. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: the Americas. Identifying Areas for Plant Conservation in the Americas Table Number of vegetation types identified in various vegetation maps of South America. Source Categories Region Hueck and Seibertt 1972) 88 South Arnerica Unesco (19811 88 South America IBGE(1988) 37 Brazil ProjetoRADAlVI(1975) 36 Brazil 45-60°W FolhaSB21 4-8'S Huber and Alarc6n( 1988) 150 Venezuela vcirzea (or tahuampa), are subject to seasonal flooding, and species composition varies between those forests inundated by nutrient-poor black-water rivers and those which are
. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: the Americas. Identifying Areas for Plant Conservation in the Americas Table Number of vegetation types identified in various vegetation maps of South America. Source Categories Region Hueck and Seibertt 1972) 88 South Arnerica Unesco (19811 88 South America IBGE(1988) 37 Brazil ProjetoRADAlVI(1975) 36 Brazil 45-60°W FolhaSB21 4-8'S Huber and Alarc6n( 1988) 150 Venezuela vcirzea (or tahuampa), are subject to seasonal flooding, and species composition varies between those forests inundated by nutrient-poor black-water rivers and those which are seasonally inundated by richer white-water rivers. Some forest formations cover large areas and are likely to be conserved adequately within any plan for conservation. However, other vegetation types are found only in small restricted areas and may be severely at risk. Conservation of these vegetation types requires careful planning to ensure that they are not lost. For example, within Amazonia there are several types of vegetation (Amazon caatiiigci. ciinipinci and resringa) on pure white sand which contain many endemic species, espe- cially in the upper Rio Negro region. Not only will deforestation of these white sand areas result in extinction of locally endemic species, but their clearance also creates a semi-desert of exposed sand over which forest is slow to regenerate. For example, areas cleared by the Guarito culture some 800 years ago still have large bare patches of soil (Prance and Schubart, 1978). ClearK it is preferable to preserve intact forest over white sands. In con- trast, the transition forests of south-western Amazonia have few endemic species, low diversity, and are dominated by the multi- use babassu palm (Orbignya phalerata) which often occurs in dense single species stands. This is an example of an area which is more appropriate for use and where the conservation of a rea- sonable sample will ensure the survival of the plant species which it contains. I
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