Perceptions of pequi (Caryocar coriaceum Wittm) decline: Insights from extractivist communities in the Araripe-Apodi National Forest, Brazil

Abstract

Extractivist communities continuously observe natural events and form perceptions about the conservation status of species. Given this backdrop, the aim of this study was to answer the following questions: How does the length of experience people have in extractivism influence their perception of the threat to the conservation of a plant of extractive importance? How are changes in the abundance of fruits from an extractively important plant perceived over time? To address these questions, semi-structured interviews were conducted in two communities situated around the Araripe National Forest (Flona Araripe) in Ceará, northeast Brazil. We selected the Caryocar coriaceum Wittm as our model species for the study, commonly known as “pequizeiro.” Its fruits, called “pequi,” are of significant economic and cultural importance to extractivist populations in the Brazilian Cerrado ecosystem. Participatory workshops were carried out to supplement the interview data and to understand the history of environmental changes as perceived by the local communities. Furthermore, these workshops served to compare the collectors' perceptions with recent research conducted in the region. Our findings showed that the duration of experience in collecting pequi does not influence the extractivists' perception of the conservation threat to the species, nor the perceived change in fruit abundance. Remarkably, 68.97% of the interviewees do not view pequi as an endangered species. However, 91.38% noted a significant decline in the fruit's abundance over time. While this might seem paradoxical, these results suggest that the extractivists' perception of the collected species may be more closely tied to the harvested resource than to the species. We believe this outcome reflects the foraging behavior of extractivists, as they rely on the fruits and not on other products derived from the species.