Reconciling conservation and sustainable use

Butia is a genus of palm trees in South America comprising 24 species threatened by agriculture, overgrazing by livestock and urban expansion. These palms compose ecosystems with socio-environmental importance. The challenge is to reconcile the conservation of ecosystems with development and income generation from meat production, cooking, crafts, landscaping, and tourism activities. This review presents and critically analyzes the strategies developed by the international network Rota dos Butiazais/Red Palmar to promote conservation and sustainable use of this plant's genetic resources and its biocultural landscapes. Institutions, NGOs and people from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay were networked to promote advances in scientific knowledge, income generation, to offer training courses, and to strengthen local identity and social inclusion. The alliances established allowed several advances in technical-scientific knowledge, development of technologies, training courses and design of new public policies. The dynamic of Rota dos Butiazais/Red Palmar promoted a change in the way people see biodiversity, which resulted in greater awareness about the conservation of Butia palm groves ecosystems. In this review, progress is analyzed, and gaps are detected to establish an action plan for the network for the next few years.