Estimación de la densidad y estructura de la población de palo rosa en el Perú y sus implicaciones para su explotación comercial

Abstract

The rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora, Lauraceae) stands out as a valuable Amazonian species due to its essential oil. Its trade is regulated by CITES, facing threats from commercial exploitation. The objective of this research is to assess its population status in exploitation areas in Peru. A total of 111 acres were evaluated, divided into three strips of 1 acre each (1000 x 10 m), separated by 350 m, in zones with a high probability of occurrence (>75%). The recorded density was 0.524 individuals per acre in Loreto and 0.547 individuals per acre in Ucayali. The results of the two‑way Kolmogorov‑Smirnov test show values of D = 0.43636 and p‑value = 0.008083 (p < 0.05) for the recorded densities in Loreto and Ucayali, indicating that they are different. Additionally, when modeling forest exploitation with 20‑year cutting cycles (80% intensity), a constant decrease in average density is observed over the analyzed cycles (100 cycles). The results suggest that this trend would indicate a gradual decrease in density, reflecting that continued extraction under the current management parameters is not sustainable.