Population structure and level of exploitation of medicinal plants by the Fulni-ô Indians in Northeast Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26848/rbgf.v18.1.p424-441Keywords:
Caatinga, Ethnobotany, Biodiversity ConservationAbstract
The study analyzed the process of collecting bark from Myracroduon urundeuva Allemão (aroeira) and Syderoxylon obtusifolium (Humb. ex Roem. & Schult.) T.D.Penn. (quixaba) and evaluated their population structure. The study was conducted in the Fulni-ô Indigenous Reserve, municipality of Águas Belas in Pernambuco. To analyze the population structure and extraction level, 200 quadrants points were plotted, in addition to the walking method in the Ourucuri forest, where 143 individuals of aroeira and 161 of quixaba were recorded. The results showed that there is still a great use of the bark of these species and the populations did not exhibit the J-shaped curve, characteristic of stable populations. The associated timber use further increases the pressure on their populations. Based on the results obtained, it is recommended that a sustainable management plan for these species be implemented, aiming to mitigate the impacts caused by excessive collection of medicinal and timber resources.
Downloads
References
Albuquerque, U. P., Andrade, L. H. C. 2001. Conhecimento botânico tradicional e conservação em uma área de Caatinga no estado de Pernambuco, Nordeste do Brasil. Acta Botânica Brasílica. 16, 3, 273-285.
Albuquerque, U. P., Oliveira R. F. 2007. Is the use-impact on native caatinga species in Brazil reduced by the high species richness of medicinal plants? Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 113, 1, 156-170.
Albuquerque, U. P., Medeiros, P. M., Almeida, A. L. S., Monteiro, J. M., Lins Neto, E. M. F., Melo, J. G., Santos, J. P. 2007. Medicinal plants of the caatinga (semi-arid) vegetation of NE Brazil: A quantitative approach. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 114, 325-354.
Albuquerque, U.P., Medeiros, P.M., Almeida, A.L.S.; Monteiro, J.M.; Lins- Neto, E.M.F.; Melo J.G.; Santos, J.P. (2007b). Medicinal plants of the caatinga (semi-arid) vegetation of ne Brazil: a quantitative approach. Barroso, G.M.et al. Frutos e sementes: morfologia aplicada de dicotiledôneas. Viçosa-MG: editora UFV. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 114, 325-354
Albuquerque, U. P., Silva, V. A., Cabral, M. C., Alencar, N. L., & Andrade, L. H. C. 2008. Comparisons between the use of medicinal plants in indigenous and rural caatinga (dryland) communities in NE Brazil. Boletin Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Plantas Medicinales y Aromaticas, 7, 156-170.
Albuquerque, U.P. 2010. Caatinga. Biodiversidade e qualidade de vida. Ed.1. Nuppea.
Albuquerque, U. P, Soldati, G. T., Sieber, S. S., Ramos, M. A., Sá, J. C., Souza, L. C. 2011a. The use of plants in the medical system of the Fulni-ô people (NE Brazil): a perspective on age and gender. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 133, 866–873.
Albuquerque, U. P, Soldati, G. T., Sieber, S. S., Medeiros, P. M., Sá, J. C., Souza, L. C. 2011b. Rapid ethnobotanical diagnosis of the Fulni-ô Indigenous Lands (NE Brazil): floristic survey and local conservation priorities for medicinal plants. Environment, Development and Sustainability 13: 277-292.
Albuquerque, U. P., Soldati, G. T., Sieber, S. S., Lins Neto, E. M. F., Sá, J. C., Souza, L. C. 2011c. Use and extraction of medicinal plants by the Fulni-ô Indians in northeastern Brazil – implications for local conservation. Sitientibus série Ciencias Biológicas, 11, 2, 309-320.
Almeida, C. F.C. B. R., Albuquerque, U. P. 2002. Uso e conservação de plantas e animais medicinais no estado de Pernambuco (Nordeste do Brasil): Um estudo de caso. Interciencia, Caracas, 27, 276-285.
Alves, J. J. A., Nascimento, S. S. 2010. Levantamento fitogeográfico das plantas medicinais nativas do Cariri Paraibano. Rev.Geog.Acadêmica, 4, 2.
Alves, S. K. S., Sousa, C. S., Viana, E. K. A., Souza, H. C. A., Souza, M. D. A., Ribeiro, A. S. N., Vale, V.S., Islam, M. T., Araújo, J. L., Rocha, J. A. 2023. Bioactive Components of Myracrodruon urundeuva against SARS-CoV-2: A Computational Study. Drugs Drug Candidates, 2, 781-795. https://doi.org/10.3390/ddc2040039.
