The palm Sabal mauritiiformis is an important resource in the Colombian Caribbean, as its leaves are used for thatching. In order to assess the status of its populations in Piojó (Atlántico department), one of the major leaf producers in the region, palm population structure was studied by randomly establishing 16 sample plots of 0.1 ha in the three major use areas where the palm occurs:: pastures (6), crops (5) and fallows (5). We found that the bitter palm is a heavily exploited wild resource and management practices impact population structure. The bitter palm is a resilient species, easily adaptable to disturbed environments. The studied plots included 5349 individuals, distributed in four size categories. Fallows (3620 ± 2808 individuals/ha) and crops (5612 ± 3361 ind/ha) had more individuals and population structures that reflect a better condition than pastures (1488 ± 827 ind/ha), which had a population structure with discontinuous distributions due to trampling and foraging. Prevalence of individuals in certain size classes reflects current and historical management conditions; activities such as grazing or removal of vegetation by burning, without proper planning, can jeopardize the development of populations and future resource availability. ; La palma Sabal mauritiiformis es un recurso importante en el Caribe colombiano debido al uso de sus hojas para techar. Para evaluar el estado de sus poblaciones en Piojó (Atlántico), uno de los municipios más productores de hojas, se estudió la densidad y la estructura poblacional de la palma. Se establecieron 16 parcelas de 0,1 ha, en los tres sistemas de uso de suelo más comunes en la zona: ganadería (6), cultivos (5) y rastrojo (5). Se encontró que la palma amarga constituye un recurso silvestre, muy resistente y capaz de adaptarse a ambientes perturbados pues está incorporada en sistemas productivos de cultivos, rastrojos y ganadería, donde las prácticas de manejo influyen en la densidad y estructura de sus poblaciones. La palma es muy resistente y capaz de ...