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BACKGROUND: Hybridization between the local medical systems (LMSs) and biomedicine has been the focus of different studies in ethnobiology, primarily due to the increasing access to biomedicine by indigenous peoples and local communities. Studies on hybridization allow for an understanding of the process of developing and evolving local knowledge systems. In this study, we propose a hybridization score to determine how individuals' socioeconomic characteristics and preference between LMS and biomedicine determine the complementarity of therapeutic options. METHODS: We conducted semistructured interviews and applied free listing technique in a rural community in Northeast Brazil to assess the treatments the local population sought and which were preferred. RESULTS: Our analyses showed that the level of schooling was the socioeconomic factor that negatively affected the hybridization process. Individuals with higher levels of schooling tended to prefer LMS strategies less and, consequently, showed a lower probability of hybridizing the two systems. Additionally, older people who preferred LMS strategies showed a greater tendency to adopt hybridization in human health-seeking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide further evidence of the complementarity between different medical systems and demonstrate that socioeconomic factors can affect local knowledge and are responsible for differences in individual propensity to hybridize distinct medical systems.

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Scientists increasingly draw on fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK) to gain a better understanding of fish biology and ecology, and inform options for fisheries management. We report on a study of FEK among fishers along the Lower Ucayali River in Peru, a region of exceptional productivity and diversity, which is also a major supplier of fish to the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon. Given a lack of available scientific information on stock status, we sought to identify temporal changes in the composition and size of exploited species by interviewing fishers from 18 communities who vary in years of fishing experience since the mid-1950s. We develop four FEK-based indicators to assess changes in the fish assemblage and compare findings with landings data. We find an intensification of fishing gear deployed over time and spatiotemporal shifts in the fish assemblage and reported declines in species weight, which point to a fishing-down process with declines across multiple species. This finding is reflected in a shifting baseline among our participants, whereby younger generations of fishers have different expectations regarding the distribution and size of species. Our study points to the importance of spillover effects from the nearby Pacaya-Samira National Reserve and community initiatives to support the regional fishery. Reference to fishers' knowledge also suggests that species decline is likely underreported in aggregated landings data. Despite the dynamism and diversity of Amazonian floodplain fisheries, simple FEK-based indicators can provide useful information for understanding fishing-induced changes in the fish assemblage. Fishers hold valuable knowledge for fishery management and conservation initiatives in the region.

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Fishing is one of the main threats to sea turtles due to the risk of entanglement in lost nets, vessel collision and mortality due to incidental catches. In Brazil, most of the studies regarding fishing interactions with sea turtles are focused on pelagic longline fisheries in the South and Southeast regions. However, their main reproductive areas in Southwest Atlantic RMU occur in Northeast Brazil, which overlaps small-scale coastal gillnet fisheries. Here, we aimed to use ethnobiology and participatory approaches as simple and cost-effective methods to identify areas for sea turtle conservation where impacts from small-scale fisheries are most likely. Expert captains were trained to recording sea turtle sightings during navigations from the landing port to the fishing grounds, informing their folk nomenclatures. By interpolation of environmental data (chlorophyll and bathymetry) and ecological data, we predicted habitats of 3,459.96 km² for Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, and Eretmochelys imbricata and fishing zones of 1,087 km² for management in 20 m and 50 m depths. Our results contributes to ongoing discussions of bycatch mitigation for sea turtle species and identification of habitats. We highlights the importance of considering particularities of overlapped areas in marine spatial planning and co-management arrangements.

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BACKGROUND: To understand how local ecological knowledge changes and adapts, here in the case of the recent introduction of plant species, we report the knowledge and perceptions of the Ndjuka (Maroon) of French Guiana concerning two tree species, Acacia mangium and niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia), which are categorized as "invasive alien plants" in the savannas of their territory. METHODS: To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted between April and July 2022, using a pre-designed questionnaire, plant samples and photographs. The uses, local ecological knowledge, and representations of these species were surveyed among populations of Maroon origin in western French Guiana. All responses to closed questions collected during the field survey were compiled into an Excel spreadsheet in order to perform quantitative analyses, including the calculation of use reports (URs). RESULTS: It appears that the local populations have integrated these two plant species, which are named, used and even traded, into their knowledge systems. On the other hand, neither foreignness nor invasiveness seem to be relevant concepts in the perspective of the informants. The usefulness of these plants is the determining factor of their integration into the Ndjuka medicinal flora, thus resulting in the adaptation of their local ecological knowledge. CONCLUSION: In addition to highlighting the need for the integration of the discourse of local stakeholders into the management of "invasive alien species," this study also allows us to observe the forms of adaptation that are set in motion by the arrival of a new species, particularly within populations that are themselves the result of recent migrations. Our results furthermore indicate that such adaptations of local ecological knowledge can occur very quickly.

