Ethnobotanical knowledge of Olinda’s historical site’s inhabitants, Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Abstract Olinda (Pernambuco, Brazil) has been declared Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Considering the ethnobotanical knowledge associated with the local population as an intangible part of this heritage, we evaluated the relation between knowledge richness of the inhabitants from the Olinda and useful plants diversity in their homes. The association of useful plant richness with the available green areas was verified, as well as inhabited periods and richness of knowledge. We interviewed 11 men and 37 women aged 18 or older living in 48 homes, in the Olinda's neighborhoods, 12 per neighborhood: Amparo, Bonsucesso and Carmo, in the historical site, as well as Ouro Preto, located in its outskirts. The total number of 346 species cited by the interviewees, 88% cultivated and 35%native, are used for landscaping (246spp), health care (81spp) and nourishment (80spp). No remarkable difference has been observed among the four neighborhoods; ornamental and medical applications were the predominant categories in use. The knowledge of inhabitants and available green area were the most influential factors for the sorting of plants in homes.

摘要 巴西伯南布哥州的奥林达（Olinda）已被联合国教科文组织（UNESCO）列入世界自然与文化遗产。鉴于与当地居民相关的民族植物学知识是该世界遗产的无形组成部分，本研究评估了奥林达居民的民族植物学知识丰富度与其居所内有用植物多样性之间的关联，并验证了有用植物丰富度与可利用绿地面积、居民居住时长以及知识丰富度之间的关联。本研究共访谈了48户居所内的18岁及以上居民，其中男性11人、女性37人，受访者分布于奥林达的4个街区：历史城区的安帕罗（Amparo）、邦苏塞苏（Bonsucesso）、卡尔莫（Carmo）各12户，以及位于城郊的欧鲁普雷图（Ouro Preto）。受访者共提及346种植物，其中88%为栽培种、35%为本土原生种，这些植物的用途涵盖景观美化（246spp）、医疗保健（81spp）与营养补给（80spp）。四个街区的相关情况未出现显著差异，观赏与医用用途为最主要的植物使用类别。居民的知识储备与可利用绿地面积是影响居所内植物种类选择的最关键因素。