Uso e manejo da vegetação secundária sobre Terra Preta por comunidades tradicionais na região do médio Rio Madeira, Amazonas, Brasil

Abstract

Throughout Amazonia anthropogenic soils associated with pre-Columbian settlements are called Terra Preta de Índio (Indian Dark Earths, TPI). Ecological and cultural processes associated with TPI remain unknown or poorly studied, among them the successional pathways of the vegetation associated with these soils and the importance of secondary forests that grow on them for traditional people. The aims of this study were to compare secondary forests on anthropogenic soils and non-anthropogenic soils with respect to the vegetation structure, species composition, and their use by traditional people on the middle Madeira River, Amazonas, Brazil. Fifty-two 25x10 m plots were established on secondary forests in several stages of regrowth in three traditional communities located in the municipality of Manicoré. In each plot composite soil samples were collected and all woody individuals with diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm and all palms higher than 1 m were sampled. Ethnobotanical data about the use of secondary forests was obtained through interviews with 62 local residents in the three communities. Secondary forests on anthropogenic soils are floristically distinct from those on non-anthropogenic soils and have a higher density and richness of domesticated species. The use value of these secondary forests is higher than that of secondary forests on non-anthropogenic soils. The indicator species of anthropogenic soils were identified, using data from the vegetation sampling as well as that obtained from the interviews. The long and intense association of anthropogenic soils with human activity has led to the formation of distinct secondary forests and has favored the concentration of useful and domesticated species. Consequently, anthropogenic soils and associated secondary forests may function as agrobiodiversity reservoirs. Secondary forests on anthropogenic soils are an important resource for traditional populations and represent unique human-influenced ecosystems that contribute to the high heterogeneity and biodiversity that characterize the Amazonian landscape.