Visando a contribuir para o melhor entendimento da participação da atividade extrativista no âmbito da comercialização de bromélias no Brasil, apresentou-se resultado de pesquisa que buscou: a) identificar e caracterizar os extrativistas de bromélias formalmente registrados e os informais no Estado do Paraná; b) identificar e caracterizar as metodologias de coleta, o preparo e vias de comercialização das plantas coletadas; c) levantar a opinião dos extrativistas sobre facilidades e dificuldades desta atividade. O extrativismo de bromélias no Paraná foi identificado em 12 municÃpios, englobando 31 famÃlias extratoras, predominantemente concentradas no litoral do Paraná (n=10) e MunicÃpio de Ortigueira (n=7). Foram identificados dois tipos básicos de extrativistas: residente e oportunista, com diferenças marcantes entre estes, especialmente no que se refere a volume e forma de extração. Foram identificadas 21 espécies submetidas ao extrativismo, sendo as mais frequentemente coletadas: Vriesea incurvata Gaudich. comercializada por 90% dos entrevistados, Nidularium innocentii Lem. (77%), Vriesea platynema Gaudich. (67%), Tillandsia stricta Sol. ex Ker Gawl. (55%) e Vriesea carinata Lem. (55%).
Aiming to contribute to the better understanding of the wild harvesting participation in the context of the bromeliads trade, the results from a study focused on: a) identifying and to characterizing the bromeliads wild harvesters (formally and not formally registered) in the State of the Paraná; b) identifying and characterizing the harvesting methodologies, preparation and trade routes, and c) surveying the harvesters opinion on the facilities and difficulties of bromeliads wild harvesting are presented. The bromeliads wild harvesting was detected in 12 municipalities at Parana State, involving 31 harvester families, most of them concentrated at the coastal zone (n=10) and Ortigueira Mun. (7). Two basic harvester types were identified: resident and opportunist with outstanding differences between them especially related to volume and forms of extraction. A total of 21 bromeliads species were identified as submitted to wild harvesting, being the more frequently collected: Vriesea incurvata Gaudich. (cited by 90% of the interviewed harvesters), Nidularium innocentii Lem. (77%), Vriesea platynema Gaudich. (67%), Tillandsia stricta Sol. ex Ker Gawl. (55%) and Vriesea carinata Wawra (55%).
