Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden makes official the publication of PAN Faveiros

The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden approved, on Monday (05/15), the National Action Plan for the Conservation (PAN) of the Endangered Faveiro Trees, which includes two species currently classified as Endangered (EN) on the National List of Threatened Species, based on the application of the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The PAN includes the Wilson's faveiro (Dimorphandra wilsonii) and the faveiro-da-mata (Dimorphandra exaltata) and establishes conservation strategies for both species. The PAN Faveiros was made official by JBRJ Administrative Rule nº 14, of May 12, 2023.

A rare tree species, found only in some locations in Minas Gerais, the faveiro -de-wilson has slow growth, taking about 15 years to reach adulthood. It produces abundant flowers and a sweet-smelling pod that attracts cattle. In 2014, it was even classified as Critically Endangered (CR), the highest category of threat, due to human occupation and exploitation.

A year later, in 2015, the first PAN Faveiro-de-Wilson was created, coordinated by the Foundation of Municipal Parks and ZooBotany of Belo Horizonte, with supervision from the National Center for Flora Conservation of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro (CNCFlora/JBRJ). With the work done since then and all the knowledge accumulated, the species moved from the CR category to EN (Endangered).

The recently created PAN Faveiros, made official by an ordinance published in the Diário Oficial da União, also includes the faveiro-da-mata (Dimorphandra exaltata). The species, which occurs only in Brazil, restricted to the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, is also classified as EN. The species is very similar to the faveiro-de-wilson.

The trees attract attention in forests of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, both for the height they can reach (15 to 20 meters), and for their inflorescences full of tiny yellow flowers that protrude above the crown, attracting bees and other small insects that feed on pollen and nectar.

The current PAN Faveiros foresees conservation strategies that benefit three other species: faveiro-vermelho (Dimorphandra jorgei), fava-d'anta (Dimorphandra gardneriana) and faveira-do-campo (Dimorphandra mollis). The elaboration of the PAN Faveiros occurred in virtual participatory workshops between October and December 2021, involving collaborators from various institutions, under the coordination of the Botanical Garden through the Strategic Nucleus for the Conservation of Endangered Flora (NuEC) of the National Center for the Conservation of Flora (CNCFlora), in the context of the CEPF Project: Together for the Cerrado species.

The objective of the PAN Faveiros is to "expand strategies for the conservation and recovery of the populations of faveiro trees and their habitats with multisectoral participation". The actions include, among others, the implementation of integrated management strategies and ex situ, in situ and on farm conservation of populations of the target species and training of social actors for the conservation and implementation of integrated management strategies and the promotion of public policies to conserve the species.

The PAN Faveiros will come into force on June 1st, 2023. The Technical Advisory Group (GAT), with 12 members, was also created to follow its implementation, monitoring and evaluation during its five-year term.