Plantas nativas úteis na Vila dos Pescadores da Reserva Extrativista Marinha Caeté-Taperaçu, Pará, Brasil

Abstract

This study identifies the native plant species used by the inhabitants of Vila dos Pescadores, Caeté-Taperaçu Marine Extractive Reserve, Bragança, Pará, Brazil. By means of semi-structured interviews with 30 inhabitants, a socio-economic profile of the people interviewed was done; useful plant species and their respective usage were recorded. A total of 23 species were cited. Of these, 20 species are native to mangrove or sand dune (restinga) ecosystems. The remaining 3 species are considered "native" by village inhabitants, although they are in fact introduced exotic species. Most of the restinga species are used for food, while most mangrove species are employed in a broad range of usage types, mainly associated with "construction" and "technical applications" categories. The fishing profession was evident in plant species usage, especially for the mangrove species. The Shannon diversity index was high (H'=2.3) due to the large number of reported uses of mangrove species. The results indicate that, due to the great utility of native plant species, the management, use and preservation policies of Marine Extractive Reserves should pay more attention to the exploitation of plant resources, especially those from mangrove forests.