Flavia Moura

Coastal management through community involvement has significant advantages over non-participatory approaches as involving the community allows for consideration of multiple interests, resources, and skills that may expand the capacity for action and enhances local stewardship. Participation can help increase project efficiency as it avoids duplication of efforts. Collaborative strategies have been adopted in environmental management in the state of Queensland, Australia. Local governments have been responsible for integrating local instruments with state-level policies in coastal management. This paper analyses a community engagement program for the restoration of coastal environments in Gold Coast. One arm of the program is the BeachCare program, which involves volunteers from local communities in the restoration of coastal dunes. The program involved ten areas of coastal dunes on the Gold Coast. The study analyses the role of community participation in dune restoration by examini...

ABSTRACT Ouricuri (Syagrus coronata) productivity in Brazilian semi-arid region: is it possible to reconcile traditional use and production of biofuel? The Ouricuri (Syagrus coronata) is an endemic species of Brazil’s northeastern semi-arid region that provides food and shelter for wildlife and resources for low-income populations. This palm tree stand out for its widespread use. It is estimated 60% of oil in each fruit, which may be used for cosmetics, food or biofuel production, and its leaves are used by the population for making brooms, baskets, and roofs of homes. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies examining the impact of intense leaves extraction on the production of this palm tree’s fruits. To analyze the impact of this activity, 30 Ouricuri trees were selected in the Federal University of Alagoas campus. This is an area where leaves are intensively collected by the local population. Data was collected for one year, every 15 days, and quantified by the number of leaves present. Inflorescences, infructescences and mature fruits were also collected if present. All collected fruits were weighed and measured using a precision scale and digital caliper. Linear regression was performed to analyze the data. A strong correlation between the number of leaves and total number of inflorescence was observed (y: -4.8122x + 1.2969, p = 0.00002 and R² = 0.4812). The withdrawal of Ouricuri leaves results in decreased productivity of inflorescences and, consequently, the number of fruits. Planting Ouricuri in large scale may be an alternative for biofuel production, once the tree has high hardiness and suitability to sandy and silty soils, and can be used to recover highly degraded areas undergoing desertification, contributing for the development of the region with the worst HDI of the country.

Ouricuri (Syagrus coronata) productivity in Brazilian semi-arid region: is it possible to reconcile traditional use and production of biofuel? The Ouricuri (Syagrus coronata) is an endemic species of Brazil’s northeastern semi-arid region that provides food and shelter for wildlife and resources for low-income populations. This palm tree stand out for its widespread use. It is estimated 60% of oil in each fruit, which may be used for cosmetics, food or biofuel production, and its leaves are used by the population for making brooms, baskets, and roofs of homes. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies examining the impact of intense leaves extraction on the production of this palm tree’s fruits. To analyze the impact of this activity, 30 Ouricuri trees were selected in the Federal University of Alagoas campus. This is an area where leaves are intensively collected by the local population. Data was collected for one year, every 15 days, and quantified by the number of leaves present. ...

This study aims to determine the floral visitors and potential pollinators of Aechmea constantinii (Mez) L. B. Sm. (Bromeliaceae), a bromeliad endemic to the Brazilian Northeast Atlantic Rainforest. Reproductively-active individuals were observed systematically and their visitors were recorded and determined. The main recorded fl oral visitors were Glaucis hirsutus, Phaethornis ruber and Phaethornis pretrei (hummingbirds) which executed frontal functional floral visits in which they touched the parts of the fl owers. Visits of Plebeia flavocincta, Plebeia sp., Trigona spinipes and Euglossa cordata (bees) and Talides sergestu and Strymon ziba (butterflies) were also recorded. In addition, two ants (Hymenoptera, Insecta, Formicidae) were identifi ed in activity on the fl oral scapes and flowers of the studied bromeliad. The suggestion is made in the study that the A. constantinii is pollinated by hummingbirds since these birds executed direct frontal visits to the fl owers, touching r...

This paper examines the traditional ichthyological knowledge of a community of fishermen that live in the Marimbus-Iraquara environmental protection area (Bahia, Brazil). Data were collected using open and semi-structured interviews and field observation. Also, zoological materials were collected. Knowledge about the behavior of 21 fish species is reported. The ethological phenomena perceived by the fishermen were divided into 17 ethological categories related to reproduction, flight behavior, predation, social behavior, or response to artificial stimuli. The results of the study indicate the existence of a broad local ecological knowledge about species and ecosystems, particularly in relation to fish species.

O conhecimento ecológico tradicional de uma população de pescadores da APA de Marimbus-Iraquara, foi estudado visando obter informações relacionadas à percepção local sobre distribuição espacial e sazonal dos recursos naturais. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de entrevistas livres e semi-estruturadas, observações diretas, turnês guiadas e coletas de material zoológico. Os resultados sugerem a existência de um amplo conhecimento ecológico tradicional sobre as espécies e os ecossistemas locais, especialmente no que se refere à ictiofauna.

This study investigates the leishmanicidal activity of five species of plants used in folk medicine in endemic areas of the state of Alagoas, Brazil. Data were collected in the cities of Colonia Leopoldina, Novo Lino, and União dos Palmares, Alagoas state, from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (Leishmania amazonensis) who use medicinal plants to treat this disease. Plants extracts were tested at a concentration of 1–100 μg/mL in all experiments, except in an assay to evaluate activity against amastigotes, when 10 μg/mL was used. All plants extracts did not show deleterious activity to the host cell evidenced by LDH assay at 100, 10, and 1 μg/mL after 48 h of incubation. The plants extractsHyptis pectinata(L.) Poit,Aloe veraL.,Ruta graveolensL.,Pfaffia glomerata(Spreng.) Pedersen, andChenopodium ambrosioidesL. exhibited direct activity against extracellular forms at 100 μg/mL; these extracts inhibited growth by 81.9%, 82.9%, 74.4%, 88.7%, and 87.4%, respectively, when compared w...

This investigation examined the molluscicidal and larvicidal activity of eight plants that are used in the traditional medicine of the Pankararé indigenous people in the Raso da Catarina region, Bahia state, Brazil. The tested plants were chosen based on the results of previous studies. Only those plants that were used either as insect repellents or to treat intestinal parasitic infections were included in the study. Crude extracts (CEs) of these plants were tested for their larvicidal activity (againstAedes aegyptilarvae in the fourth instar) and molluscicidal activity (against the snailBiomphalaria glabrata). The plant speciesScoparia dulcisandHelicteres velutinaexhibited the best larvicidal activities (LC5083.426 mg/L and LC50138.896 mg/L, resp.), andPoincianella pyramidalis,Chenopodium ambrosoides, andMimosa tenuiflorapresented the best molluscicidal activities (LC500.94 mg/L, LC5013.51 mg/L, and LC5020.22 mg/L, resp.). As we used crude extracts as the tested materials, further ...