Bibliometric analysis of ethnobotanical research in Brazil (1988-2013)

Abstract

This study aimed to define the current status of ethnobotanical research in Brazil based on published scientific articles and to detect current knowledge gaps in Brazil's ethnobotany. A database, including articles published in national and international scientific journals from 1988 to 2013, was gathered for this purpose. This report discusses the growing number of publications in ethnobotanical research and the main techniques used in the discipline. To identify current knowledge gaps, his report emphasizes the main focus of the different studies, target regions, and communities targeted or involved in the original study. Most publications focused on the northeast and southeast Brazil, and the most frequently studied biomes were the Caatinga and Atlantic forest. Further, the most frequently studied communities were located in rural areas, although the number of studies focused in urban areas has been steadily increasing. A lack of human resources in ethnobotanical research and a lack of current studies in the Amazon, Cerrado, Pampa, and Pantanal regions were the main identified gaps. These data provide a basis for future studies and investments aimed at strengthening ethnobotanical research in Brazil.

Where are the Brazilian ethnobotanical studies in the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga?

“…Pilla et al (2006) and Costa & Mayworm (2011) emphasized the broad scope of ethnobotanical studies in different types of communities, which were mainly conducted in rural and urban areas. A high frequency of studies in rural areas was also noted by Ritter et al (2015), who conducted a study at the national level of ethnobotanical research made between 1988 and 2013. The number of ethnobotanical studies made in urban communities, mainly in the Atlantic Forest, is due to many factors, such as decrease in vegetation cover, widespread real estate speculation and rampant urban growth (MMA 2010).…”

“…In addition, over the last few decades, ethnobotanical studies focused on conservation of biodiversity in home gardens (Pulido et al 2008;Eichemberg et al 2009) have contributed to an increase in studies in urban areas because these gardens generally have many ex situ cultivated, native and exotic species (Costa & Mayworm 2011). Ritter et al (2015) also note the high number of immigrants in Brazilian cities as fundamental to understanding the introduction of medicinal species into the Brazilian pharmacopeia.…”

“…Some of these are more descriptive (Vieira & Martins 2000;Guarim-Neto & Morais 2003;Agra et al 2007b;Agra et al 2008;) and others test hypotheses Santos et al 2008b;Albuquerque et al 2009;Morales & Ladio 2009), including the application of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (Medeiros et al 2013a;Medeiros et al 2013b). In addition, some of these review studies use different levels of approach, for example, the national (Ritter et al 2015), regional (Agra et al 2007b) or state level (Guarim-Neto & Morais 2003;Silva & Albuquerque 2005).…”

Ethnobotany and antioxidant evaluation of commercialized medicinal plants from the Brazilian Pampa

“…While it is much probable that several important new drugs remain hidden in plants from the species rich tropical forests (such as the Amazonian and Atlantic Forests, in Brazil), they may also lie hidden in other less studied biomes, as the Brazilian Pampa. While the Atlantic Forest is widely investigated concerning biodiversity and its potential uses (Ritter et al 2015), the Brazilian Pampa is one of the most fragile, unprotected and less known environments in Brazil, even though a very rich biodiversity is expected for this region (Roesch et al 2009). …”

“…In a recent bibliometric study of ethnobotanical research in Brazil, Ritter et al (2015) revealed a very low number of studies performed in the Pampa biome concerning this topic. According to the research parameters, only two out of 258 ethnobotanical studies published between 1988 and 2013 were performed in the Pampa biome.…”