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Urban foraging, i.e., the gathering of wild edible plants, plays a key role in nature connection within cities. Its integration in planning could contribute to the conservation of urban biodiversity. However, we have little understanding of the interactions between the motivations for and barriers to foraging, and the role of legislation, especially in biodiversity hotspots. Through an online questionnaire and policy review, we explored the practice of urban foraging in Recife, Brazil, across social, spatial and regulatory dimensions. We found that most non-foragers would forage if pollution risks were addressed and knowledge was improved. Foragers collected up to 31 species, none of which are threatened. By integrating the social, spatial and regulatory dimensions of the practice, we highlighted the importance of the local context for targeting foraging incentives. In all, regulation had little impact on where the practice is carried out, and foraging seemed to have little negative impact on biodiversity, as no threatened species were collected and foragers were conscious of their impact. This knowledge can contribute to better integrate the practice of foraging within legislation and develop forager-led greenspace planning and management. In biodiversity hotspots threatened by urban expansion, foraging can contribute to slowing down the biodiversity crisis and improve urban residents' contact with biodiversity.

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Monitoring the status of species is crucial for biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management in tropical forests, but conventional in situ monitoring methods are impractical over large scales. Scientists have resorted to two potentially complementary approaches: local ecological knowledge (LEK) and remote sensing. To gauge the potential of combining LEK and remote sensing for assessing species status at landscape scales, a large-scale assessment of the reliability of both measures is critical but hampered by the lack of ground-level data. We conducted a landscape-scale assessment of LEK and remote sensing, using a survey of over 900 communities (a near census in our study area) and nearly 4,000 households in 235 randomly selected communities in the Peruvian Amazon-the largest LEK survey as yet undertaken in tropical forests. The survey collected LEK data on the presence of 20 indicator species from both community leaders/elders and randomly sampled households. We assessed LEK and remotely sensed land cover-forest cover and nonmain channel open water-as proxies for species habitat, across species (game, fish, and timber), over time (current and historical), and by indigeneity (Indigenous peoples and mestizos). Overall, LEK and remotely sensed land cover corroborate each other well. Concordance is highest for the current status of game species reported by sampled households, as is the concordance of historical LEK from Indigenous community leaders/elders. The results point to the promise of combining LEK and remote sensing in monitoring the status of species in data-poor tropical forests.

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BACKGROUND: Traditional veterinary medicine (TVM) or ethnoveterinary medicine comprises knowledge, practices, and beliefs about farm animals. Its study serves to offer ecologically and culturally appropriate strategies for the management of animals and their health in a context marked by the increased use of synthetic pharmaceuticals, social-environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change. In this study, we examine the TVM that Mapuche and non-Mapuche campesinos in the southern Andes have about the management of animals and their health. In addition, we investigate the main factors influencing the current use of TVM. METHODS: Between December 2020 and March 2021, we undertook participant observation and conducted 60 semi-structured and informal interviews with Mapuche and non-Mapuche campesinos from the Pucón and Curarrehue municipal districts in the southern Andes of Chile. RESULTS: We identified a set of knowledge about cycles and manifestations of nature used in planning 14 animal management practices related to a Mapuche kosmos expressed in living with respect for and in dialogue with non-human elements. On health management, we recorded knowledge about 30 plant species, whose use for different categories of wounds and parasites has the highest informant consensus factors. The use of these plant species is governed by a kosmos associated with respect and reciprocity in their gathering. Nonetheless, 70% of the campesinos interviewed prefer to use synthetic pharmaceuticals. We found that the growing use of synthetic pharmaceuticals, the processes of reduction and change in the structure of land ownership, and climate change are perceived as the main factors behind processes of assimilation of new praxis and hybridization as well as the reduction and/or loss of the use of TVM. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal the presence of ethnoveterinary knowledge, practices, and beliefs that are safeguarded by Mapuche and non-Mapuche campesinos in the southern Andes. However, in the context of different social-environmental changes, it is imperative to document, visibilize, and revitalize TVM since it provides new perspectives for bioculturally diverse and sustainable animal production.

