Harvesting impact and economic value of Geonoma Deversa, Arecaceae, an understory palm used for roof thatching in the Peruvian amazon

We evaluated the impart of the leaf harvesting methods on the clonal unders tory palm Geonoma deversa In the first method only the leaves are cut, in t he second the complete crown is severed. Stands representative for each met hod are compared with unharvested stands. Both methods of harvesting reduce clone size and reproductive output (inflorescence and infructescence per c lone), and lower the number of ramets available for the next harvest. Cutti ng only the leaves represents a better method of harvest because of a lower impact on the residual stock. Economic analysis reveals that the value of this resource (standing leaf value) is low (2 to 26 U.S. $/ha) compared wit h labor costs that can be between 55 to 86% of palm thatch revenues. Harves ting Geonoma leaves generates a net present value (NPV) that ranges from 3 to 191 U.S. $/ha depending on the stand location, the wage, and the interes t rate employed for the calculation.