GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF BRAZILWOOD, CAESALPINIA ECHINATA LAM

Abstract

Historically, the distribution of brazilwood was much greater than it is today. Grazing livestock and agricultural activities, along with the expansion of urban centers has contributed to the destruction of large areas of Atlantic Rain Forest, and thus to the decrease of brazilwood populations. Brazilwood is an endangered species and it is a national tree. Information about the geographic distribution of brazilwood was gathered from herbaria, a literature review, and from fieldwork. Maps of the geographic distribution were made using the following information: collection localities taken form labels of 196 brazilwood specimens; geographic coordinates of fieldwork collection localities of brazilwood populations. The lack of floristic inventory data of remaining forest fragments from the natural area of occurrence of brazilwood makes it difficult to determine more precisely the current geographic distribution. The geographic distribution maps of brazilwood are important for the implementation of new conservations areas, and for the creation of ecological pathways.