The first regulatory measures were put forth in the “Pernambuco Wood Proclamation” signed by Phillip II in December 1605. This document was intended to protect the crown’s monopoly from losses caused by contraband. Realizing that its most valuable New World commodity was fast disappearing, the Portuguese monarchy passed laws aimed at frustrating chaotic exploitation. These measures prohibited the felling of young trees and instructed that adult trees be cut so as to resprout. A body of guards was also created to enforce these laws.
During the colonial period, several years before Brazilian independence, João Paulo de Araujo presented a series of measures in his “Memoria” which he believe would protect the precious dyewood. The most important of these, recommended planting Pernambuco wood in the cotton fields in alternate rows. It could be harvested from the third or fourth year on.
During the period of the Brazilian Empire, the same measures, which were presented in the Pernambuco wood Proclamation, were again recommended, and others were taken in an attempt to attenuate the rampant destruction taking place in some parts of Brazil. Reports from the Visconde de Abrantes in 1843, and Manuel Alves Branco in 1845, confirm that logging of Pernambuco wood was prohibited in the provinces of Rio Grande do Norte and in northern Bahia (Sousa, 1938).
These measures had very little real effect. Other palliative ones, such as the use of pernambuco in urban landscaping and planting in parks and gardens were also insufficient to impede the near extinction of this species in natural areas.
Today, some sites where pernambuco wood occurs naturally are legally protected. The Pau-Brasil Ecological Station in state of Bahia covers 1,145 hectares in the municipality of Porto Seguro. The main objectives of this conservation unit are species protection and research on the vegetation where this species is found. Although there are no natural populations in protected areas of the state of Pernambuco, the Tapacurá Ecological reserve contains a plantation of around 20,000 trees. The Camaratuba Ecological Station, in Paraiba, and the Morro Branco Reserve, in Rio Grande do Norte, have very small pernambuco wood populations. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, the protection of 38 hectares of Boca da Barra and the recently created Pau-Brasil Reserve in the municipality of Cabo Frio are the only legally protected areas. Protection is not guaranteed since man continues his activities in these areas. Therefore, new reserves must be created by the governments and surveys undertaken to locate remnant populations, which must be evaluated as to their genetic diversity and survival mechanisms.
Given the present state of knowledge about pernambuco wood, effective methods are urgently needed to develop short term strategies for obtaining the necessary information to preserve this species. The following action plan is meant to help put this strategy into practice and direct efforts to where they are most needed. It is hoped that this plan will be useful to administrators and local community organizations by producing a solid foundation to unite these entities in the conservation of the remaining natural areas of pernambuco wood.
Data Survey:
Size and preservation status of the remaining natural areas.Population inventories, population structure and distribution patterns in these areas.Reproductive biology of the species.Genetic diversity between and within populations.
Conservation Strategies:
Create conservation units in high priority areas to protect natural populations.Develop management plans for these units.Set up genetic reserves within these units.Provide the reproduction and management of the species with germplasm banks.Germination and production of seedlings in greenhouse.Reintroduce the species in degraded areas or improve natural remnant forests.