Contribute to the management of the relationship between cherry orchard management and the conservation of an endemism (Asphodelus bento-rainhae)

Foi apresentado no 48th Congress of the European Regional Science Association, ERSA 2008, em Liverpool o trabalho de Isabel Maria Rodrigues da Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, Fabíola Sabino Gil e Tomaz Dentinho do Departamento de Ciências Agrárias (Grupo de Gestão e conservação da Natureza -Angra do Heroísmo) da Universidade dos Açores.

De seguida resume-se a intrevenção efectuada, com o título: "Contribute to the management of the relationship between cherry orchard management and the conservation of an endemism (Asphodelus bento-rainhae P. Silva) in the Serra da Gardunha.
As cherry production increases in the northern slope of Serra da Gardunha (Beira Interior region, Portugal) conflicts arise between farmers and environmentalists. The expansion of the orchards promises enhanced income and a considerable socioeconomic impact on the region, but it also threatens the endemism Asphodelus bento-rainhae P. Silva. This study aims at finding the trade-off between cherry yields (tonne/hectares) and the area covered by Asphodelus bento rainhae (%) for a given plot of land, thus generating the needed information to find and promote a suitable and sustainable equilibrium between economic development and natural resource conservation.
The data was collected in orchards of the Fundão municipality where the Asphodelus bento-rainhae populations are located. These orchards receive technical support from the local integrated pest management service. Cluster analyses, multiple linear regression and neural networks were used to identify the variables that influence cherry yields and the presence of Asphodelus bento-rainhae.
The method of removal of spontaneous vegetation from the slopes between terraces, stood out in the analyses: when cutting was used, the area covered by Asphodelus bento-rainhae increased and the cherry yields decreased. However, when other methods were used to remove slope cover such as applying herbicides per se or accompanied by cutting, the cherry yields increased and the Asphodelus bento-rainhae diminished. The remaining management and environmental variables were not linked to significant effects either on cherry yields or on the Asphodelus bento rainhae distribution. The results suggest that it is possible to increase cherry yields without decreasing the endemism distribution as long as slope management is not carried out with herbicides.