BackgroundHistorically, aquatic environments are linked to the worldview of many local people, where there is an interconnection between the natural world, the supernatural, and the social organization. In this study, we provided a discussion on how the supernatural beings that inhabit the freshwater systems interact with artisanal fishers and fishing resources in the riverine community of Parnaíba River middle course, in Mid North of Northeast Brazil. We also provided the implications of these interactions on the fisher’s behaviors and how the acculturation process (e.g., introduction of new religions) can affect the fishers’ worldview.MethodThe selection of participants was done through intentional sampling. The content qualitative analysis was carried out to interpret the data from semi-structured interviews with 29 artisanal fishers.ResultsThe mythical representations that inhabit the aquatic environments in the surveyed area were as follows: Mãe d’ água, Cabeça de cuia, Muleque d’água, Visage, Piratinga, Sucuiuiu, and Luz e Arco-íris. These beings have distinctions regarding the form and attributions and can be associated with seasonality (temporal markers) and specific habitats (spatial markers). The respect and fear feeling of the mythical beings were striking among the fishers interviewed. For instance, we have record offering practices in order to obtain protection and success during the fisheries. These practices suggest that there may be local conservationist habits in fisheries management. However, the advancement of urbanization and the introduction of new religions that deny the existence of mythical entities are factors that can generate the acculturation process among the fishers.ConclusionsIt is therefore necessary to carry out more studies in the surveyed area in order to evaluate the existence of possible patterns in the relationship between fisher and mythical beings. This information could confirm the role of mythical beings as environmental regulators. Consequently, it could be considered in the conservationist policies of fishery resources, reinforcing the importance of local knowledge and cultural factors for fishing management approaches.

This paper proposes the use of a gymkhana hunt as a way to implement an environmental and sustainable awareness in the school community of Estrela Dalva (MG). The article has a quantitative and qualitative approach that discusses the environmental education theme in the school space effectively, promoting interdisciplinarity. The gymkhana hunt demonstrated possibilities and the importance of recycling materials that were previously destined for garbage or wrong disposal, creating workshops that work (e.g turning cooking oil into soap, pet bottles into furniture and decorative paintings etc.) these skills. Exposing these activities as a science fair and then creating a march for sustainability were strategies adopted to bring knowledge of the five R's to the community, demonstrating that the school also has its social role.

Local people living in the Amazon rainforest rely heavily on wild meat as a source of protein and income.While the patterns and drivers of wildlife hunting and trade by local communities are well-known for upland forests, such aspects have been poorly explored in Amazonian floodplains. This study aims to describe wild meat hunting and trade patterns and assess the hunting dynamics of local communities in Amazonian floodplain areas. For this purpose, we interviewed 121 hunters in 36 communities living in white-water flooded forests in the lower Amazon River, Brazil. Thirty taxa were cited as hunted by interviewees, who used a repertoire of 13 hunting techniques. Aquatic and semi-aquatic taxa were the most prevalent, especially Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, Cairina moschata, and Podocnemis unifilis.Eight taxa were cited as traded; wild meat was sold at 2.57 ± 2.22 USD/kg, while eggs of birds and turtles were sold at 0.37 ± 0.27 USD/unit. We found an inverted-U relationship between the body mass and the number of citations per taxa, with species weighing between 10-40 kg presenting the highest number of citations. The hunting patterns found here are different from those frequently found in the literature for upland environments. Understanding these hunting and trade patterns will help develop tailored wildlife conservation and management strategies for Amazonian floodplains.

This study presents the first record of the Sungrebe Heliornis fulica for the state of Piauí in northeastern Brazil, a first sighting also in a Cerrado/Caatinga ecotone. On 19 December 2014, a female Sungrebe was collected by a local fisherman in the Corrente River located between the towns of Capitão de Campos and Piripiri in the northcentral part of the state of Piauí.

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