Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Cultural Value of Invasive Species: A Case Study from Semi–Arid Northeastern Brazil

  • Published:
Economic Botany Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 18 September 2014

The Cultural Value of Invasive Species: A Case Study from Semi–Arid Northeastern Brazil. Invasive species are often considered the pariahs of the plant kingdom. In this study, we investigate the utility of native and exotic invasive plants to local residents in a semi–arid area of northeastern Brazil. We address the following questions: Are invasive species considered useful? How are they useful? Are they more or less useful than non–invasive species? Is there a relationship between use categories and taxonomic groups (families, genera, and species)? What plant parts are preferentially used and how are they distributed by categories of usage? And are there differences in the perceived usefulness of native vs. exotic invasive plants? We employed plot sampling of vegetation in anthropogenic habitats. Semi–structured, checklist interviews were carried out with 106 individuals. A total of 56 invasive species were recorded, of which 55 were considered useful. There was no statistical difference in the perceived utility of native vs. exotic invasive species; however, invasive species overall were considered useful more often than non–invasive species. The predominant use was as animal fodder, followed by medicine, food, and technology. Nearly half (44%) of the animal fodder species also served as medicine for people. Herbaceous plants were the most common. Uses varied significantly within taxonomic ranks (species, genus, and family). The most recognized plants were those that are most used locally. This study underscores the value of invasive species in semi–arid Brazil, as well as the need to include local people in regional and national strategies to address invasive species management.

O Valor Cultural das Espécies Invasoras: Um Estudo de Caso no Semiárido do Nordeste do Brasil. As espécies invasoras são muitas vezes consideradas as párias do reino vegetal. Neste estudo, investigamos a utilidade de plantas invasoras nativas e exóticas para moradores locais no semiárido nordestino do Brasil. Nós procuramos responder as seguintes questões: São as espécies invasoras consideradas úteis? Como? São elas mais úteis que as espécies não invasoras? Existem relações entre categorias de uso e os grupos taxonômicos (famílias, gêneros e espécies)? Quais partes das plantas são preferencialmente usadas e como elas estão distribuídas por categorias de uso? E existem diferenças na utilidade percebida entre plantas nativas e exóticas invasoras? Nós empregamos o método de parcelas para a amostragem de vegetação em ambientes antropogênicos. Entrevistas semi–estruturadas foram realizadas com 106 pessoas. Um total de 56 espécies invasoras foram registradas, das quais 55 foram consideradas úteis. Não houve diferença estatística na percepção de utilidade das espécies invasoras nativas versus exóticas, no entanto, as espécies invasoras no geral (nativas e exóticas) foram frequentemente consideradas mais úteis do que as plantas citadas como não invasoras. O uso predominante foi o forrageiro, seguido do medicinal, alimentício e tecnológico. Quase metade (44%) das espécies forrageiras são reportadas como medicamento. Houve diferenças significativas entre os usos e categorias taxonômicas (espécies, gêneros e famílias). As plantas mais reconhecidas foram também as mais usadas localmente. Este estudo ressalta o valor de espécies invasoras no semiárido do Brasil, bem como a necessidade de incluir a população local em estratégias regionais e nacionais para lidar com a gestão de espécies invasoras.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Achigan–Dako, E., S. N’Danikou, F. Assogba–Komlan, B. Ambrose–Oji, A. Ahanchede, and M. Pasquini. 2011. Diversity, geographical, and consumption patterns of traditional vegetables in sociolinguistic communities in Benin: Implications for domestication and utilization. Economic Botany 65:129–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguilar–Støen, M. and S. Moe. 2007. Medicinal plant conservation and management: Distribution of wild and cultivated species in eight countries. Biodiversity and Conservation 18:1973–1981.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Albuquerque, U. P., R. F. P. Lucena, and N. L. Alencar. 2014. Methods and techniques used to collect ethnobiological data. Pages 15–37 in U. P. Albuquerque, L. Cunha Cruz, R. Lucena, and R. Alves, eds., Methods and techniques in ethnobiology and ethnoecology. Springer, New York.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Alcoforado–Filho, F. G., E. V. S. B. Sampaio, and M. J. N. Rodal. 2003. Florística e fitossociologia de um remanescente de vegetação caducifólia espinhosa arbórea em Caruaru, Pernambuco. Acta Botanica Brasilica 17:287–303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alencar, N. L., T. A. S. Araújo, E. L. C. Amorim, and U. P. Albuquerque. 2010. The inclusion and selection of medicinal plants in traditional pharmacopoeia—Evidence in support of the diversification hypothesis. Economic Botany 64:68–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alexiades, M., ed. 2009. Mobility and migration in indigenous Amazonia: Contemporary ethnoecological perspectives. Berghahn, Oxford, United Kingdom.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin, D. F. 2007. Merremia dissecta (Convolvulaceae): Condiment, medicine, ornamental, and weed—A review. Economic Botany 61:109–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayantunde, A., M. Briejer, P. Hiernaux, H. Udo, and R. Tabo. 2008. Botanical knowledge and its differentiation by age, gender and ethnicity in Southwestern Niger. Human Ecology 36:881–889.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayres, M., M. Ayres, Jr., D. L. Ayres, and A. S. Santos. 2007. BioEstat 5.0: Aplicações estatísticas nas áreas das ciências biomédicas. Sociedade Civil de Mamirauá, Belém, Brasil.

