A biocultural approach to the use of natural resources in Northeast Brazil: A socioeconomic perspective

Abstract

We employed a biocultural approach to understanding the dynamics of knowledge ans use of natural resources associated in immaterial aspects of culture. We investigated whether factors such as sex, income, age, religion, occupation and time of participation in cultural practice infl uence the richness of species known and used by members of Cavalo Marinho, expression of the popular culture of the Brazilian Northeast that brings together theater, music and dance. We recorded a total of 111 ethnospecies (95 plants and 16 animals), based on information obtained from 56 informants. .Th ere was a predominance of native plants and domestic animals in the knowledge of the participants in this cultural expression, although eff ective use is restricted to few species. Men had greater knowledge of the species than women, while people with greater schooling and income, and those whose occupation is related to agriculture, homecare and art, used more resources than other participant. Th e infl uence of socioeconomic factors on the knowledge and use of natural resources related to intangible aspects of culture diff ers, in some respects (schooling, gender and occupation), from that reported for the use of natural resources for subsistence purposes.

Using Medicinal Plants in Valmalenco (Italian Alps): From Tradition to Scientific Approaches

“…However, ethnobotanical knowledge is disappearing in mountain areas of many parts of the world, particularly in developed countries, due to the ongoing socio-economic changes and the loss of ethnic cultures. This process has been widely investigated, since loss of traditional knowledge could result in declining capacities of local communities to manage and conserve their ecosystems [ 4 ] and, therefore, has direct consequences on the use of biological resources by the next generations [ 5 , 6 ]. According to Dutfield [ 7 ] the erosion of ethnopharmacological knowledge and the abandonment of traditional practices might also involve a loss of access to a stock of bioactive compounds potentially useful for therapeutic application and drug development.…”

From Primary Data to Ethnopharmacological Investigations on Achillea erba-rotta subsp. moschata (Wulfen) I.Richardson as a Remedy against Gastric Ailments in Valmalenco (Italy)

“…Simultaneously, the depopulation of the mountains over the past few decades has generated steady outgoing flows of people and, ultimately, the increasing neglect of local traditions [ 5 ]. The loss of these traditions could result in the declining ability of local communities to manage and preserve their ecosystems [ 5 ] and has direct consequences for the use of biological resources by future generations [ 6 , 7 ]. Within the context of the European Interreg Italy–Switzerland B-ICE & Heritage project (ID 63143), a three-year ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Valmalenco (Italy, Lombardy, Province of Sondrio), a valley located in the Italian Central Alps.…”