The Role of Mammals in Local Communities Living in Conservation Areas in the Northeast of Brazil: An Ethnozoological Approach

Abstract

Humans have used animals and their products since the beginning of their shared history. Animals are used for different purposes, including food, medicines and magical-religious practices. This study analyzes two communities that reside in a conservation area to determine the role of mammals by these communities, considering the influences of factors such as gender and age on the knowledge and use of the mammals by individuals. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews in the two communities in the Chapada do Araripe Environmental Protection Area (APA/Araripe) in Brazil. All of the inhabited houses in the communities were visited, and at most, two people were interviewed per household. A total of 229 interviews were conducted with local residents. A total of 32 species of mammals was recorded, with 8 used for medicinal purposes, 17 species used as food resources, and 23 species related to superstition. Men knew and used more mammals as zootherapeutics and as a food resource than women, whereas for superstition, there was no significant difference between the genders. Regarding age, adults knew and used more mammals as zootherapeutics, and the elderly used more mammals as a food resource. This study demonstrates that the use of wild mammals still occurs in rural communities in Brazil, even in conservation units where the federal laws are stricter.

Cultural keystone species of fauna as a method for assessing conservation priorities in a Protected Area of the Brazilian semiarid

“…The consensus among the interviewees' answers on known uses is detailed in Table 3. In different studies conducted in the Caatinga (Costa-Neto 2000, Oliveira et al 2010b, Melo et al 2014) on the use of wildlife, birds and mammals are among the most mentioned taxa in number of species, which demonstrates the cultural importance given to these animals. The highest number of species in the food and medicinal categories was a pattern observed by Alves (2009), while reviewing research on zootherapeutic practices in semi-arid environments, mainly explained by the role of wildlife as a protein source in different parts of the world.…”

“…However, it happens to the present day, as the uses found in the studied communities show. According to Melo et al (2014), the social practice of mammalian use still persists in the EPA Chapada do Araripe, probably due to rooted traditions, poverty and lack of stricter inspections.…”

Caryocar coriaceum (Caryocaraceae) diaspore removal and dispersal distance on the margin and in the interior of a Cerrado area in Northeastern Brazil

“…Although agouti abundance was not studied (and these are potential pequi dispersers), these findings were interpreted as indirect evidence of local loss of these animals because it was already shown that they are widely hunted in the FLONA Araripe region (IBAMA, 2004;Melo et al, 2014). In addition, for C. procera it was shown that hunting of the main animal dispersers has compromised the seed dispersal process and establishment of this species in Guyana (Forget & Jansen, 2007).…”

“…The deer (Mazama gouazoubira), the agouti (Dasyprocta prymnolopha) and the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) are the most hunted mammals in the region and are primarily used for food purposes (Melo et al, 2014).…”

“…However, it is documented that this vertebrate is unfortunately one of the mammals that is hunted in some forests (Peres, 2000), including C. coriaceum occurrence zones (IBAMA, 2004;Melo, Silva, Souto, Alves, & Schiel, 2014).…”