  • Bennett, B. C. and G. T. Prance. 2000. Introduced plants in the indigenous pharmacopoeia of northern South America. Economic Botany 54:90–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berlin, B. 1992. Ethnobiological classification: Principles of categorization of plants and animals in traditional societies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanckaert, I., K. Vancraeynest, R. L. Swennen, F. J. Espinosa–García, D. Piñero, and R. Lira–Saade. 2007. Non–crop resources and the role of indigenous knowledge in semi–arid production of Mexico. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 119:39–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brazilian Family Health Programme. 2010. “Programa de Saúde da Família – PSF.”

  • Bye, R. A. and E. Linares. 1983. The role of plants found in the Mexican markets and their importance in ethnobotanical studies. Journal of Ethnobiology 3:1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavender, A. 2006. Folk medical uses of plant foods in southern Appalachia, United States. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 108:74–84.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • CEPAN 2009. Contextualização sobre espécies exóticas invasoras–Dossiê Pernambuco.

  • Ceuterick, M., I. Vandebroek, B. Torry, and A. Pieroni. 2008. Cross–cultural adaptation in urban ethnobotany: The Colombian folk pharmacopoeia in London. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 120:342–359.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, I. R., F. S. Araújo, and L. W. Lima–Verde. 2004. Flora e Aspectos Auto–Ecológicos de um Encrave De Cerrado na Chapada do Araripe, Nordeste do Brasil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 18:759–770.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, M. A., M. K. Chew, R. J. Hobbs, A. E. Lugo, J. J. Ewel, G. J. Vermeij, J. H. Brown, M. L. Rosenzweig, M. R. Gardener, S. P. Carroll, K. Thompson, S. T. A. Pickett, J. C. Stromberg, P. Del Tredici, K. N. Suding, J. G. Ehrenfeld, J. P. Grime, J. Mascaro, and J. C. Briggs. 2011. Don’t judge species on their origins. Nature 474:153–154.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Díaz–Betancourt, M., L. Ghermandi, A. Ladio, I. R. López–Moreno, E. Raffaele, and E. H. Rapoport. 1999. Weeds as a source for human consumption. A comparison between tropical and temperate Latin America. Revista de Biologia Tropical 47:329–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Etkin, N. 2009. Foods of association: Biocultural perspectives on foods and beverages that mediate sociability. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona.

    Google Scholar 

  • FIDEM – Fundação de Desenvolvimento Municipal. 2005. Desenvolvido pela Secretaria de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento Social. Apresenta informações sobre os Perfis Municipais. http://www.fidem.pe.gov.br (03 September 2012).

  • Frei, B., O. Sticher, and M. Heinrich. 2000. Zapotec and Mixe use of tropical habitats for securing medicinal plants in Mexico. Economic Botany 54:73–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janni, K. D. and J. W. Bastien. 2004. Exotic botanicals in the Kallawaya pharmacopoeia. Economic Botany 58:274–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jusu, A. and A. Cuni Sanchez. 2013. Economic importance of the medicinal plant trade in Sierra Leone. Economic Botany 67:299–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karim, R. S. M., A. B. Man, and I. B. Sahid. 2004. Weeds problems and their management in rice fields of Malaysia: An overview. Weed Biology and Management 4:177–186.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kosaka, Y., L. Xayvongsa, A. Vilayphone, H. Chanthavong, S. Takeda, and M. Kato. 2013. Wild edible herbs in paddy fields and their sale in a mixture in Houaphan Province, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Economic Botany 67:335–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leonti, M., S. Cabras, M. Castellanos, A. Challenger, J. Gertsch, and L. Casu. 2013. Bioprospecting: Evolutionary implications from a post–Olmec pharmacopoeia and the relevance of widespread taxa. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 147:92–107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lucena, R. F. P., V. T. Nascimento, E. L. Araújo, and U. P. Albuquerque. 2008. Local uses of native plants in an area of Caatinga Vegetation (Pernambuco, NE Brazil). Ethnobotanical Research & Applications 6:3–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyon, L. and L. Hardesty. 2012. Quantifying medicinal plant knowledge among non–specialist Antanosy villagers in southern Madagascar. Economic Botany 66:1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madamombe–Manduna, I., H. Vibrans, and L. López–Mata. 2009. Diversity of coevolved weeds in smallholder maize fields of Mexico and Zimbabwe. Biodiversity and Conservation 18:1589–1610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, N., M. Friedel, R. D. van Klinken, and A. C. Grice. 2011. Considering the social dimension of invasive species: The case of buffel grass. Environmental Science & Policy 14:327–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Medeiros, P. M., A. L. S. Almeida, R. F. P. Lucena, and U. P. Albuquerque. 2008. The role of visual stimuli in ethnobotanical surveys: An overview. Pages 125–137 in U. P. Albuquerque and M. A. Ramos, eds., Current topics in ethnobotany research. Signopost, Kerala, India.

