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Reprinted from Historia naturalis palmarum: opus tripartitum (Natural History of Palms: a work in three volumes) by Karl Friedrich Philip von Martius, published between 1823-1853. At the time, this encyclopedic treasury contained the sum of human knowledge on the topic, and included 240 exquisite chromolithographic illustrations, including landscape views of palm habitats and botanical dissections. This epic folio was based on Martius's expedition to Brazil and Peru with zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix, sponsored by King Maximilian I of Bavaria, to investigate natural history and native tribes. From 1817 to 1820 the pair traveled over 2,250 km (1,400 miles) throughout the Amazon basin, the most species-rich palm region in the world, collecting and sketching specimens. On their return both men were awarded knighthoods and lifetime pensions. Martius outlined the modern classification of palm, produced the first maps of palm biogeography, described all the palms of Brazil, and collated the sum of all known genera of the palm family. Martius's folio is unusual in its inclusion of cross-sectioned diagrams, conveying the architecture of these mighty trees, which central Europeans would have found hard to imagine accurately.

Supply-chain governance is needed to avoid deforestation Brazil's Soy Moratorium (SoyM) was the first voluntary zero-deforestation agreement implemented in the tropics and set the stage for supply-chain governance of other commodities, such as beef and palm oil [supplementary material (SM)]. In response to pressure from retailers and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), major soybean traders signed the SoyM, agreeing not to purchase soy grown on lands deforested after July 2006 in the Brazilian Amazon. The soy industry recently extended the SoyM to May 2016, by which time they assert that Brazil's environmental governance, such as the increased enforcement and national implementation of the Rural Environmental Registry of private properties (Portuguese acronym CAR) mandated by the Forest Code (FC) ( 1 ), will be robust enough to justify ending the agreement ( 2 ). We argue that a longer-term commitment is needed to help maintain deforestation-free soy supply chains, as full compliance and enforcement of these regulations is likely years away. Ending the SoyM prematurely would risk a return to deforestation for soy expansion at a time when companies are committing to zero-deforestation supply chains ( 3 ).

Palm oil is the most widely traded vegetable oil globally, with demand projected to increase substantially in the future. Almost all oil palm grows in areas that were once tropical moist forests, some of them quite recently. The conversion to date, and future expansion, threatens biodiversity and increases greenhouse gas emissions. Today, consumer pressure is pushing companies toward deforestation-free sources of palm oil. To guide interventions aimed at reducing tropical deforestation due to oil palm, we analysed recent expansions and modelled likely future ones. We assessed sample areas to find where oil palm plantations have recently replaced forests in 20 countries, using a combination of high-resolution imagery from Google Earth and Landsat. We then compared these trends to countrywide trends in FAO data for oil palm planted area. Finally, we assessed which forests have high agricultural suitability for future oil palm development, which we refer to as vulnerable forests, and identified critical areas for biodiversity that oil palm expansion threatens. Our analysis reveals regional trends in deforestation associated with oil palm agriculture. In Southeast Asia, 45% of sampled oil palm plantations came from areas that were forests in 1989. For South America, the percentage was 31%. By contrast, in Mesoamerica and Africa, we observed only 2% and 7% of oil palm plantations coming from areas that were forest in 1989. The largest areas of vulnerable forest are in Africa and South America. Vulnerable forests in all four regions of production contain globally high concentrations of mammal and bird species at risk of extinction. However, priority areas for biodiversity conservation differ based on taxa and criteria used. Government regulation and voluntary market interventions can help incentivize the expansion of oil palm plantations in ways that protect biodiversity-rich ecosystems.

