An ecosystem approach to monitoring non-timber forest product harvest: The case study of bayleaf palm (Sabal mauritiiformis) in the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area, Belize

Tropical deforestation and concurrent losses of biodiversity have fostered the use of non-timber forest product (NTFP) projects as a conservation strategy. Despite the widespread implementation of this strategy, monitoring and assessment efforts have been limited. This research proposes an ecosystem approach for monitoring harvest of non-timber forest product species through examination of the bayleaf palm case study. This study focuses on one NTFP species: Sabal mauritiiformis, a palm species whose leaves are harvested for the production of thatched roofs in parts of Central America.; Past NTFP monitoring approaches have generally focused on harvest effects at the population level. The ecosystem approach examines harvesting effects at multiple scales. At the organismal level, leaf productivity rates, leaf size, percent recovery of original leaf number, specific leaf weight, chlorophyll content, and foliar nutrient content were used to provide rapid assessments of plant vigor. Ecosystem level indicators were monitored because evidence exists that some palm species play an important role in cycling K in tropical forest ecosystems. Palms tend to generate large leaf biomasses as a proportion of total aboveground biomass which implies that removal of large quantities of vegetative structures may have significant ecological implications.; A defoliation experiment revealed that palms which had two mature leaves left on the plant at the time of harvest recovered more rapidly than palms that had one leaf left or all leaves removed. The recovery period for the "two leaves" treatment was approximately five years.; Litterfall and decomposition studies at the ecosystem level found that S. mauritiiformis may play an important seasonal role in cycling P, K, and Zn during the months of July to September when fine litterfall transfer are lowest. Furthermore this study found that the ecological role of this palm species changes across the landscape, as the densities of S. mauritiiformis vary by forest type. In contrast to claims that harvest of non-timber forest products may be best in oligarchic forests, this research found that where plant species form monodominant stands, the dominant species may be performing essential ecological functions.