Angmo, K., Adhikari, B. S., Bussmann, R., Rawat, G. S. 2024. Harmony in nature: understanding the cultural and ecological aspects of plant use in Ladakh. Journal of Ethnobiology and Biomedicine, 20, 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-024-00670-3.
Araújo, E.L., Castro, C.C., Albuquerque, U.P. 2007. Dynamics of Brazilian Caatinga – a review concerning the plant environment and people. Functional Ecosystems and Communities 1, 15-29.
Araujo, T. A. S., Alencar, N. L., Amorin, E. L. C. Albuquerque, U. P. 2008. A new approach to study medicinal plants with tannins and flavonoids contents from the local knowledge. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 120, 72-80.
Araujo, K. R., Silva, G. B., Araújo, E. L., Pimentel, R. M. M. & Silva, K. A. 2019. Spatio temporal variation in leaf morpho functional attribute sand relation to growth and survival of young woody plants. Brazilian Journal of Botany, 42, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-018-00511-0.
Ayres, M., Ayres Jr, M., Ayres, D. L. & Santos, A. A. S. 2005. BioEstat: aplicações estatísticas nas áreas das ciências biomédicas. Instituto Mamirauá, Belém do Pará.
Barbosa, J. A. A. 2011. “Das sementes aos frutos”: indicações terapêuticas dos vegetais e suas partes em uma comunidade tradicional na Paraíba. Biofar, 05, 1.
Barbosa, D. A., Lucena, R. F. P., Rocha, F. V., Cruz, D. D. 2020. Ethnobotany and impact of extactive activity on Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem & Schult.) TD Penn. in a semiarid area of northeastern Brazil. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 19, 3, 604-616.
Biodiversitas. Espécies da flora ameaçada e presumivelmente ameaçada de extinção por bioma e categoria de ameaça. Disponível em http://www.biodiversitas.org. Acesso em 16 de set. 2014.
Borges Filho, H.C., Felfili, J. M. 2003. Avaliação dos níveis de extrativismo da casca de barbatimão Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville no Distrito Federal, Brasil. Revista Árvore, 27, 735–745.
Cabral, D. L. V., Sobrinho, T. J. S. P., Amorim, E. L. C., Albuquerque, U. P. 2010. Relação de parâmetros biométricos sobre a concentração de taninos em duas plantas medicinais - Um estudo de caso. Boletín latinoamericano y del caribe de plantas medicinales y aromáticas. Vol.9 (5) 371.
Capo, L. F. M., Moraes, M. L. T., Zulian, D. F., Wrege, M. S., Portela, R. M., Cambuim, J., Silva, A. M. D., Soares, M. T. S., Sousa, V. A., Aguiar, A. V. (2022). Natural distribution of Myracrodruon urundeuva fr. All. In brazil at current and future climate scenarios due to global climate change. Revista Árvore, 46, e4609. https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-908820220000009.
Case, R.J., Pauli, G.F., Soejarto, D.D. 2005. Factors in maintaining indigenous knowledge among ethnic communities of Manus Island. Economic Botany, 59, 4, 356–365.
Campos, J. L. A., Araújo, E. L., Gaoue, O.G., Albuquerque UP. 2019. Socioeconomic Factors and Cultural Changes Explain the Knowledge and Use of Ouricuri Palm (Syagrus coronata) by the Fulni–ô Indigenous People of Northeast Brazil. Econ Bot, 73, 187-199 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-019-09457-0.
CONDEPE/FIDEM, 2006. Agência Estadual de Planejamento e Pesquisas de Pernambuco. Águas Belas: Perfil Municipal. Agência Estadual de Planejamento e Pesquisas de Pernambuco, Recife, PE.
Cunningham, A. B. 1993. African Medicinal Plants. Setting Priorities at the Interface Between Conservation and Primary Healthcare. People and Plant Initiative Working Paper 1. UNESCO, Paris, France.
Cunningham, A. B., Mbenkum, F. T. 1993. Sustainability of harvesting Prunus africana bark in Cameroon: a medicinal plant in international trade. People and Plants Working Paper, 2. Unesco, Paris.
Cunningham, A. B. 2001. Applied ethnobotany-people, wild plant use and conservation. London: Earsthscan Publications Ltd.
Diaz, J. H. 1983. Os Fulni-ô: relações interétnicas e de classe em Águas Belas. Dissertação de Mestrado. Universidade de Brasília.
Dzerefos, C. M., Witkowski, E. T. F. 2001. Density and potential utilization of medicinal grassland plants from Abe Bailey Nature Reserve, South Africa. Biodiversity and Conservation, 10, 1875-1896.
