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EAT CERTIFIED HEART OF PALM: WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
In Brazil, the edible palm may be harvested from various species of palm trees. The kinds most commonly found for consumption are the juçara, the peach-palm, and the açai palm. The juçara palm (Euterpe edulis) is native to the Atlantic Rainforest, while the other species are from the Amazon.
A difference between the three species is that the juçara has a single trunk, while the others form ramifications. Thus, to obtain the heart from the juçara palm, the entire tree is cut, causing the death of the plant, while with the peach-palm and the açai palm, the main trunk sprouts again, similar to what occurs with banana trees. Over time, harvesting the heart of palm from trees growing in the wild has led the species to the list of Brazilian flora threatened with extinction, and even today, although its cultivation is permitted, illegal harvesting remains one of the major threats to this species.
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EAT CERTIFIED HEART OF PALM: WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? |
In Brazil, the edible palm may be harvested from various species of palm trees. The kinds most commonly found for consumption are the juçara, the peach-palm, and the açai palm. The juçara palm (Euterpe edulis) is native to the Atlantic Rainforest, while the other species are from the Amazon.
A difference between the three species is that the juçara has a single trunk, while the others form ramifications. Thus, to obtain the heart from the juçara palm, the entire tree is cut, causing the death of the plant, while with the peach-palm and the açai palm, the main trunk sprouts again, similar to what occurs with banana trees. Over time, harvesting the heart of palm from trees growing in the wild has led the species to the list of Brazilian flora threatened with extinction, and even today, although its cultivation is permitted, illegal harvesting remains one of the major threats to this species.
However, the reduction of the population of the juçara palm doesn’t only compromise its own survival. The juçara palm is also an important food source for a large number of animals in the Atlantic Rainforest, mainly for providing fruit during the winter when most trees are not bearing fruit. Its fruit and seeds serve as food for more than 20 species of mammals and 48 bird species including toucans, jacutingas, guans, thrushes, and bellbirds, which are the main species responsible for dispersing its seeds.
An example of such a complex network of interdependence involving the juçara palm is its close relationship with the black-fronted piping-guan (Aburria jacutinga), an endemic bird of Atlantic Rainforest in danger of extinction. The fruit from this palm tree serves as food for the guan, who in turn contributes to disperse the seeds throughout the forest through its feces. Thus, the preservation of the Juçara Palm is directly linked to maintaining the biodiversity of the Atlantic Rainforest.
To help in the conservation of the juçara palm and as a consequence of the guan, it is very important to buy heart of palm that has been canned legally. One way to recognize legalized heart of palm is through the requirements of ANVISA (National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance) for the information on the lid.
Example: The lid of legal heart of palm must have three fundamental indications: lithograph on the side and top of the lid, which means a direct print on the lid so that if it is opened it does not erase, and the seal must be transparent.
