Impact assessment of the harvest of a medicinal plant (Anadenanthera colubrina (Veil.) Brenan) by a rural semi-arid community (Pernambuco), northeastern Brazil

摘要

Rural communities depend on plant resources, and research is necessary to evaluate the impact of their exploitative practices. This study evaluated the use of Anadenanthera colubrina (Veil.) Brenan, angico, a tree species widely employed by the ruralcommunity of Carao (Pernambuco, Brazil) and the impacts of this harvesting practice. Angico has been cited as having 28 uses in five categories, and the bark is the most used. The medicinal uses are dominant in the community and the species is collectedin four collection zones: home gardens, mountain, pasture and mountain base. In order to evaluate the sustainability of this practice, the extraction events in an A. colubrina population were recorded in 2008, and the population structure was analysed. The 101 interviews resulted in identification of 28 uses of which the medicinal category was most prevalent. The most exploited parts of A. colubrina were the bark and stem; the main collection zones were home gardens and mountains. Of the 1040 A. colubrina individuals that we recorded in an area of 2.7 ha, 70 showed signs of extraction. Although diameter classes do not show any individual preference, the population structure tends towards an inverted J model, which suggests that it is stable and its viability is not affected by the extraction being carried out. The data collected in this study suggest that maintaining the current methods and rates of exploitation of the A. colubrina population is sustainable and allows for the permanence of this localresource stock used by the Carao community. However, projections from our results on A. colubrina population structure should be considered carefully because only one population was analysed, over one-time period.