Suitable areas for Juçara palm (Euterpe edulis Martius) cultivation in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil: proposal to encourage agro-ecological practices and non-timber products

The Juçara palm (Euterpe edulis Mart.) is a native species of the Atlantic Forest biome, with high commercial value due to, among other uses, the extraction of the palm heart and pulp. This species has essential ecological interaction with fauna, providing food for many frugivorous species. However, it is on the list of endangered species, mainly due to the disorderly exploration of the palm tree for the extraction of the palm heart, but also due to climate change, habitat fragmentation, and defaunation. In this context, understanding which areas are suitable to grow this species is important for planning and supporting decision-making, as well as delimiting areas environmentally suitable according to the optimal requirements of species and land-use occupation. Our aim was to identify the suitable areas to cultivate Juçara palm in the State of Rio de Janeiro and provide a set of supporting maps and information for this productive sector, to increase agroforestry systems, or even for forest conservation and restoration purposes. Environmental parameters for the species (soil, elevation, air temperature and rainfall), and land use and land cover were assessed in order to perform the mapping of the optimal areas. The results indicate a potential for cultivation of Juçara palm in the State of Rio de Janeiro. All regions of the State have suitable areas, especially the Médio Vale do Paraíba, Centro–Sul, and Baixadas Litorâneas. The most restrictive variables to grow Juçara Palm in Rio de Janeiro State were rainfall and inadequate land use/cover for planting. Keywords: environmentally suitable areas, geoprocessing, Juçara palm, planning.