BackgroundRecent reviews have demonstrated an increase in the number of papers on ethnobiology in Latin America. Among factors that have influenced this increase are the biological and cultural diversity of these countries and the general scientific situation in some countries. This study aims to assess the panorama of ethnobiological research in Latin America by analyzing its evolution, trends, and future prospects.MethodsTo conduct this study, we searched for papers in the Scopus (http://www.scopus.com) and Web of Science (http://www.isiknowledge.com) databases. The search was performed using combinations of keywords and the name of each Latin American country. The following countries were included in this study: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, and Uruguay.Results and conclusionsAccording to our inclusion criteria, 679 ethnobiological studies conducted in Latin America were found for the period between 1963 and 2012. Of these studies, 289 (41%) were conducted in Brazil, 153 in Mexico (22%), 61 in Peru (9%), 58 in Argentina (8%), 45 in Bolivia (6%), and 97 (14%) in other Latin American countries. The increased number of publications related to this area of knowledge in recent years demonstrates the remarkable growth of ethnobiology as a science. Ethnobiological research may be stimulated by an increase in the number of scientific events and journals for study dissemination and by the creation of undergraduate courses and graduate programs to train ethnoscientists who will produce high-quality studies, especially in certain countries.

For at least 30 years researchers have called for a deeper refl ection on the paths we desire for ethnobotanical research. Although the discipline of ethnobotany is growing, as measured by the number of publications in the area, there is still work to be done regarding the homogeneity of theoretical and methodological approaches and the implications of ethnobotanical research fi ndings for society as a whole. In this article we present 10 questions/issues that we believe can guide the research and actions of ethnobotanists for the coming years.

We investigated the influence of socioeconomic factors (age, gender, and occupation) on the local knowledge of medicinal plants in the Araripe National Forest, Brazil, and the priority of conservation of the species as perceived by people. Additionally, priority species for in situ conservation were identified by calculating conservation priority (CP). Initially, free lists were developed with 152 informants in order to identify the plants known and used by them. Based on the most cited plants in these lists, a salience analysis was performed to identify the ten most prominent tree species. In a second moment, through a participatory workshop, these ten species were classified by the perception of local experts as to their environmental availability and intensity of exploitation. Then, the population size of the forest plant species was quantified through a phytosociological sampling and the conservation priority index (CP) of the species was calculated. A total of 214 ethnospecies were cited by the informants, which were identified in 167 species. Local knowledge was influenced by socioeconomic factors, with positive correlation between age and local knowledge and difference in knowledge among professions. Among the ten most prominent tree species in terms of their medicinal importance, Hancornia speciosa was highlighted as a priority for conservation in the experts’ perception because it has low environmental availability and a high exploitation rate. The ten species were ordered by the CP differently from the ordering made by the local experts’ perception, indicating that people’s perception of species conservation status may not correspond to the actual situation in which they are found in the forests. Conservationist measures based on the perception of informants need complementary ecological studies on the species accessed.

a b s t r a c t Edited by J FloresKeywords: Ethnobiology Plant diversity Local botanical knowledge Euphorbiaceae stands out among angiosperms in its species richness and in the number of reported uses from ethnobotanical surveys in Brazil and other tropical countries. In Brazilian semiarid regions, species of Euphorbiaceae are among the most frequently used by rural communities, especially for medicinal purposes. The present study investigated the presence of species of Euphorbiaceae and their use by a rural population from the Araripe National Forest region, a protected area located in the Chapada do Araripe (NE Brazil). This area is considered to be of primary importance for conservation, and it is lacking in scientific research. The survey of the richness of Euphorbiaceae occurred through opportunistic plant collections and phytosociological studies between August 2011 and June 2012. We performed 153 interviews with informants who were selected based on general nonprobabilistic household sampling and administered semi-structured interviews using a checklist interview that considered all the species of the family Euphorbiaceae registered in collections. We found 23 species of Euphorbiaceae, with the genus Croton (5 species) being highlighted. This study adds new occurrences of Euphorbiaceae to the region compared with the results found in previous surveys; 50% of the collected Euphorbiaceae species were considered useful, with Manihot esculenta (cassava) considered of the highest importance, with a higher utilization rate in the community ponds. The study also indicated the use of castor bean (Ricinus communis), Croton heliotropiifolius, and Jatropha gossypiifolia. The category of use that was most cited was medicinal, and most of the useful species were obtained by informants in anthropogenic areas. The richness of Euphorbiaceae in the region was representative; however, further studies should be conducted in the study area. The dynamics of Euphorbiaceae use in the studied rural population did not appear to pose a threat to native species within the conservation area.

We studied the population structure and fruit availability of the babassu palm, Attalea speciosa, in three humandominated landscapes located near a rural community in the region of Araripe, in the Northeast Region of Brazil, that were under intense fruit harvest. Fifty 10 x 10 m plots were randomly established in each of the three landscapes, and all individuals of A. speciosa within the plots were classifi ed as seedlings, juveniles or adults, with the height of all adult individuals being measured. An additional 20 individuals were marked in each landscape, and the number of total bunches, fruits per bunch and bunches per palm tree were recorded. Th e populations of A. speciosa in the three landscapes exhibited an inverted J-shape plot, but pasture and shifting cultivation possessed a signifi cantly higher number of individuals, seedlings and adults than the seasonal semideciduous forest, plus they possessed a greater seedling/adult ratio. Shifting cultivation was found to be favorable for fructifi cation. Th e present study found that shifting cultivation and pastures are landscape practices that can contribute to the rapid expansion and establishment of A. speciosa, which can become a dominant species in the region of Araripe.