo Vásquez, Walter Wust (publicado en 2013-09-30 por irinaranjo )
Temas relacionados
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Documento:
Publicado y/o Presentado en:
Smith, N., Vásquez, R. and Wust, W. (2010). Cinderella fruits and cultural forest in Pacaya-Samiria, Peruvian Amazon. Amazonica. 2, 328-350.
Resumen:
Tropical forests and associated disturbed habitats (successionary communities created by tree falls, landslides, shifting river channels, and clearing by people) are orders of magnitude richer in species than temperate woodlands and consequently have provided ample opportunities for plant domestication. Many crops domesticated in tropical forests are not only important sources of sustenance and income for locals but are also traded extensively in global markets. This is particularly so for the Amazon which has provided us with cacao, the source of chocolate and rubber, both utilized in virtually every country, as well as Brazil nut. Now açaí, a palm fruit native to Amazonia with high levels of antioxidants, has burst on the world stage in a variety of products ranging from fruit juice blends to ice cream and even shampoo. Tropical forests, including the Amazon, contain wild populations of many tropical crops, an important resource for further crop improvement because they are a reservoir for many valuable genes not found in the domesticated gene pool. Tropical forests are also a cornucopia for new crops. Several hundred wild and domesticated fruits are consumed in the Amazon, and those that have reached national and international markets represent only the tip of an iceberg. Here we focus on the importance of wild and cultivated fruits in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, a vast wetland at the confluence of the Marañón and Ucayali Rivers in the Peruvian Amazon.