Perfil etnobotânico e conservacionista das comunidades do entorno da reserva natural Serra das Almas, Ceará - Piauí, Brasil

Abstract

The present study has subject out a diagnostic of therapeutic-use plants and characterization profile of the communities about conservation of the native flora at the region of Reserva Natural Serra das Almas, CE and PI, in Brazil. In order to do that, different pieces of information were investigated, such as the social-economical-cultural profile of the communities; the spread of ethnobotanical knowledge among successive generations; the ethnobotanical information of medicinal plants, data related to the epidemiological profile of the communities, to the trade of plants in urban areas, and on the existence of concern – on the conservationist point of view – about the local flora. Diferents types of halfstructured of questionary were carried to the populations of elect groups: 1) midwife, rootmen, witchdoctor, 2) young public of 15 to 25 years old, 3) servant of half post at the region of Reserva, 4) the businessman of medicinal plants to the free market of Crateús. Parallel of this interview, take effecting floristical survey of the species cultivated in the back yard and in the outskirts vegetation. The calculation of the ‘value of use’ of the medicinal plants was also carried out - in order to measure the level of importance of each plant to the communities of the studied areas. About the local flora were also researched. 61 medicinal species were cited, that to belong to 36 families, of which just 27 have been identified in genus level, because didn’t have botanic material in a reproductive condition. The families with the largest number of mentioned species were: Lamiaceae (8), following Euphorbiaceae (5), Anacardiaceae and Leg-Caesalpinioideae (4), Leg-Faboideae e Verbenaceae (3), Apocynaceae, Bignoniaceae, Moraceae, Olacaceae with 2 species each.. Medicinal plants are mainly used for the treatment of the flu, which is also the most frequently detected illness at health centers. Verified yet, that the largest part of plant used were the leaf. Some species have stood out for their high value of use, such as Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreg (2,50), Himatanthus sp. (2,50), Ocimum gratissimum L. (2,00), Caesalpinia ferrea Mart (2,00), Licania rigida Benth (2,00). The results have shown a tendency towards the loss of ethnobotanical knowledge within young people.