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We studied conservation paradigms of small-scale artisanal fishers and other actors involved in the conservation of the Bahía Blanca Estuary (BBE)-a Southwestern Atlantic estuary under anthropogenic pressures (conservationists, NGOs, individuals in the private sector and the port consortium). We focused on the relationship between fishers and non-human entities (e.g., animals, tides, lunar cycles, etc.) from alternative conservation paradigms according to Pálsson's schema (orientalism, paternalism, communalism). We also explored the ecological knowledge of fisher communities to identify possible conservation strategies. Using an ethnographic approach, we identified communalism as the dominant paradigm within the fisher communities as opposed to the paternalistic and orientalist approaches of conservationists and industry employees in the BBE. Fishers demonstrated a broad knowledge on the effects of climate change on fish stocks and pollution on ocean environments and biota, which gillnets avoid catching juveniles and threatened species, and landscape changes over the long-term period, among others areas that could be useful for conservation of these changing coastal ecosystems. We conclude that understanding local perspectives and practices is essential for a democratic exchange among different bodies of knowledge to conserve marine ecosystems.

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BACKGROUND: The study of cultural transmission can help identify processes that influence knowledge systems dynamics and evolution, especially during childhood and youth, which are fundamental phases in acquiring survival skills. In this sense, we use the knowledge about useful restinga plants (Brazilian coastal vegetation) as an analytical model to describe, compare, and analyze cultural transmission during youth, while factoring in origin, in the Cabo Frio region, southeastern Brazil. We tested (1) whether transmission of knowledge is conservative, (2) whether immigration events define the transmission modes, (3) whether teaching is the most important social transmission cognitive process, and (4) which type of stimulus/context is most important for the knowledge transmission process. METHODS: Questionnaires and free listings were applied to 150 high school students aged between 15 and 20 to obtain information about socioeconomic characteristics, useful plant knowledge, and cultural transmission. We analyzed the distribution of knowledge according to the informant's origin and evaluated the models, processes, and context with which this information was transmitted. The chi-square test was used to determine the association between origin, plant knowledge, and transmission as well as to reveal the most important models, modes, and processes during youth. RESULTS: Informants provided 299 plant citations ([Formula: see text] = 1.75; s = 1.73) related to 37 species. The categories of the most cited uses were edible (93) and medicinal (32). Statistical results showed that origin did not influence knowledge distribution and transmission. In addition, although the most relevant mode was the conservative (vertical) one, the one-to-many diffuse mode (teacher) was highlighted. The new environmental context for immigrants did not influence transmission, the main transmission process was teaching, and the learning contexts were predominantly school-related. CONCLUSION: Plant knowledge in youth was related to local edible and medicinal plants, indicating adaptive knowledge linked to material demands for survival. While the initial models for cultural transmission are family (vertical), during the development phase of juveniles, other actors become models (one-to-many). In addition, the nature of the information (survival demand) and age are more relevant to cultural transmission than the socio-environmental context.

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Deriving robust historical population trends for long-lived species subject to human exploitation is challenging in scenarios where long-term scientific data are scarce or unavailable, as often occurs for species affected by small-scale fisheries and subsistence hunting. The importance of Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) in data-poor scenarios is increasingly recognized in conservation, both in terms of uncovering historical trends and for engaging community stewardship of historic information. Building on previous work in marine historical ecology and local ecological knowledge, we propose a mixed socio-ecological framework to reliably document and quantify LEK to reconstruct historical population trends. Our method can be adapted by interdisciplinary teams to study various long-lived taxa with a history of human use. We demonstrate the validity of our approach by reconstructing long-term abundance data for the heavily-exploited East Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Baja California, Mexico, which was driven to near extinction by a largely unregulated fishery from the early 1950s to the 1980s. No scientific baseline abundance data were available for this time-frame because recent biological surveys started in 1995 after all green turtle fisheries in the area were closed. To fill this data gap, we documented LEK among local fishers using ethnographic methods and obtained verified, qualitative data to understand the socio-environmental complexity of the green turtle fishery. We then established an iterative framework to synthesize and quantify LEK using generalized linear models (GLMs) and nonlinear regression (NLR) to generate a standardized, LEK-derived catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) time-series. CPUE is an index of abundance that is compatible with contemporary scientific survey data. We confirmed the accuracy of LEK-derived CPUE estimates via comparisons with fisheries statistics available for 1962-1982. We then modeled LEK-derived abundance trends prior to 1995 using NLR. Our model established baseline abundance and described historical declines, revealing that the most critical (exponential) decline occurred between 1960 and 1980. This robust integration of LEK data with ecological science is of critical value for conservation and management, as it contributes to a holistic view of a species' historic and contemporary conservation status.