    Google Scholar 

  • ——— A. Ladio, and U. P. Albuquerque. 2013. Patterns of medicinal plant use by inhabitants of Brazilian urban and rural areas: A macroscale investigation based on available literature. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 150:729–746.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • ——— G. Soltadi, N. Alencar, I. Vandebroek, A. Pieroni, N. Hanazaki, and U. P. Albuquerque. 2012. The use of medicinal plants by migrant people: Adaptation, maintenance, and replacement. Evidence–Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Article ID 807452, 11 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/807452 (3 September 2013).

  • Ministerio do Meio Ambiente (MMA). 2006. Espécie exoticas invasoras: A situação brasileira. http://www.mma.gov.br/estruturas/174/_publicacao/174_publicacao17092009113400.pdf (3 September 2012).

  • Moerman, D. E. 2008. All plants are “exotic invasives.”. Ethnobotany Research & Applications Editorial 6:117–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morton, J. F. 1967. The balsam pear—An edible, medicinal and toxic plant. Economic Botany 21:57–68.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Njoroge, N., R. Bussmann, B. Gemmill, L. Newton, and V. Ngumi. 2004. Utilisation of weed species as sources of traditional medicines in central Kenya. Lyonia 7:71–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, C. T. 2004. The inclusion of recently introduced plants in the Hawaiian ethnopharmacopoeia. Economic Botany 58(Supplement):S280–S293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, J. J. 1972. Spread of American pasture grasses to the American tropics. Journal of Range Management 25:12–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer, J. M. and E. H. Ortiz. 2007. Invasive plants impact California native plants used in traditional basketry. Fremontia 35:7–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • ——— and R. A. Voeks. 2008. Biological invasions and biocultural diversity: Linking ecological and cultural systems. Environmental Conservation 35:281–293.

  • Pieroni, A. and C. Quave. 2005. Traditional pharmacopoeias and medicines among Albanians and Italians in southern Italy: A comparison. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 101:258–270.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • ——— and I. Vandebroek. 2008. Introduction. Pages 1–13 in A. Pieroni and I. Vandebroek, eds., Traveling cultures and plants: The ethnobiology and ethnopharmacy of human migrations. Berghan, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pirker, H., R. Haselmair, E. Kuhn, C. Schunko, and C. Vogl. 2012. Transformation of traditional knowledge of medicinal plants: The case of Tyroleans (Austria) who migrated to Australia, Brazil and Peru. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 8:44.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Prefeitura Municipal de Caruaru. 2012. http://www.caruaru.pe.gov.br/caruaru/ (10 September 2012).

  • Richardson, D. M., P. Pyšek, M. Rejmánek, M. G. Barbour, F. D. Panett, and C. J. West. 2000. Naturalization and invasion of alien plants: Concepts and definitions. Diversity and Distributions 62:93–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, P. 2004. Comparing invasive networks: Cultural and political biographies of invasive species. The Geographical Review 94:139–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rossato, S. C., H. F. Leitão–Filho, and A. Begossi. 1999. Ethnobotany of Caiçaras of the Atlantic forest coast (Brazil). Economic Botany 53:387–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos, L. L., M. A. Ramos, V. A. Silva, and U. P. Albuquerque. 2011. The use of visual stimuli in the recognition of plants from anthropogenic zones: Evaluation of the checklist–interview method. Sitientibus série Ciências Biológicas 11:231–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ——— M. A. Ramos, S. I. Silva, M. F. Sales, and U. P. Albuquerque. 2009. Caatinga Ethnobotany: Anthropogenic Landscape Modification and Useful Species in Brazil’s Semi–Arid Northeast. Economic Botany 63:363–374.