Domingos, F. R., Silva, M. A. P. 2020. Use, knowledge and conservation of Myracrodruon urundeuva: a systematic review. Research, Society and Development, 9, 11, e2329118851. https://10.33448/rsd-v9i11.8851.
Feitosa, I.S., Sobral, A., Monteiro, J.M., Araújo, E.L., Albuquerque, U.P. 2017. Impact of collection on bark regeneration from Stryphnodendron rotundifolium Mart. in northeastern Brazil. Environ Monit Assess 189, 234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5908-4.
Felfili, J. M., Oliveira, E. C. L., Beltrão, L. 2006. Levantamento Ecológico Rápido – comunicações técnicas florestais. Departamento de Engenharia Florestal da Universidade de Brasília, Brasília-DF.
FUNASA. Dados sobre a população Fulni-ô no ano de 2006. 2007. Distrito Sanitário Especial Indígena de Pernambuco/Coordenação Regional de Pernambuco (DSEIPE/CORE-PE/FUNASA).
Gaoue, O., Ticktin, T. 2007. Patterns of harvesting foliage and bark from the multipurpose tree Khaya senegalensis in Benin: Variation across ecological regions and its impacts on population structure. Biological Conservation, 137, 424–436.
Ghimire, S. K., Mckey, D., Aumeeruddy-Thomas, Y. 2005. Conservation of Himalayan medicinal plants: harvesting patterns and ecology of two threatened species, Nardostachys grandiflora DC. and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) D.Y. Dong. Biological Conservation 124, 463-475.
Godoy, R.A., Bawa, K. 1993. The economic value and sustainable harvest of plant and animals from the tropical forest: assumptions, hypotheses and methods. Economic Botany, 47, 215–219.
Guerra, A. M. N. M., Pessoa, M. F., Souza, C. S. M., Maracajá, P. B. 2010. Utilização de Plantas medicinais pela comunidade rural Moacir Lucena, Apodir- RN. Biosci. J. Uberlândia, 26, 3, 442-450.
Hall, B., Bawa, K. 1993. Methods to assess the impact of extraction of non-timber tropical forest products on plant population. Economic Botany, 47, 234-247.
IBGE (2013) (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) 2013. Cidades. Disponível em http://www.ibge.gov.br/cidadesat/. Acesso em 21 Ago. 2013.
IBGE (2024) (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) 2013. Cidades. Disponível em https://www.ibge.gov.br/estatisticas/sociais/populacao/9103-estimativas-de-populacao.html, Acesso em 26 set. 2024.
Lavôr, D. T., Lavor, I. A., Santos, A. C. V. D. 2021.Uso etnobotânico da espécie Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão em comunidades rurais, Pernambuco, Brasil. Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research, 4, 4, 6578–6588.
Lawrence, D. C., Leighton, M., Peart, D. V. 1995. Availability and extraction of forest products in managed and primary forest around a Dayak village in West Kalimantan, Indonésia. Conservation Biology, 9: 76-88.
Lins Neto, E. M. F., Ramos, M. A., Oliveira, R. L. C., Albuquerque, U. P. 2008. The knowledge and harvesting of Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão by two rural communities in NE Brazil. Functional Ecosystems and Communities, 2, 66–71.
Lucena, R. F. P., Albuquerque, U. P., Monteiro, J. M., Almeida, C. F. C. B. R., Florentino, A. T. N., Ferraz, J. S. F. 2007. Useful plants of the semi-arid northeastern region of Brazil a look at their conservation and sustainable use. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 125, 281–290.
Lucena, R. F. P., Farias D. C., Carvalho, T. K. N., Lucena, C. M., Vasconcelos-Neto, C. F.., Albuquerque, U. P. (2011). Uso e conhecimento da aroeira (Myracrodruon urundeuva) por comunidades tradicionais no Semiárido brasileiro. Sitientibus série Ciências Biológicas. 11 2: 255-264.
Lucena, R. F. P., Soares, T. C., Vasconcelos-Neto, C. F. A., Carvalho, T. K. N., Lucena, C. M., Alves, R. R. N. 2012. Use of plant resource of the Caatinga in a rural community in Curimataú Paraíba (Northeast Brazil). Polibotânica, 34, 237-258.
Lucena, R. F. P., Lucena, C. M., Araújo, E. L., Alves, A. G. C., Albuquerque, U. P. 2013. Conservation priorities of useful plants from different techniques of collection and analysis of ethnobotanical data. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 85, 1, 169-186.
Monteiro, J. M., Albuquerque, U. P., Almeida, C. F. C. B. R., Lucena, R. F. P., Florentino, A.T.N., Oliveira, R.L.C. 2006. Use and traditional management of Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2, 1-9.