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We tested whether fishers' local ecological knowledge (LEK) of two fish life-history parameters, size at maturity (SAM) at maximum body size (MS), was comparable to scientific estimates (SEK) of the same parameters, and whether LEK influenced fishers' perceptions of sustainability. Local ecological knowledge was documented for 82 fishers from a small-scale fishery in Samaná Bay, Dominican Republic, whereas SEK was compiled from the scientific literature. Size at maturity estimates derived from LEK and SEK overlapped for most of the 15 commonly harvested species (10 of 15). In contrast, fishers' maximum size estimates were usually lower than (eight species), or overlapped with (five species) scientific estimates. Fishers' size-based estimates of catch composition indicate greater potential for overfishing than estimates based on SEK. Fishers' estimates of size at capture relative to size at maturity suggest routine inclusion of juveniles in the catch (9 of 15 species), and fishers' estimates suggest that harvested fish are substantially smaller than maximum body size for most species (11 of 15 species). Scientific estimates also suggest that harvested fish are generally smaller than maximum body size (13 of 15), but suggest that the catch is dominated by adults for most species (9 of 15 species), and that juveniles are present in the catch for fewer species (6 of 15). Most Samaná fishers characterized the current state of their fishery as poor (73%) and as having changed for the worse over the past 20 yr (60%). Fishers stated that concern about overfishing, catching small fish, and catching immature fish contributed to these perceptions, indicating a possible influence of catch-size composition on their perceptions. Future work should test this link more explicitly because we found no evidence that the minority of fishers with more positive perceptions of their fishery reported systematically different estimates of catch-size composition than those with the more negative majority view. Although fishers' and scientific estimates of size at maturity and maximum size parameters sometimes differed, the fact that fishers make routine quantitative assessments of maturity and body size suggests potential for future collaborative monitoring efforts to generate estimates usable by scientists and meaningful to fishers.

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BACKGROUND: Acquiring fast and accurate information on ecological patterns of fishery resources is a basic first step for their management. However, some countries may lack the technical and/or the financial means to undergo traditional scientific samplings to get such information; therefore affordable and reliable alternatives need to be sought. METHODS: We compared two different approaches to identify occurrence patterns and catch for three main fish species caught with bottom-set gillnets used by artisanal fishers from northeast Brazil: (1) scientific on-board record data of small-scale fleet (n = 72 trips), and (2) interviews with small-scale fishers on Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) (n = 32 interviews). We correlated (Pearson correlations) the months cited by fishers (LEK) as belonging to the rainy or to the dry season with observed periods of higher and lower precipitation (SK). The presence of the three main fish species at different depths was compared between LEK and SK by Spearman correlations. Spearman correlations were also used to compare the depths of greatest abundance (with the highest Capture per Unit Effort - CPUE) of these species; the CPUEs were descendly ordered. RESULTS: Both methods provided similar and complementary bathymetric patterns of species occurrence and catch. The largest catches occured in deeper areas, which also happened to be less intensively fished. The preference for fishing in shallower and less productive areas was mostly due to environmental factors, such as weaker currents and less drifting algae at such depths. CONCLUSION: Both on-board and interview methods were accurate and brought complementary information, even though fishers provided faster data when compared to scientific on-board observations. When time and funding are not limited, integrative approaches such as the one presented here are likely the best option to obtain information, otherwise fishers' LEK could be a better choice for when a compromise between speed, reliability and cost needs to be reached.

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From the perception of human populations, we can assess the changes occurring in certain landscapes and the factors that cause those changes. Such studies have proven helpful in increasing the knowledge of the history of a landscape, recognizing past formations and projecting its future. Our research objective was to determine how a landscape dominated by the palm tree Attalea speciosa, a species of ecological, economic, and cultural importance, has been changing over time by synthesizing and comparing historical documents and local perceptions. This study was conducted in Araripe Environmental Protection Area, Northeast Region, Brazil. To understand local landscape change, we interviewed active harvesters in four communities in which A. speciosa use has been documented. Historical documents were evaluated as a complement to the interview data. According to local informants, areas previously used for cultivation and animal husbandry that were abandoned or decimated by droughts in the region may have fostered the expansion of a monodominant A. speciosa forest. Furthermore, other forms of landscape management resulting from human population growth may also have affected the current and past distribution of this forest.

