A importância do rebanho ovino na preservação dos butiazeiros

Abstract

The work presents a study accomplished in the area of the butiazal in the Quatepe community, placed in the 1st district of the municipality of Quaraí in the West Border of Rio Grande do Sul. The community is composed by family ranchers that bring as heritage the activity with cattle and sheep, sharing the space with the butiás (Butia quaraimana). During four years it was aimed to investigate, through interviews and work field in seven properties, information about the way of the management of livestock by the butiazal, watching its role, regarding to the relation with the appearance or not of new seedlings of butiá palms. The families bring from the past the use of the straw from the butiá palms as food for the cattle, the fruit is most consumed by the sheep, getting them fatter and letting a slight taste in the meat distinguishing it, during the months of existence of the fruit. The monitoring in properties that raise only sheep, cattle and sheep, cattle and in an area that is not used to livestock, all of them inside the area of butiazal ,it was found that where there are only cattle or cattle with sheep, there are some new remaining, but they have their development late because the cattle eat the fibers. About the properties that raise only sheep, it’s found that they probably can be possible propagators of seedling of butiá palms, when they eat the fruit, they speed up the broken of the numbness of the seed when passing through the digestive tract, and in less time there is the process of germination of new seedlings. The result of the study shows that the activity with the livestock in areas of butiazais is probably possible, performing a simple handling, ensuring the preservation of the species.