One of the largest private reserves in the Atlantic Forest is the RPPN Estação Veracel, which along with the contiguous forested area of the Pau-Brasil Ecological Station, is an important part of the remaining Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia. We carried out an inventory of medium and large mammals in the Reserve during a 16-month camera trap survey, as well as conducted interviews with park rangers and searched for direct/indirect records, which revealed 33 species belonging to nine different Orders. Among the species recorded, six are categorized as threatened in the national list and four in the IUCN global list. The RPPN harbors species which are crucial to the ecosystem, many of which are in decline and threatened by high hunting pressure and reduction of habitat. The results confirm the relevance of the RPPN as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) for globally threatened species.

Wild and domestic animals and their by-products are important ingredients in the preparation of medicines traditionally used in folk medicine, present in various human cultures since antiquity. However, the decline in the number of species in neotropical regions as a result of hunting for various purposes, including food, medicine and magico-religious use, has placed some species - especially endemic species - at risk of extinction. In this context, the present study aimed to identify the wild vertebrate species used in folk medicine in five communities in the region surrounding the Serra do Conduru State Park (PESC), Bahia, Brazil. Forty-five hunter-farmers were interviewed, citing 23 species, from which 17 raw materials are extracted for prevention and/or treatment of 19 illnesses. Mammals were the most cited taxon followed by birds and reptiles. Among the species mentioned, Cuniculus paca is the most used for zootherapy purposes, followed by Salvator merianae and Sphiggurus insidiosus. There was dissimilarity between the communities in relation to the diversity of species used for zootherapy. Ten categories of body systems were classified for which the therapeutic resources are recommended. Disorders related to the middle and inner ear were the most cited. Some of the species mentioned are endangered, such as Bradypus torquatus and Lachesis muta. This research demonstrated that zootherapy is a traditional practice embedded in these communities. Further studies are needed to broaden knowledge of other species that may have important cultural value for these families, as well as to evaluate the potential implications of the uncontrolled use of these species in traditional medicine in an ecological context, since the practice of zootherapy can excerpt pressure on critical animal populations and threaten biodiversity.

Conflicts between humans and wildlife have been considered a huge obstacle to the management and conservation of fauna, and also lead to negative impacts for local populations. For this reason, from an ethnozoological perspective, the present work aimed to identify and analyze conflicts between farmers and the wild fauna in four communities of the Costa de ItacaréSerra Grande Environmental Protection Area, Bahia, Brazil, as well as diagnose the control measures used. The participants were selected using the snowball technique and data were collected using semistructured interviews, complemented by free listing techniques, nonspecific prompting, and reading back. Thirtyeight farmers were interviewed and they reported 45 species of wild animals, among which 23 were mammals, 17 were birds and 5 were reptiles. Conflicts were classified into five categories. Of these categories, animalcultivation and animallivestock interactions had the highest number of reported species. The farmers applied different control measures, including defensive methods, which are the most frequently used in the communities, offensive methods, and superstitious rituals. Positive interactions were also identified, in which some species are considered charismatic or recognized for their ecological role. Conflicts with wild fauna are recurrent in these communities; thus, it is necessary to guarantee social participation in the construction of effective strategies for conflict mitigation and fauna conservation.

Criado em 1997 o Parque Estadual Serra do Conduru (PESC) no Sul da Bahia – Brasil gerou um cenário de disputas e conflitos com os moradores locais, que se perpetua até os dias atuais. Sendo assim, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar os conflitos gerados a partir da criação do PESC e as arenas formadas em função da sua criação. Para tanto, foram entrevistados 23 posseiros, que tiveram suas terras desapropriadas no processo de criação do parque. As arenas sociais se formaram e muitos conflitos surgiram diante das desapropriações, da falta de participação popular, das limitações impostas aos posseiros e pela morosidade do Estado. Os moradores da área tiveram suas vidas transformadas pela chegada da unidade e tiveram que se adaptar a novos modos de vida ou resistir na área do parque vivendo sobre restrições legais e privações econômicas.

Background: The consumption of wild animals through hunting performs an essential role in human eating habits in different tropical areas. However, the frequent and consistent use of hunting is indicated as one of the main causes of extinction and/or population decline in various species. Thus, the present study aimed to identify the wild animals used as food source in five locations in the region of the Serra do Conduru State Park, Bahia, Brazil.Methods: The field survey was carried out from June 2016 to July 2017 by conducting semi-structured interviews, complemented by informal conversations with 45 hunters (44 men and one women), who provided information on hunted species, the purpose of hunting, capture techniques, and other aspects of hunting. We characterized the composition of the species used for feeding in the five locations through permutation multivariate analyses of variance. Generalized linear models were built to assess whether the socio-demographic variables of the hunters affect the number of captured species.Results: A total of 67 species (34 families and 22 orders) of hunting importance were registered in the region, 41 of which are captured for eating. The taxa most represented were: mammals (32), birds (21), reptiles (13) and amphibia (1). Pecari tajacu, Dasypus novemcinctus, and Cuniculus paca are the most hunted species for food. Hunters who still reside within the conservation unit capture a greater number of wild animals. Older hunters and hunters with a smaller family size hunt more species. The rifle and domestic dogs are the most used techniques in the region.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that illegal hunting is a practice that still occurs in the region of the Serra do Conduru State Park. This reinforces the need for measures aimed at the conservation of hunted species, especially those found to be under some degree of threat in nature. Future research is necessary to estimate the pressure hunting exerts on the region and to assess its impact on local fauna.