Consumption of globally traded agricultural commodities like soy and palm oil is one of the primary causes of deforestation and biodiversity loss in some of the world’s most species-rich ecosystems. However, the complexity of global supply chains has confounded efforts to reduce impacts. Companies and governments with sustainability commitments struggle to understand their own sourcing patterns,while the activities of more unscrupulous actors are conveniently masked by the opacity of global trade. We combine state-of-the-art material flow, economic trade, and biodiversity impact models to produce an innovative approach for understanding the impacts of trade on biodiversity loss and the roles of remote markets and actors.We do this for the production of soy in the Brazilian Cerrado, home to more than 5% of the worlds species. Distinct sourcing patterns of consumer countries and trading companies result in substantially different impacts on endemic species. Connections between individual buyers and specific hot spots explain the disproportionate impacts of some actors on endemic species and individual threatened species, such as the particular impact of European Union consumers on the recent habitat losses for the iconic giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). In making these linkages explicit, our approach enables commodity buyers and investors to target their efforts much more closely to improve the sustainability of their supply chains in their sourcing regions while also transforming our ability to monitor the impact of such commitments over time.

Abstract Palms are a group of plants that have significant socioecological influence. In Brazil, around 89 genera and 393 species are described, distributed throughout the country. Academic studies highlight how different traditional peoples and communities manage and utilize these plants. Thus, this review aims to address the following questions: a) an overview of the academic production on the use of palms in Brazil over the past three decades; b) the geographical distribution of the studies; c) the species most frequently cited for their uses; d) the importance of ethnotaxonomy, considering the influence of morphological characteristics; e) the most commonly used parts of palms and the main categories of use. By combining the keywords “Palms,” “Traditional Use,” “Ethnobotany,” and “Brazil” in Google Scholar, approximately 74,100 results were found, which, after filtering, totaled 272 articles. The data reveal an increase in the number of ethnobotanical studies addressing palm use over the past fifteen years, mainly concentrated in the fields of Botany, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Multidisciplinary Research. Most publications are in national journals and address the topic partially. The studies report the use and management of approximately 109 palm species, of which 38 are endemic, two are naturalized, six are varieties, and one is a hybrid. The Northeast Region accounts for the highest number of studies, followed by the North Region. Regarding local and Indigenous nomenclature of these palms, it was observed that multiple species belonging to different genera are grouped under the same common names, indicating an overlap of denominations for distinct taxa. Fruits hold great importance, followed by leaves, seeds, and stipes. In Brazil, palms play a fundamental role both among local communities and within Indigenous territories, due to their abundance, ecological diversity, and their cultural, symbolic, and utilitarian value. They serve as an essential source of food, raw materials, traditional medicine, and ritual elements. Resumo As palmeiras são um grupo de plantas que apresentam uma influência socioecológica significativa. No Brasil, são descritos cerca de 89 gêneros e 393 espécies, distribuídas por todo o país. Trabalhos acadêmicos evidenciam como os diferentes povos e comunidades tradicionais manejam e utilizam essas plantas. Assim, esta revisão visa abordar as seguintes questões: a) panorama geral da produção acadêmica sobre o uso de palmeiras no Brasil nas últimas três décadas; b) distribuição geográfica dos estudos; c) espécies mais frequentemente citadas por seus usos; d) importância da etnotaxonomia, considerando a influência das características morfológicas; e) partes das palmeiras mais utilizadas e principais categorias de uso. Utilizando a combinação das palavras-chave “Palmeiras”, “Uso tradicional”, “Etnobotânica” e “Brasil” no Google Acadêmico, foram encontrados cerca de 74.100 resultados, que, após filtragem, totalizaram 272 artigos. Os dados revelam um aumento no número de estudos etnobotânicos abordando o uso de palmeiras nos últimos quinze anos, concentrando-se principalmente nas áreas de Botânica, Interdisciplinar e Multidisciplinar. A maioria das publicações está em periódicos nacionais e aborda o tema de forma parcial. Os estudos relatam o uso e manejo de aproximadamente 109 espécies de palmeiras, das quais 38 são endêmicas, duas naturalizadas, seis variedades e um híbrido. A Região Nordeste é responsável pelo maior número de estudos, seguida pela Região Norte. Em relação à nomenclatura local e indígena dessas palmeiras, observou-se que múltiplas espécies, pertencentes a diferentes gêneros, são agrupadas sob os mesmos nomes populares, indicando uma sobreposição de denominações para táxons distintos. Os frutos têm grande relevância, seguidos por folhas, sementes e estipes. No Brasil, as palmeiras desempenham um papel fundamental tanto entre as comunidades locais quanto nos territórios indígenas, devido à sua abundância, diversidade ecológica e ao seu valor cultural, simbólico e utilitário, servindo como fonte essencial de alimento, matéria-prima, medicina tradicional e elementos rituais.

