Bioprospecção e estudos etnodirigidos: análise das concepções dos estudantes de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal do Ceará

Abstract

Brazil is one of the countries with a huge biodiversity and the maintenance of this biodiversity is directly related to the way it is used and how the ecosystems and all the species that live in them are protected. Therefore, it is necessary to think of a development model that includes the conservation of natural resources, that values traditional knowledge, and that is sustainable. Bioprospecting and ethno-directed studies are strategic tools for the study of biodiversity because they contribute to broadening the knowledge about our biodiversity and can assist in conservation actions. It is important to show Biological Sciences students that bioprospecting and ethno-directed studies are promising areas for the development of projects ranging from scientific initiation to graduate studies. This research is characterized as an exploratory field research of qualitative nature, conducted using an online form that aims to assess the conception of undergraduate students of Biological Sciences (BC) at the Federal University of Ceará in relation to these research areas, including them as a possibility of professional practice. We reached 27.27% of the under-graduated students of Biological Science at the Federal University of Ceará with active enrollment in 2021.1, distributed between Licentiate and Bachelor degree modalities. From this study it was possible to state that 47.9% of the participants know what bioprospecting is, only 19.7% know what ethno-directed research is, while 46.1% of them claimed to have no knowledge either about bioprospecting or ethno-directed studies. Of those who claimed to have knowledge about the areas addressed in this study, it was possible to conclude that bioprospecting was considered important for scientific, technological, and economic development from the use of biodiversity and that it can promote the conservation of our natural resources. Ethno-directed studies, on the other hand, were pointed out as one of the ways to link the university to the community and were considered important for the discovery of new products, especially medicinal products, based on traditional use, for the valorization of cultural diversity, and for the generation of employment and income. It is important to point out that working and getting to know different areas during initial training can broaden academic opportunities, besides contributing to the formation of a professional qualified to work in different areas in the labor market.