Indigenous management of tropical forest ecosystems: the case of the Kayapó indians of the Brazilian Amazon

摘要: The Kayapo Indians of Brazil's Amazon Basin are described as effective managers tropical forest, utilizing an extensive inventory useful native plants that concentrated by human activity in special forest areas (resource islands, fields, openings, tuber gardens, agricultural plots, old and trailsides). Long-term transplanting selection suggest semi-domestication many species. overall management strategies also includes manipulated animal species (birds, fish, bees, mammals) utilized food game. Forest patches (apete) created from campo/cerrado using planting zones made termite ant nests mixed with mulch: formation development these is briefly discussed, including the implications for new ideas concerning reforestation campo management. Finally integrative cognitive model presented showing relationships between variants savanna recognized Kayapo. Indigenous knowledge subtle similarities conceptually distinct ecological units allows interchange botanical material microclimates to increase biological diversity managed areas. It suggested indigenous extremely important developing conservation, while improving productiveness systems. Such not only applicable Amazonian Indians, but has far-reaching populations throughout humid tropics.