Knowledge and use of herpetofauna by rural populations in northeastern Bahia, Brazil: Cultural importance of species and effect of socioeconomic variables

Abstract

Brazil has one of the greatest diversities of herpetofauna species in the world. Associated with this diversity, rural communities in Brazil have developed an important knowledge about these animals, composing a rich socio-ecological system. Given the importance of understanding the structure and functioning of these systems, the objective of the study was to characterize the knowledge that the inhabitants of the rural area of ​​the municipality of Alagoinhas, Bahia, Brazil, have about species of reptiles and amphibians, evaluating the total species composition, the variation in species composition by cultural domain and the effect of socioeconomic variables by domain. Data were collected using free lists, a semi-structured questionnaire and complementary interviews. A total of 36 species of amphibians and reptiles were cited by informants. These are used for conflict, food, medicinal, magical-religious and pets. Variation in species composition and cultural importance was observed across cultural domains. Regarding the influence of socioeconomic variables, gender and age explained the knowledge for amphibians (total knowledge of species and conflict relationships) and reptiles (total knowledge of species) These data show the importance of herpetofauna for rural populations in Brazil, and More studies are needed to reconcile traditional practices with herpetofauna conservation.