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BACKGROUND: Mining activities have environmental impacts due to sediment movement and contamination of areas and may also pose risks to people's food security. In Brazil, the majority of coal mining activities are in the south, in the Santa Catarina carboniferous region. In this region, previously mined areas contaminated with heavy metals frequently occur nearby inhabited zones. Mining is part of the daily lives of local communities, and its environmental impacts are visible in the landscape; however, plants with medicinal and food use from these areas can be still consumed. Heavy metals are contaminants that do not have odor, color, or taste, and are therefore difficult to detect. We aimed to verify whether people use plants from contaminated mine areas, and understand which factors can influence the use of these resources, even from areas visibly impacted. METHODS: We conducted 195 semi-structured interviews with residents from 14 areas nearby abandoned mines in the main municipalities of the Santa Catarina carboniferous region. We asked each interviewee about the length of time they lived in the region, their perception of the quality of the environment, and what plant species were used and for what purpose. We constructed generalized multivariate linear models to verify which variables can affect the group of species mentioned and generalized linear models to verify which variables can affect the total number of citations. We estimated the frequency of citing species collected using the Smith index. RESULTS: From all interviewees, 127 (65%) reported collecting plants for medicinal and food use, directly from contaminated mine areas. Long-term residents, as well as those who noticed more environmental changes (positive and negative), cited more plants used and had more detailed knowledge of plant use in their communities. When asked if they were aware of the possible contamination of mined areas, 85% said they knew about it. However, only 10% associated negative health effects with the use of plant species collected in contaminated mined areas. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that people living nearby contaminated areas use and consume locally sourced plants, e.g., people know little about the danger of this contamination in their food and the risk of these contaminants to their health. These results also reveal a lack of information about contamination, as well as a lack of actions that include local communities in contaminated area restoration strategies. This situation poses a risk to the food security of the people living nearby former coal mining areas.

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Woody encroachment threatens several ecosystems around the world. In general, management of grasslands includes regulation of fire and grazing regimes. Changes in these two types of disturbances are potential drivers of woody encroachment. Here we assessed how the traditional management carried out by local landholders affects a highland grassland ecosystem in southern Brazil. We hypothesized that grasslands converted to protected areas undergo fast woody encroachment. To reconstruct changes in vegetation, we interviewed former and current landholders and coupled their knowledge with an analysis of aerial and satellite images. During the first 11 years without fire and cattle, woody encroachment in grasslands increased exponentially. Woody encroachment occurred mostly by the replacement of grasslands by shrublands. Meanwhile, grasslands under traditional management remained almost unchanged for the last 40 years. The management of fire by local landholders has been part of their traditional practices for decades. Such management prevents large-scale wildfires and maintains natural highland grasslands. The quick pace of shrub encroachment in such grasslands threatens its exclusive diversity, human well-being and regional cultural heritage. Thus, conservation policies are needed to regulate and instruct about the use of fire as a management tool in highland grasslands of southern Brazil.

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Considering the importance of Schinus terebinthifolius in Brazilian ecosystems, this study aimed to investigate the floral visiting insects, and verify their efficiency in pollen transport. Were collected 1.624 insects belonging to eight orders and 64 families on the flowers of one individual of S. terebinthifolius. Diptera showed higher family richness with 17, followed by Hymenoptera with 12 and Hemiptera with 11. Vespidae and Apidae, with 616 and 317 individuals respectively, were the families with the greatest number of individuals collected. 92.0% of these insects had pollen attached to their body, which confirms the importance of the individuals of these groups as pollen vector and potential pollinators.

Considerando a importância de Schinus terebinthifolius nos ecossistemas brasileiros, objetivou-se com este estudo, conhecer as espécies de insetos visitante florais da aroeira-vermelha, bem como avaliar quais destes realizam o transporte de pólen. Coletou-se nas flores de um indivíduo, 1.624 insetos pertencendo a oito ordens e 64 famílias. Diptera apresentou maior riqueza em nível de família com 17, seguida por Hymenoptera com 12 e Hemiptera com 11. Vespidae e Apidae, com 616 e 317 indivíduos respectivamente, foram as famílias com maior número de indivíduos coletados. 92.0% dos insetos destas famílias apresentaram pólen aderido ao seu exoesqueleto, o que comprova a importância dos indivíduos destes grupos como vetores de pólen e polinizadores potenciais.

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