Know to preserve: Can the taste of native fruits change perceptions in favor of environmental conservation?

Abstract

Climate change is largely caused by the destruction of forests due to the conversion of natural areas into monocultures, and in order to mitigate these problems and show the importance of forest conservation for people, the use of native fruits has become an increasingly decisive approach. Given this scenario, this study sought to create an opportunity for a change of perception and paradigm regarding the appreciation of the “standing forest” using sensory experiences. Our findings showed that the sensory analysis technique could reveal the “flavors of the forest” through a workshop consisting of a menu of cheeses, cakes, pies, jellies, and teas that used neglected species from the Atlantic Forest. As a result of the activity, the generation of an emotional behavior related to the taste of delicacies with native species experienced stood out, with about 90% of the participants intending to reproduce the recipes prepared for the workshop. These results proved to be highly prominent given the problems associated with implementing agroforestry systems in southern Brazil, which normally does not evolve into a value chain, consequently frustrating farmers who have invested their properties in this type of crop. Hence, the data shed light on the demand for products with forest fruit species, which is the starting point for rural landowners to maintain the forest fragments in their properties and invest in the commercial production of food with native fruit species, thereby highlighting the importance of maintaining the forest fragments on their properties.