Use and knowledge of plants by “Quilombolas” as subsidies for conservation efforts in an area of Atlantic Forest in Espírito Santo State, Brazil (original) (raw)
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PloS one, 2017
Information on the knowledge, uses, and abundance of natural resources in local communities can provide insight on conservation status and conservation strategies in these locations. The aim of this research was to evaluate the uses, knowledge and conservation status of plants in two Quilombolas (descendants of slaves of African origin) communities in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil, São Sebastião da Boa Vista (SSBV) and São Bento (SB). We used a combination of ethnobotanical and ecological survey methods to ask: 1) What ethnobotanical knowledge do the communities hold? 2) What native species are most valuable to them? 3) What is the conservation status of the native species used? Thirteen local experts described the names and uses of 212 species in SSBV (105 native species) and 221 in SB (96 native species). Shannon Wiener diversity and Pielou's Equitability indices of ethnobotanical knowledge of species were very high (5.27/0.96 and 5.28/0.96, respectively). Species with the...
The present work discusses conceptual and methodological tools in ethnobotany as well as local perception surveys that can generate important information for community-based conservation strategies, and presents results from research undertaken within the project " Sustainability of remnants of the Atlantic Forest in Pernambuco State, Brazil, and its implications for local conservation and development ". We discuss the applicability of this data for management planning, focusing on examples derived from studies in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Forest. Most ethnobotanical surveys provide information about the main users of a given resource, the most utilized resources, the plant parts most used for a given purpose, and the most used species. Research on local perception can indicate the main factors that lead people to use a given resource as well as other variables affecting plant use. This type of data is important for establishing strategies focusing on certain groups of species or certain human social groups. The principal objective of this text is to describe the methods used to gather information about local strategies of use and management of plant resources, elucidate the nature of information that can be acquired using these methods, and discuss the possible interpretative contexts.
Ethnobotanical assessment in protected area from Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Research, Society and Development, 2021
In the present study, we conducted a survey on ethnobotanical information of chemical-pharmacological interest, which was acquired via on-site interviews using semi-structured questionnaires with informants in the community in Mucuri Basin in Minas Gerais, Brazil. 184 interviews were conducted with residents with 102 botanical species in approximately 87 genera and 41 families cited. In addition, respiratory system diseases were the most cited, accounting for 26.35% of the cases cited. Lippia alba (lemon balm) was the most cited species with a corrected popular use concordance of about 86.11%. The results suggested that vegetables are important therapeutic resources for the population. Such ethnobotanical studies are fundamental for the understanding and conservation of local culture with regard to the exploitation of medicinal plants. The findings of the present study contribute to the documentation of medicinal species in a Brazilian state characterized by mining, which implies th...
Importance of Ethnobotanical Studies in Protected Areas: a Case Study in Brazil
2022
Ethnobotanical studies in Brazil indicate a strong relationship between local Communities that detain Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the plants used by them. Brazilian protected areas (PAs) may be operating as refuges for these populations due to the providing of nontimber forest products used for subsistence. Here we aimed to explore the current state of ethnobotany research in brazilian PAs by exploring their geographical scope (regions and biomes), the populations involved and their occurrence in different PAs categories. For that, we did a bibliographic survey of studies published in journals between 2006 and 2019, totaling 67 studies. Our results showed that Atlantic Forest was the most studied biome and the northeast region was the most studied region. In addition, the most studied traditional populations are were the artisanal farmers and rural communities. The data also revealed that the Sustainable use PAs contain the most studies, but Parks were the most studied category. Finally, we also found that surveys on the knowledge of medicinal plants use was the main studied theme.
SpringerPlus, 2012
The use of forest resources by a rural community adjacent to a Biological Reserve was examined using quantitative methods based on the consensus of six local specialists. Plants with trunk diameters at 1.3 m above soil level (DBH) ≥ 5 cm were sampled in 0.5 ha of forest and their use-value (UV) were calculated and associated with their structural descriptors. A total of 129 species were identified, and 69 of them having known uses. The species with largest UV were: Xylopia sericea, Lecythis lanceolata and Guarea macrophylla. The results demonstrated that neither the degree of recognition of taxa by the local specialists nor their use-versatility depended on their abundance in nature. The results corroborate the hypothesis that richness of a plant family is a predictive character of its cultural importance and the community recognizes the value of conserving the forest remnants.
The Quilombola dos Macacos [African descendents] community is located 26 km Southbound from the city hall of São Miguel do Tapuio city – Piauí state, in a vegetation transitional area, predominantly of caatinga. The study aimed at surveying the history, use and modes of conservation of plant resources by the community. Botanical collection and semi-structured interviews were carried out, for an ethnobotanical, socioeconomic and cultural survey. The population of 106 inhabitants lives on subsistence farming, small breeding of domestic animals and wild animal extrativism, occupying an area of 2000 hectares approximately. The agricultural system adopted is the traditional cut-and-burn, using the area for three or four years following a period of fallow not less than six years. The homegardens have a great cultural importance, approaching the family and neighbor bonds and being used as well for vegetable production, complementing nourishment. They use a peculiar language of rural regions and they incorporate rhymes, called " décimas ". The main cultural manifestation is expressed by the reisado (typical dance followed by traditional songs) and the superstitions and popular beliefs are marked by the Aziague day (Unlucky day). Among the modes of use of the vegetal resources, the categories medicinal (74 species), fodder (62), edible (58), mellifluous (47), and woody (45), are manifest. The environment awareness is verified, especially in the use of species considered to be a good lumbering and medicinal resource, since these deserve special attention, for they have their extraction limited, aiming at their maintenance and conservation. A real possibility of loss of knowledge was observed in the community, mainly because younger generations demonstrate a lack of interest in keeping this knowledge alive, by seizing upon new cultures.
The research had aim to study the traditional ecological knowledge of the quilombolas with regards to diversity, occurrence and use of palms in Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, Mato Grosso State. We used the snow ball method, based on knowledge of palms for selection of respondents and free list technique. We conducted 32 interviews in three quilombola communities: Boqueirão, Retiro and Casalvasco and Manga. A free list showed 18 known species of palms. Babassu palm (Attalea speciosa) cited by all interviewees (100%), Açaí palm (Euterpe precatoria) (94%), Bocaiúva (Acrocomia aculeate) (81%), Acuri (Attalea phalerata) and Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) (78%) and Tucum (Astrocaryum huaimi) (75%). The cultural consensus concentrated on seven native ones. The traditional ecological knowledge of this social group allows for the planning of a sustainable programme of participative usage of these palms on an ecological and cultural basis.