Latex of amapa (Parahancornia fasciculata (Poir) Benoist, Apocynaceae): remedy and income in the forest and in the town

The study investigated the production and trade chain as well as aspects of the consumption of the medicinal latex from amapa tree (Parahancornia fasciculata) in the municipalities of Belém and Ponta de Pedras, State of Pará, Brazil. Our goal was to shed light upon several aspects related to the management and use of the product, revealing its importance to the life of producers and consumers. The approach used was the 'production to consumption chain' through qualitative and quantitative research methods, including market survey, interviews with extractivists, traders and consumers, workshops, guided visits and forest inventories. The eight thousand litters of milk sold annually in the Belém markets benefit especially the poor people, to whom the use of the 'amapa milk' is secular. The revenue from the latex represents 42% of the total income from non timber forest products for the tappers. The large number of individuals and the J-shaped diameter distribution of trees suggest the possibility of its natural regeneration. The improvement of the tapping technique reveals that the extractivists have knowledge on the tree anatomy. The tradition in the use and management of amapa milk as well as the ecological characteristics of the species indicates a good potential for programs on its sustainable production.