Temporal evaluation of the Conservation Priority Index for medicinal plants

André Dos Santos Souza,Flávia Rosa Santoro,Wendy Marisol Torres-Avilez,Reinaldo Farias Paiva De Lucena,Júlio Marcelino Monteiro,Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque,André Luiz Borba Do Nascimento

doi:10.1590/0102-33062017abb0027

Abstract

We investigated, through a temporal comparison, the extraction of non-timber forest resources by quantitatively analyzing the Conservation Priority Index (CPI). The study focused on the Fulni-ô Indigenous Territory, in the municipality of Águas Belas, PE (Northeast Brazil), which is characterized by caatinga vegetation (seasonal dry forest). Information on the availability of the exploited resources and the reported use of the species were obtained from vegetation sampling and semi-structured interviews, respectively. Our results demonstrated a reduction in species richness overtime, which may be due to continued resource extraction in the area, and that some species with low densities were even more affected. The species reported as being at high risk in the current study apparently did not differ from their status in the previous study, which supports the idea that these species are most evident in this situation more for their high potential of use than for their high densities. When we associate these events together with the disappearance of some rare species, we can conclude that the CPI was not efficient in predicting changes, and that the combination of variables used with the biological variables of the species needs to be adjusted.

Highlights

Traditional populations throughout the world appropriate of a vast diversity of plant resources to meet different demands, and they develop practices for the management and use of these resources (Whitton & Rajakaruna 2001; Albuquerque et al 2009; Ferreira Júnior et al 2011)
We investigated, through a temporal comparison, the extraction of non-timber forest resources by quantitatively analyzing the Conservation Priority Index (CPI)
The study focused on the Fulni-ô Indigenous Territory, in the municipality of Águas Belas, PE (Northeast Brazil), which is characterized by caatinga vegetation

Summary

Introduction

Traditional populations throughout the world appropriate of a vast diversity of plant resources to meet different demands, and they develop practices for the management and use of these resources (Whitton & Rajakaruna 2001; Albuquerque et al 2009; Ferreira Júnior et al 2011). Several studies have attempted to explain variation in population dynamics of plant species managed by local communities, and use that information to develop methods of measuring local impact (Marinho et al 2016; Reddy et al 2016). Badola & Pal (2003) aimed to highlight the available information on rare, sensitive and endangered medicinal plant species based on surveys in different scientific publications Such impact indicators have emerged as useful tools, especially when the goal is to develop management and conservation plans for species that are of human interest, they can possess weaknesses that compromise their reliability. When using such indicators, few studies assess their accuracy on a temporal scale

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