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Criteria for Native Food Plant Collection in Northeastern Brazil

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Abstract

Different criteria are used by human populations around the world in the selection of preferred natural resources. In this study, the following hypotheses were tested: 1) the preference for food native species is related to the number of uses for which the species are cited; 2) the categories of food and medicinal use equally influence the selection of a species as preferred; 3) the preference among native food species is related to its frequency and abundance in the areas of collection. Data collection on species preference was conducted in communities located near the Araripe National Forest (FLONA) in Ceará, Northeastern, Brazil. Both the hypothesis that the preference would relate to the number of uses attributed to species and the hypothesis that food and medicinal categories equally influence the selection of species as preferred ones were corroborated. It was concluded in this study that people optimize both use and collection of native resources using criteria such as the versatility of uses for species and the abundance of the resource in the preferred collection areas. It is believed that this trend may be an adaptive strategy adopted by local communities for the exploitation of native resources.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the residents of Baixa do Maracujá, Horizonte and Macaúba who participated in this research. We also thank the CNPq productivity scholarship granted to ELA and UPA and CAPES for doctoral scholarship granted to Leticia Zenobia O. Campos, and financial support to PNPD design, process 23038008230 / 2010-75, beyond REBISA (Biodiversity Research Network) the scientific and logistical support and to the FLONA-Araripe staff for all their support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 52171-900, Brazil

    Leticia Campos, André Nascimento, Ulysses Albuquerque & Elcida Araújo

Authors
  1. Leticia Campos
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  2. André Nascimento
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  3. Ulysses Albuquerque
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  4. Elcida Araújo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leticia Campos.

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This study was legally authorized by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Pernambuco (Universidade de Pernambuco - UPE) number 113.750, and by the System of Authorization and Information on Biodiversity (Sistema de Autorização e Informação em Biodiversidade - ICMBIO/SISBIO), number 32691-1.

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Campos, L., Nascimento, A., Albuquerque, U. et al. Criteria for Native Food Plant Collection in Northeastern Brazil. Hum Ecol 44, 775–782 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9863-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9863-4

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