Data on spatio-temporal patterns of wild fruit harvest from the economically important palm Mauritia flexuosa in the Peruvian Amazon

These data are the foundation of the analyses and results published in the article “Spatio-temporal patterns of Mauritia flexuosa fruit extraction in the Peruvian Amazon: Implications for conservation and sustainability” (Horn et al., 2018) [1]. Here we include data on the volume of M. flexuosa fruit arriving in the city of Iquitos, Peru from the surrounding region. This includes the amount of fruit (in sacks and kg), the date of entry into Iquitos, the point of embarkation (watershed and coordinates), the method of transportation and the point of entry into Iquitos. Data is provided in a number of formats, including data tables, Google Earth KML files and summary tables by watershed and/or month.


Specifications
Geography, natural resources, social sciences, conservation, forestry More specific subject area Applied ecology and conservation Type of data Value of the data The data presented provides baseline numbers of M. flexuosa (aguaje) fruit entering the market of Iquitos, Loreto, Peru, over one year (2012-2013) which can be compared to future studies to document change in extraction levels.
Further analyses of the data can be used by policy, conservation and resource management entities to prioritize geographic areas or communities for outreach efforts focused on sustainable harvest of aguaje and guide the timing of those efforts.
Data can be incorporated into other geographical studies focused on the regional transportation system or other natural resources for further analysis.
Data for individual communities can provide insights into market interaction and resource extraction decisions of those communities.

Data
In the Amazon Basin, some non-timber forest products (NTFP), such as the ecologically and economically important palm Mauritia flexuosa, are extracted intensively and across large areas. The ecological effect of harvest is unclear [1]. Fruit is harvested from wild populations of M. flexuosa and is eaten directly or processed into juice, ice cream, and other food products. Because adult palms can grow above 30 m in height, harvest is primarily destructive and fruiting females are cut down in order to harvest the fruit. The demand for fruit is driven by the city of Iquitos, the commercial center of Loreto, and the largest consumer of M. flexuosa fruit in the Amazon [2]. Despite decades of concern about overharvesting, and the ecological implications of harvest, the scale and scope of M. flexuosa extraction remains unclear [3]. To better understand the magnitude of M. flexuosa harvest in the region, we quantified the amount of M. flexuosa fruit entering the Iquitos market, traced its source and documented spatial and temporal patterns of extraction across the region. Specifically, this data article includes the following: 1. Downloadable CSV file (Appendix A) that includes all records of M. flexuosa entering the Iquitos market during the study period, including date, number of sacks, weight, origin (watershed, UTM coordinates, name of embarkation village or location), mode of transportation, how the data was collected, and any notes associated with the record. 2. Tables that summarize M. flexuosa extraction by watershed and month. 3. Google Earth file (KML), that visually displays the data (Appendix B).

Experimental design, materials and methods
Data were collected daily between April 2012 and March 2013 at the major points of entry into Iquitos: the private ports of Don Jose and Sofy; the public ports of Productores, Belen, Pescaderos, and Masusa within Iquitos; the public ports of Bellavista Nanay, Morona Cocha, Pampa Chica, and Nina Rumi on the city outskirts; and the bus stop in Belen. To determine the amount of M. flexuosa and where it came from, we interviewed boat crews. We also reviewed log books of boats (colectivos and lanchas) that maintain detailed records of passengers, their point of embarkation, and the amounts of the products that they are transporting, including M. flexuosa. People travelling via peque-peques (small, slow motorized boats) and canoes do not keep records, and we directly interviewed operators at ports about the M. flexuosa fruit they brought to market. For M. flexuosa entering Iquitos by bus, we collaborated with the bus drivers who reported incoming fruit and its source to a supervisor who recorded the information on datasheets we provided. We used an average fruit sack weight of 36 kg (based on data collected at ports) to convert the number of sacks counted to weight [1]. Data were  incorporated into GIS to visually display sources of incoming M. flexuosa fruit. This allowed us to quantify the spatio-temporal patterns of harvest, from which watersheds fruit was coming from, and which communities and locations were providing the most fruit to the market and when (Tables 1-8).
Additional details and specifics on methods are described by Horn et al. [1].