Analysis of a possible impact of preference for plant species in a rural community in the semi-arid region of Brazil

Abstract

The climate change expected for the coming decades it is expected an increase in the number of semi-arid regions worldwide and the frequency of climatic extremes. When climatic changes such as those expected for semi-arid regions occur in a conflict environment with no resilience structure, they can influence how factors that affect the environmental structure may also affect the social structure. To identify how the traditional use of native plant species can be influenced by a change in their availability in a certain area, 26 residents in the semi-arid region, were interviewed. Then, a Use Preference Pressure Index (UPPI) was applied to identify the most used species in the rural community of Santa Rita, located in the semi-arid region of Paraíba, Brazil. Sixteen species, classified into nine categories of use, were identified. The species with the highest use preference were sampling through damage analysis, identifying the types of extraction related to the categories used to determine the most worrying issues. The used species also had high potential for other medicinal purposes. The current uses recorded in Santa Rita showed a high potential for adaptation to landscape changes toward the reduction of vegetation loss impacts, as a response to climatic variability.