  • Semenya, S., M. Potgieter, and L. Erasmus. 2013. Exotic and indigenous problem plants species used, by the Bapedi, to treat sexually transmitted infections in Limpopo Province, South Africa. African Health Sciences 13:320–326.

    PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Stepp, J. R. 2004. The role of weeds as sources of pharmaceuticals. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 92:163–166.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ——— and D. E. Moerman. 2001. The importance of weeds in ethnopharmacology. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 75:25–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundaram, B., S. Krishnan, A. J. Hiramath, and G. Joseph. 2012. Ecology and impacts of the invasive species, Lantana camara, in a social–ecological system in South India: Perspectives from local knowledge. Human Ecology 40:931–942.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tacher, S. I. L., J. R. A. Rivera, M. M. M. Romero, and A. D. Fernández. 2002. Caracterización del uso tradicional de la flora espontánea en la comunidad Lacandona de Lacanhá, Chiapas, México. Interciencia 27:512–520.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tshisikhawe, M. P., M. W. van Rooyen, and R. B. Bhat. 2012. An evaluation of the extent and threat of bark harvesting of medicinal plant species in the Venda region, Limpopo Province, South Africa. ФYTON 81:89–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandebroek, I. and M. Balick. 2012. Globalization and loss of plant knowledge: Challenging the paradigm. PloS ONE 7(5):e37643.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vieyra–Odilon, L. and H. Vibrans. 2001. Weeds as crops: The value of maize weeds in the valley of Toluca, Mexico. Economic Botany 52:426–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voeks, R. A. 2004. Disturbance pharmacopoeias: Medicine and myth from the humid tropics. Annals, Association of American Geographers 94:868–888.

    Google Scholar 

  • ——— 2012. African spiritual healing in Brazil: Ethnobotanical conversations in the Black Atlantic. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture 6:499–520.

    Google Scholar 

  • ——— L. Short, and A. Gregorio. 2012. Whither the journal Economic Botany: Trends and transitions, 1947–2010. Pages 119–129 in B. Ponman and R. Bussmann, eds., Medicinal Plants and the Legacy of Richard E. Schultes. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, Missouri.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the members of the communities of Minguiriba and Riachão de Malhada de Pedra for their time, hospitability, and effective participation in all stages of the work, and to CAPES for the study grant provided to the first author and CNPq to the productivity grant awarded to UPA. To members of the Laboratory of Applied and Theoretical Ethnobiology (LEA), especially to Luciana Gomes de Sousa Nascimento, Luciani Abisagui Batista Leite, and Washington Soares Ferreira Júnior, thank you for valuable assistance in the field and in the laboratory, and to Josiene Falcão Fraga dos Santos, Renata Kelly Dias, and Luciana dos Santos Dias de Oliveira for their support on the field. We also thank the anonymous reviewers of this manuscript. This paper is contribution P019 of the Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Saberes Locais (REBISA–Network of Research in Biodiversity and Local Knowledge), with financial support from FACEPE (Foundation for Support of Science and Technology) to the project Núcleo de Pesquisa em Ecologia, conservação e Potencial de Uso de Recursos Biológicos no Semiárido do Nordeste do Brasil (Center for Research in Ecology, Conservation and Potential Use of Biological Resources in the Semi–Arid Region of Northeastern Brazil–APQ–1264–2.05/10).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco, Bairro São Pedro–Belo Jardim, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Lucilene Lima dos Santos

  2. Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Etnobiologia Aplicada e Teórica, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    André Luiz Borba do Nascimento & Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque

  3. Universidade Estadual do Piauí, Departamento de Biologia, Picos, Piauí, Brazil

    Fábio José Vieira

  4. Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Departamento de Biologia, Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Valdeline Atanázio da Silva

  5. Department of Geography, California State University, Fullerton, California, United States

    Robert Voeks

Authors
  1. Lucilene Lima dos Santos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. André Luiz Borba do Nascimento
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Fábio José Vieira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Valdeline Atanázio da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Robert Voeks
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Lucilene Lima dos Santos or Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque.

Additional information

Submitted 22 November 2013; Accepted 4 June 2014

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

dos Santos, L.L., do Nascimento, A.L.B., Vieira, F.J. et al. The Cultural Value of Invasive Species: A Case Study from Semi–Arid Northeastern Brazil. Econ Bot 68, 283–300 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9281-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9281-8

Key Words

Search

Navigation