Identifying target species and seed sources for the
restoration of threatened trees in southern Brazil
P. M. H OFFMANN , C. T. B LUM , S. J. E. V ELAZCO , D. J. C. G ILL and M . B ORGO
Abstract Ecological restoration of trees is often constrained
by limited knowledge of the biology, propagation and man-
agement requirements of individual species. Consequently,
restoration initiatives rarely incorporate less well-known
species or those that are difficult to source and grow. We de-
scribe challenges associated with the restoration of threa-
tened trees in the Araucaria Forest of southern Brazil, and
analyse the effectiveness of methods used to define target
species, identify seed sources and generate information on
the phenology of rare or threatened tree species. A review
of secondary data identified rare or threatened taxa as tar-
gets for seed collection. We then surveyed . km of trails
in forest remnants, identifying and mapping , seed-
producing trees of species. Surveys confirmed the scarcity
of several tree species (including seven species with an abun-
dance of ,. individuals per km), and nine species
showed no signs of fruiting during years of phenological
monitoring. These findings, together with limited knowl-
edge and application of optimal seed collection methods,
are significant factors impeding the recovery of these species
within their natural habitat. Wider application of the results
of this case study could support restoration of the Araucaria
Forest with seedlings from a wider diversity of species.
Keywords Araucaria Forest, Brazil, conservation, phe-
nology, propagation, seed collection, subtropical forest res-
toration, threatened species
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Introduction
T
he restoration of damaged but previously complex eco-
systems may be one of the greatest challenges facing
tropical forest conservation (Rojas-Briales & Weise, ).
Targets have been set to restore % of degraded land by
(CBD, ) but restoration efforts are often con-
strained by lack of knowledge of the biology, propagation
and management of tree species or by a lack of sufficient
seed (Merritt & Dixon, ). A reliable source of high-
quality seed is critical to the success of restoration projects,
directly influencing the germination and survival of seed-
lings and the genetic diversity of populations (Zahawi &
Holl, ).
These challenges are particularly pertinent to the
Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, a biodiversity hotspot
(Myers et al., ) with ., plant species and ,
animal species interacting across multiple trophic levels
(Mittermeier et al., ; Ribeiro et al., ). Less than
% of the forest remains, in isolated remnants, many of
which are highly degraded (Ribeiro et al., ). Attempts
to restore the biome have evolved from projects focusing
on a small number of fast-growing species (most of which
failed to establish into self-perpetuating forest; Barbosa
et al., ) to initiatives adopting a high-diversity planting
approach (e.g. planting – tree species; Rodrigues et al.,
). For many tree species, however, a lack of information
on their reproductive biology prevents their inclusion in res-
toration projects (Rodrigues et al., ).
The Araucaria Forest is one of the most threatened eco-
systems in the Atlantic Rainforest biome. In Paraná state,
where Araucaria Forest was once the dominant vegetation
type, covering ,, ha (Maack, ), ,.% of the orig-
inal forest remains in advanced successional stages, none of
which is considered primary forest (Castella & Britez, ).
Such extensive fragmentation means that areas left to regen-
erate without human assistance never attain the full range of
naturally occurring species (Liebsch et al., ).
Restoration is the main mechanism available to restore
species richness in the Araucaria Forest, but seed collection
and tree planting tend to be focused on a narrow range of
species. Partly as a result of low seed collection effort, only
of the tree species found in Araucaria Forest (Leite &
Klein, ) have been cultivated by Paraná state nurseries,
which are the main producers of seedlings for restoration of
this ecosystem (Martins et al., ). It is common practice
to produce seedlings of species that are easy to collect,
fast-growing or technically simple to grow, rather than
many native species for which there is a lack of information
on seed collection and germination protocols. Only % of
the threatened species of the Araucaria Forest have been
grown by state nurseries (Martins et al., ). In cases
P. M. HOFFMANN (Corresponding author), S. J. E. VELAZCO and M. BORGO
Sociedade Chauá, 82130-010, Curitiba, Brazil. E-mail pblhffmnn@gmail.com
C. T. BLUM Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal do
Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
D. J. C. GILL Fauna & Flora International, Cambridge, UK
Received June . Revision requested August .
Accepted November . First published online March .
Oryx, 2015, 49(3), 425–430 © 2015 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605314001069
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605314001069
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