The conservation of native priority medicinal plants in a Caatinga area in Ceará, northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Much of the Brazilian semiarid region faces a considerable process of degradation of natural resources, and ethnobotanical studies have collaborated with important information about the use and traditional knowledge, serving as a tool to design conservation strategies of native plant species. Thus, this study aimed to determine medicinal species meriting conservation priorities in a "Caatinga" area in the northeastern of Brazilian territory. The ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews with key subjects selected through the "snowball" technique. The availability and species conservation priority was verified by relative density, risk of collection, local use and use of diversity in the forest fragment sampled. It was recorded 42 native medicinal plants and conservation priority score was calculated for seven species, including Mimosa tenuiflora, Hymenaea courbaril, Ximenia americana and Amburana cearensis need immediate conservation and attention, since their collection does not occur in a sustainable way. In order to ensure the perpetuation of the species and the sustainability of traditional therapeutic practice there needs to be a development of conservation practices of caatinga remaining to better conserve the species of the biome.

Biotechnological Potential of Carotenoids Produced by Extremophilic Microorganisms and Application Prospects for the Cosmetics Industry

“…This region is of fundamental importance in the life of local communities. It offers a wide variety of plants that are used for medicinal purposes, and that explicit the potential of this domain for research studies of new bioactive products [49] [50] [51] [52].…”

Genetic Diversity in Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir.: A Multipurpose Plant Genetic Resource of Semiarid Brazil

“…This specie has been regarded as "high conservation priority" after presenting local risk of extinction in the southern mesoregion of the state of Ceará because of overexploitation for medical purposes and animal feeding. The small number of individuals can be also related to losses of genetic variability contributing to lower population sizes (Santos et al, 2017).…”

Sistemas de agrosilvopastoreo asociados con el modelado nutricional pueden minimizar los impactos del ganado en el bioma de Caatinga

“…Devido a ação antrópica observa-se mudanças nos ecossistemas pastoris da Caatinga. Nesse aspecto, a adoção de estratégias para recuperação e manutenção das espécies endêmicas nativas são fundamentais para mitigar os impactos ambientais das explorações pecuárias (Santos et al, 2017). O manejo sustentável do bioma é uma realidade possível através dos modelos de produção integrados como os sistemas agroflorestais ou agrossilvipastoris.…”