Copernicia prunifera (Miller) H. E. Moore is a palm tree native to Brazil. The products obtained from its leaf extracts are a source of income for local families and the agroindustry. Owing to the reduction of natural habitats and the absence of a sustainable management plan, the maintenance of the natural populations of this palm tree has been compromised. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the diversity and genetic structure of 14 C. prunifera populations using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified through genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to provide information that contributes to the conservation of this species. A total of 1,013 SNP markers were identified, of which 84 loci showed outlier behavior and may reflect responses to natural selection. Overall, the level of genomic diversity was compatible with the biological aspects of this species. The inbreeding coefficient (f) was negative for all populations, indicating excess heterozygotes. Most genetic variations occurred within populations (77.26%), and a positive correlation existed between genetic and geographic distances. The population structure evaluated through discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) revealed low genetic differentiation between populations. The results highlight the need for efforts to conserve C. prunifera as well as its distribution range to preserve its global genetic diversity and evolutionary potential.

Oil palm monoculture comprises one of the most financially attractive land-use options in tropical forests, but cropland suitability overlaps the distribution of many highly threatened vertebrate species. We investigated how forest mammals respond to a landscape mosaic, including mature oil palm plantations and primary forest patches in Eastern Amazonia. Using both line-transect censuses (LTC) and camera-trapping (CT), we quantified the general patterns of mammal community structure and attempted to identify both species life-history traits and the environmental and spatial covariates that govern species intolerance to oil palm monoculture. Considering mammal species richness, abundance, and species composition, oil palm plantations were consistently depauperate compared to the adjacent primary forest, but responses differed between functional groups. The degree of forest habitat dependency was a leading trait, determining compositional dissimilarities across habitats. Considering both the LTC and CT data, distance from the forest-plantation interface had a significant effect on mammal assemblages within each habitat type. Approximately 87% of all species detected within oil palm were never farther than 1300 m from the forest edge. Our study clearly reinforces the notion that conventional oil palm plantations are extremely hostile to native tropical forest biodiversity, which does not bode well given prospects for oil palm expansion in both aging and new Amazonian deforestation frontiers.

