摘要：Palm forests, or babaçuais, designate geographical areas with large incidenceof the babassu palm trees. This palm tree, from the botanical family Arecaceae,is native to Brazil, and can be found in several Latin American countries. InBrazil, babassu palm trees are present in 11 states (mainly in the states ofMaranhão, Piauí, Tocantins and Pará) thus covering a territory of 13 to 18million hectares . An anthropic forest par excellence, babassu palm trees tendto occupy areas which have been previously deforested by slash and burnclearing. Proliferation of the babassu is fast, as it can become a closed forestwithin a few years. Babassu extractivism is a traditional activity in Brazil due toits widespread coverage and countless uses in rural life, as well as the strongsocial and political mobilization in favor of free access to babassu forests.