Monteiro, J. M., Lins Neto, E. M. F., Araújo, E. L., Amorim, E. L. C., Albuquerque, U. P. 2010. Bark regeneration and tannin content in Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão after simulation of extractive damages implications to management. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 180, 31-39.
Peters, C.M. 1994. Sustainable Harvest of Non-Timber Plant Resources in Tropical Moist Forest: an ecological primer. Biodiversity Support Program, Washington.
Pedrosa, K. M., Gomes, D. S, Lucena, C. M., Pereira, D. D., Silvino, G. S., Lucena, R. F. P. 2012. Uso e disponibilidade local de Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem. & Schult.) T.D. Penn. (Quixabeira) em três regiões da depressão sertaneja da Paraíba, Nordeste do Brasil. Revista de Biologia e Farmácia. Vol. Especial, 158-183.
Pfab, M. F., Scholes, M. A. 2004. Is the collection of Aloe peglerae from the wild sustainable? An evaluation using stochastic population modeling. Biological Conservation 118, 695-701.
Rodal, M. J. N., Sampaio, E. V. S. B., Figueiredo, M. A. 1992. Manual sobre métodos de estudo florístico e fitossociológico - Ecossistema Caatinga. Sociedade Botânica do Brasil.
Roque, A. A., Loiola, M. I. B. 2009. Potencial de uso dos recursos vegetais em uma comunidade rural no semiárido do Rio Grande do Norte, Nordeste do Brasil. Dissertação de mestrado, UFRN.
Roque, A. A., Rocha, R. M., Loiola, M. I. B. 2010. Uso e diversidade de plantas medicinais da caatinga na comunidade rural de Laginhas, município de Caicó, Rio Grande do Norte (Nordeste do Brasil). Rev. Bras. pl. med. Botucatu, 12, 1, 31-42.
Silva, V. A., Andrade, L. H. C., & Albuquerque, U. P. (2006). Revisiting the cultural significance index: The case of the Fulni-ô in Northeastern Brazil. Field Methods, 18, 98-108.
Silva, T. L. L., Campos, J. L.A., Alves, Â.G.C., Albuquerque, U.P. 2019. Market integration does not affect traditional ecological knowledge but contributes additional pressure on plant resources. Acta Botanica Brasilica, 33(2), 232–240. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-33062018abb0310
Silveira, L. M. L. C., Marques, L. R., Silva E. H. 2012. Fulni-ô: história e educação de um povo bilíngue em Pernambuco. Caderno de Pesquisa, São Luis, 19, 1.
Soldati, G. T., Albuquerque, U. P. 2008. Non-timber forest products: an overview. Functional Ecosystems and Communities, 2, 21-31.
Soldati, G.T., Albuquerque, U.P. 2011. Impact assessment of the harvest of a medicinal plant (Anadenanthera colubrine (Vell.) Brenan) by a rural semi-arid community (Pernambuco), Northeastern Brazil. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 1: 1-13.
Souza A. S., Albuquerque, U. P., Nascimento, A. L. B., Santoro, F. R., Torres-Avilez, W. M., Lucena, R. F. P., Monteiro, J. M. 2017. Temporal evaluation of the Conservation Priority Index for medicinal plants. Acta Botanica Brasilica, 31, 169-179.
Souza A. S., Chaves L. S., Elias L., Moura J. M. B., Albuquerque, U.P. 2024. Assessing Plant Resource Utilization across Wet and Dry Landscapes in Northeast Brazil. Land. 13, 2, 198. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020198.
Ticktin, T. 2004. The ecological implications of harvesting nontimber forest products. Journal of Applied Ecology 41, 11–21.
Trovão, D. M. B. M., Silva, S. C., Silva, A. B., Vieira-Júnior, R. L. 2004. Estudo comparativo entre três fisionomias de caatinga no estado da Paraíba e análise do uso das espécies vegetais pelo homem nas áreas de estudo. Revista de biologia e ciências da terra. 4, 2.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 André Santos Souza, Júlio Marcelino Monteiro, Suellen da Silva Santos, Ezequiel da Costa Ferreira, Reinaldo Farias Paiva de Lucena

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with Revista Brasileira de Geografia Física agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted to make their work available online before or during the editorial process, on academic social networks, digital repositories, or preprint servers. After publication in Revista Brasileira de Geografia Física, authors are expected to update the preprint or postprint versions on the platforms where they were originally made available, providing a link to the final published version and any other relevant information, with proper recognition of authorship and the initial publication in this journal.
You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.