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Ethnobotany and Harvesting Impacts on Candombá (Vellozia aff. sincorana), A Multiple Use Shrub Species Endemic to Northeast Brazil1

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Ethnobotany and Harvesting Impacts on Candombá (Vellozia aff. sincorana), A Multiple Use Shrub Species Endemic to Northeast Brazil

This study assessed the relationship between knowledge, use, and harvesting impacts on Vellozia aff. sincorana L.B.Sm. & Ayensu (Velloziaceae) populations. The species has a dracaenoid habit and is endemic to the Chapada Diamantina National Park (NPDC), state of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil. We interviewed 37 key informants from local rural communities in the vicinity of the NPCD, who cited six types of use for the species’ pseudostems, which were grouped into four categories: fuel, magical–religious, technology, and trade. Presently, the pseudostems are used mostly to light wood stoves (fuel). Men had greater knowledge about this species compared to women, which is probably due to the historical use of these plants in rudimentary mining activities in the past, which were performed almost exclusively by men. Informants did not identify preferred spots for harvesting, but they did report areas with a higher density of plants with the desired qualities—larger pseudostems. We also studied the population structures of V. aff. sincorana in six areas under contrasting harvest levels (low vs. high harvesting pressure). We found a significantly lower density of plants in high harvested areas compared to low harvested areas. In contrast, harvest did not significantly change the population distribution in size classes, indicating that recruitment is not impaired by harvesting. Although presently V. aff. sincorana harvesting is only performed in a non–commercial scale, harvesting of this strictly endemic species persists in local communities. Therefore, local ecological knowledge and practices should be taken into account to help conserve this and other species in the region, as it is the case for other protected areas and regions, especially in the tropics.

Etnobotânica e Impactos da coleta do Candombá (Vellozia aff. sincorana), uma espécie de múltiplos usos endêmica do Nordeste do Brasil

Investigamos a relação entre conhecimento, uso e impactos do extrativismo em populações de Vellozia aff. sincorana L.B.Sm. & Ayensu (Velloziaceae). Esta espécie dracenóide é endêmica do Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina (PNCD), Bahia, Brasil. As entrevistas semiestruturadas foram realizadas com 37 informantes–chave de comunidades rurais que vivem no entorno do PNCD. Identificamos seis tipos de uso para a espécie, que foram agrupadas em quatro categorias: fogo, mágico–religioso, tecnologia e comércio. Atualmente os pseudocaules desta espécie são usados apenas para iniciar fogo em fogões a lenha. Os homens detiveram maior conhecimento sobre a espécie em comparação com as informantes do sexo feminino, o que é provavelmente devido ao uso histórico da espécie durante as atividades rudimentares de mineração, realizadas exclusivamente por homens. Não foram declarados pontos preferenciais para a colheita ainda em prática, embora haja procura por áreas com maior densidade de plantas com as qualidades desejadas (pseudocaules com maiores diâmetros). Adicionalmente, a estrutura populacional da espécie foi caracterizada em seis áreas com diferentes níveis de colheita (baixa vs. alta pressão de extrativismo). Encontramos densidades significativamente menores de plantas em áreas de alta pressão de colheita em comparação com áreas de baixa pressão de colheita. Em contraste, a colheita não alterou significativamente a distribuição dos indivíduos em classes de tamanho entre as populações, indicando que a colheita não prejudica o recrutamento de novos indivíduos. Apesar de, atualmente, a colheita de V. aff. sincorana ser realizada apenas em escala não–comercial, a atividade persiste e é mantida nas comunidades locais. Portanto, o conhecimento e as práticas ecológicas locais devem ser levados em conta para ajudar a conservar essa e outras espécies na região, assim como ocorre em outras regiões e áreas protegidas, especialmente em regiões tropicais.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the communities from Palmeiras and Mucuge for their hospitality during the research period: W. F. J. Soares, J. M. Souza, L. L. de Jesus, F. M. Garcia, and F. da H. Cristo for their contributions to this work; the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade– ICMBio); the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior–CAPES); the Foundation for the Support of Research in the State of Bahia (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia—FAPESB) grant no. TO 26/2011 and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq) research grant no. 311301/2011–8 to AAC, and general research grant no. 556820/2011–0 for the research financing and scholarships, as well as the Graduate Program of Genetic Resources of the State University of Feira de Santana for this opportunity and their support of this research accomplishment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório Flora e Vegetação, Departamento de Biologia, Programa de Pós–Graduação em Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil

    Regina Célia da Silva Oliveira & Abel Augusto Conceição

  2. Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil

    Isabel Belloni Schmidt

  3. Laboratório de Etnobiologia Aplicada e Teórica (LEA), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque

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  1. Regina Célia da Silva Oliveira
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  3. Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque
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  4. Abel Augusto Conceição
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Correspondence to Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque.

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da Silva Oliveira, R.C., Schmidt, I.B., Albuquerque, U.P. et al. Ethnobotany and Harvesting Impacts on Candombá (Vellozia aff. sincorana), A Multiple Use Shrub Species Endemic to Northeast Brazil1 . Econ Bot 69, 318–329 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-015-9324-9

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