Resumen de The yew (Taxus baccata L.) in central region of Portugal - Serra da Estrela sub-region
Jacinto L. Diamantino, Alexandra Silva
The yew (Taxus baccata L.) has been considered for a long time as a referenced species to the study area. The area covers the Serra da Estrela (Portugal). Nowadays, in this region, the yew population is clearly declining and there isn�t natural regeneration. The estimated spontaneous population is less than fifty individuals distributed sparsely and seldom forming true clusters, indifferent to substrate, in areas with Mediterranean influences but also with Atlantic influences. The ecologic knowledge of the considered population is yet incipient, which doesn�t allow a detailed characterization of the current yew population. The present work aims to describing the yew distribution and the study area, also characterizing the Estrela range. The importance of the main factors that impair the regeneration of populations are also addressed, as well as the definition of the goals on the species management plan. A synthesis of the work achieved since 2008, the beginning of the present project, is also presented. Due to the reduced number of individuals, an active management for the yew population at a regional scale is required. With the establishment of the present management plan, we propose an active strategy concerning the yew individuals, as biological, cultural, esthetic and genetic heritage, keeping in mind an increasing conservation status of this population for the coming generations.
