Proyecto Guayacán on Margarita Island, Venezuela

Grassroots recovery of the Endangered tree, Guaiacum officinale, on Margarita Island in Venezuela

Partner: Provita
Years: 2020-2021

Guaiacum officinale is an Endangered slow-growth tree that inhabits dry ecosystems across the Caribbean. It is mainly threatened by habitat deforestation and selective extraction for its wood. G. officinale is also the regional tree of Margarita Island and there is high potential of turning it into an icon of conservation actions for the local communities. Natural regeneration and seed dispersal are not sufficient to recover these habitats and direct planting is the way forward, although there are major challenges due to the dry conditions, soil degradation and competition with grasses.

With this project we will incorporate the recovery of G. officinale on the habitat restoration effort by direct planting of 500 trees on areas under restoration management, start the restoration of 2 additional hectares, and implement a community awareness campaign to reduce selective extraction. The project will produce a manual on the best practices for restoration of Caribbean dry habitats and recovery of G. officinale, to facilitate the continuation and replicability of this effort.