Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026): Global More-than-Human Histories of Palms
Archives, Memory, and Environmental Futures

Uses of Native and Exotic Palms in Ecological Restoration: Lessons From the Mashpi Shungo Reserve, Ecuador (2009–2024)

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  • Alejandro Solano-Ugalde,
  • Pilar Egüez Guevara,
  • Agustina Arcos-Torres
Alejandro Solano-Ugalde
Reserva Mashpi Shungo, Mashpi Chocolate, Red de Guardianes de Semillas
Pilar Egüez Guevara
Comidas que curan
Agustina Arcos-Torres
Reserva Mashpi Shungo, Mashpi Chocolate, Red de Guardianes de Semillas
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3197/whppp.63876246815937

Published 2026-09-16

Keywords

  • Palms,
  • Ecuador,
  • Uses,
  • Chontaduro,
  • Salak

How to Cite

Solano-Ugalde, Alejandro, Pilar Egüez Guevara, and Agustina Arcos-Torres. 2026. “Uses of Native and Exotic Palms in Ecological Restoration: Lessons From the Mashpi Shungo Reserve, Ecuador (2009–2024)”. Plant Perspectives 3 (2):394-404. https://doi.org/10.3197/whppp.63876246815937.

Copyright (c) 2026 Alejandro Solano-Ugalde, Pilar Egüez Guevara, Agustina Arcos-Torres

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

For its outstanding biodiversity Ecuador has been designated as one of ten megadiverse countries. Due to its location on the equator, it enjoys many climates, soils and diverse geological processes. In Ecuador, palms represent the group of native plants with the greatest diversity of uses per species. At the Mashpi Shungo Reserve in the Ecuadorian northwest, the authors have been working to restore degraded areas using regenerative practices through diverse agroforestry systems. We have explored working with a diversity of palms. To date, eighteen species of palms of 36 varieties have been used in restoration, which we have integrated with about 300 species of other plants. In this manuscript we report the mostly edible uses of these palms, focusing on the current and potential uses of two palm species, Bactris gasipaes and Salacca zalacca.

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