Abstract This study provides a floristic survey of aquatic macrophytes in the Quilombola community of Saco das Almas, located in the municipality of Brejo, eastern Maranhão, Brazil. We carried out eleven quarterly field expeditions between January 2023 and March 2025. We recorded 100 species of aquatic macrophytes, distributed across 40 families and 70 genera, including the first record of Luziola bahiensis (Steud.) Hitchc. (Poaceae) for the state and the rare and critically endangered Griffinia nocturna Ravenna (Amaryllidaceae). This is the most extensive floristic inventory currently available on aquatic macrophytes in the Cerrado wetlands of Maranhão. Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, and Melastomataceae were the most species-rich families, while exclusively emergent and amphibious life forms predominated (~70% of species). Our results fill long-standing gaps in the knowledge of Maranhão’s aquatic flora, particularly in its Cerrado region, and highlight the need to extend surveys to other Cerrado and Amazonian wetlands in the state. The inventory establishes a robust baseline for biodiversity monitoring and provides important data to advance ecological research, guide taxonomic studies, and inform wetland conservation strategies in Maranhão. Resumo Este estudo apresenta um levantamento florístico de macrófitas aquáticas na comunidade quilombola de Saco das Almas, localizada no município de Brejo, leste do Maranhão, Brasil. Realizamos onze expedições trimestrais de campo entre janeiro de 2023 e março de 2025. Registramos 100 espécies de macrófitas aquáticas, distribuídas em 40 famílias e 70 gêneros, incluindo o primeiro registro de Luziola bahiensis (Steud.) Hitchc. (Poaceae) para o estado e a rara e criticamente ameaçada Griffinia nocturna Ravenna (Amaryllidaceae). Este é o inventário florístico mais extenso atualmente disponível sobre macrófitas aquáticas nas áreas úmidas do Cerrado maranhense. Cyperaceae, Fabaceae e Melastomataceae foram as famílias mais ricas em espécies, enquanto formas de vida exclusivamente emergentes e anfíbias predominaram (~70% das espécies). Nossos resultados preenchem lacunas históricas no conhecimento da flora aquática do Maranhão, particularmente em sua região de Cerrado, e destacam a necessidade de ampliar os levantamentos para outras áreas úmidas do Cerrado e da Amazônia no estado. O inventário estabelece uma base robusta para o monitoramento da biodiversidade e fornece dados importantes para o avanço de pesquisas ecológicas, a orientação de estudos taxonômicos e o embasamento de estratégias de conservação das áreas úmidas no Maranhão.

Expansion of oil palm plantations across the humid tropics has precipitated massive loss of tropical forest habitats and their associated speciose biotas. Oil palm plantation monocultures have been identified as an emerging threat to Amazonian biodiversity, but there are no quantitative studies exploring the impact of these plantations on the biome's biota. Understanding these impacts is extremely important given the rapid projected expansion of oil palm cultivation in the basin. Here we investigate the biodiversity value of oil palm plantations in comparison with other dominant regional land-uses in Eastern Amazonia. We carried out bird surveys in oil palm plantations of varying ages, primary and secondary forests, and cattle pastures. We found that oil palm plantations retained impoverished avian communities with a similar species composition to pastures and agrarian land-uses and did not offer habitat for most forest-associated species, including restricted range species and species of conservation concern. On the other hand, the forests that the oil palm companies are legally obliged to protect hosted a relatively species-rich community including several globally-threatened bird species. We consider oil palm to be no less detrimental to regional biodiversity than other agricultural land-uses and that political pressure exerted by large landowners to allow oil palm to count as a substitute for native forest vegetation in private landholdings with forest restoration deficits would have dire consequences for regional biodiversity.

Macauba is a palm tree native to Brazil, which fruits are rich in oil. Macauba pulp oil has high contents of oleic acid, carotenoids, and tocopherol, but its effect on health is unknown. We hypothesized that macauba pulp oil would prevent adipogenesis and inflammation in mice. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of macauba pulp oil on the metabolic changes in C57Bl/6 mice fed a high-fat diet. Three experimental groups were used (n = 10): control diet (CD), high-fat diet (HFD), and high-fat diet with macauba pulp oil (HFM). The HFM reduced malondialdehyde and increased SOD activity and antioxidant capacity (TAC), showing high positive correlations between total tocopherol, oleic acid, and carotenoid intakes and SOD activity (r = 0.9642, r = 0.8770, and r = 0.8585, respectively). The animals fed the HFM had lower levels of PPAR-γ and NF-κB, which were negatively correlated with oleic acid intake (r = −0.7809 and r = −0.7831, respectively). Moreover, the consumption of macauba pulp oil reduced inflammatory infiltrate, adipocyte number and length, (mRNA) TNF-α, and (mRNA) SREBP-1c in the adipose tissue, and it increased (mRNA) Adiponectin. Therefore, macauba pulp oil prevents oxidative stress, inflammation, and adipogenesis and increases antioxidant capacity; these results highlight its potential against metabolic changes induced by an HFD.