The Parana Pine (Araucaria angustifolia) is a species of conifer tree that occurs mainly in southern Brazil. Araucaria has a history of use in past and current South American societies, as its seeds were/are an important source of food and income. In the last century, Araucaria populations were decimated by intense logging activities and the tree became critically endangered of extinction (IUCN). Currently, logging native populations of Araucaria is prohibited and local societies use Araucaria seeds as a source of food and income. These societies employ land management (cattle and fire) in nearby high-altitude grasslands, which have an effect in plant communities (Sühs et al, 2018). Therefore, this project aims to better understand how land use and management affect population dynamics of Araucaria in the highlands of southern Brazil. 

To achieve this goal, we expect to:

1. Understand how past land use and management affects current Araucaria populations;

2. The role current land use and management have on Araucaria trees and high-altitude grasslands;

and 

3. Predict how Araucaria populations will be in scenarios with and without land use and management.

The background study for this project has been recently published (Sühs et al., 2018), indicating a strong influence of traditional land management and Araucaria trees on woody vegetation.

Update:

Results of this project can be found in the link below for the scientific publication. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S036725302100092X 

REFERENCE

Sühs RB, Giehl ELH, Peroni N. 2018. Interaction of land management and araucaria trees in the maintenance of landscape diversity in the highlands of southern Brazil. PLoS ONE 13(11): e0206805. https://doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0206805