Ethnobotany of native cacti in the northeast region of Brazil: can traditional use influence availability?

ABSTRACT Documenting the uses of native species of Cactaceae in Northeast Brazil contributes to understanding how the inhabitants of this seasonally dry and low-rainfall region have used these resources, considering that some species of this family of Cactaceae are among the most endangered in the world. The aim of this research was to determine which species of Cactaceae occur in the study area and investigate the knowledge and recurrent uses associated with them, as well as the local availability of the species most used by residents. Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 59 heads of households. Guided tours were conducted for data collection and subsequent taxonomic identification of species. Use value and availability were determined for the most-used species in two predefined areas. Six native species were recorded and classified into eight categories. Columnar species had higher use values, while fodder and construction were the most cited use categories. Cereus jamacaru DC was the most-used species, with consequent interference in its availability due to significant reduction in the number of cladodes as a result of their constant removal from plants in areas of direct use for the purpose of fodder.

摘要 记录巴西东北部本土仙人掌科（Cactaceae）物种的利用情况，有助于理解该季节性干旱少雨区域的居民如何利用这类植物资源——鉴于该科部分物种已跻身全球最濒危物种之列。本研究旨在明确研究区域内分布的仙人掌科物种，探究当地居民对这些物种的认知及常规利用方式，同时调查居民最常使用的物种的本地可获取性。研究通过对59户户主开展半结构化访谈收集民族植物学数据，并通过引导式野外考察完成数据采集，后续开展物种的分类学鉴定。针对两个预设研究区域内的高频利用物种，测算其利用价值与可获取性水平。本研究共记录6种本土仙人掌科物种，并将其划分为8个利用类别。柱状仙人掌物种的利用价值更高，而饲用与建材为被提及最多的利用类别。Cereus jamacaru DC是最常被利用的物种，由于当地居民为获取饲用原料持续从植株上移除茎节，导致其茎节数量大幅减少，进而对该物种的本地可获取性造成显著干扰。