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The lack of a long term, comprehensive and reliable fisheries statistics system is a major impediment to fisheries management in Brazil. Fishing is one of the main activities throughout the country's coast, with predominance of small-scale, artisanal, multigear, and multispecies captures that are landed in a pulverized network of coastal villages. Brazil is also a hotspot of common names, another feature that challenges artisanal fisheries' monitoring. We combined taxonomic and ethnobiological information to support the implementation of an artisanal fisheries' monitoring program under the co-management framework of a Marine Extractive Reserve in Bahia State, Northeastern Brazil. We surveyed 141 fishing landings, recording 86 fish species (43 families) and 52 correspondences 1:1 between local and scientific names. Broad folk categories had an average of 5.1 specific names, with "cação" (shark) being the category with more specific names (24 names to six biological species). With the exception of species that make up the bycatch captured by shrimp trawling, fisherfolks are able to identify commercially important species from both fresh specimens and photos. Common names can be reliably used in fisheries monitoring programs, and their usage facilitates the participation of fisherfolks in surveys based on voluntary or compulsory declarations of captures.(AU)

A falta de um sistema compreensivo e confiável de estatísticas pesqueiras em longo prazo é um dos maiores dificultadores da gestão pesqueira no Brasil. A pesca é uma das principais atividades ao longo da costa do país, com predominância de capturas artesanais de pequena escala, envolvendo múltiplas artes e espécies, além de desembarques realizados em uma rede pulverizada de localidades costeiras. O Brasil também possui grande riqueza de nomes comuns, outra característica que complica o monitoramento da pesca artesanal. No presente trabalho, combinamos informações taxonômicas e etnobiológicas para apoiar a implementação de um programa de monitoramento da pesca artesanal recifal e costeira sob o arcabouço de cogestão de uma Reserva Extrativista Marinha no estado da Bahia, Nordeste do Brasil. Foram amostrados 141 desembarques e registradas 86 espécies de peixes (43 famílias), com 52 correspondências 1:1 entre nomes locais e científicos. Categorias de nomes comuns genéricos tiveram uma média de 5,1 nomes específicos locais, com "cação" sendo aquela com mais nomes específicos (24 nomes para seis espécies biológicas). Excetuando-se as espécies capturadas como fauna acompanhante do arrasto-de-camarão, observamos que os pescadores são capazes de identificar as espécies comercialmente importantes tanto a partir de espécimes quanto de fotografias. Os nomes comuns podem ser usados com segurança em programas de monitoramento de pescarias de pequena escala, sendo que seu uso facilita a participação dos pescadores em levantamentos baseados em declarações de captura, sejam elas voluntárias ou compulsórias.(AU)

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The lack of a long term, comprehensive and reliable fisheries statistics system is a major impediment to fisheries management in Brazil. Fishing is one of the main activities throughout the country's coast, with predominance of small-scale, artisanal, multigear, and multispecies captures that are landed in a pulverized network of coastal villages. Brazil is also a hotspot of common names, another feature that challenges artisanal fisheries' monitoring. We combined taxonomic and ethnobiological information to support the implementation of an artisanal fisheries' monitoring program under the co-management framework of a Marine Extractive Reserve in Bahia State, Northeastern Brazil. We surveyed 141 fishing landings, recording 86 fish species (43 families) and 52 correspondences 1:1 between local and scientific names. Broad folk categories had an average of 5.1 specific names, with "cação" (shark) being the category with more specific names (24 names to six biological species). With the exception of species that make up the bycatch captured by shrimp trawling, fisherfolks are able to identify commercially important species from both fresh specimens and photos. Common names can be reliably used in fisheries monitoring programs, and their usage facilitates the participation of fisherfolks in surveys based on voluntary or compulsory declarations of captures.

A falta de um sistema compreensivo e confiável de estatísticas pesqueiras em longo prazo é um dos maiores dificultadores da gestão pesqueira no Brasil. A pesca é uma das principais atividades ao longo da costa do país, com predominância de capturas artesanais de pequena escala, envolvendo múltiplas artes e espécies, além de desembarques realizados em uma rede pulverizada de localidades costeiras. O Brasil também possui grande riqueza de nomes comuns, outra característica que complica o monitoramento da pesca artesanal. No presente trabalho, combinamos informações taxonômicas e etnobiológicas para apoiar a implementação de um programa de monitoramento da pesca artesanal recifal e costeira sob o arcabouço de cogestão de uma Reserva Extrativista Marinha no estado da Bahia, Nordeste do Brasil. Foram amostrados 141 desembarques e registradas 86 espécies de peixes (43 famílias), com 52 correspondências 1:1 entre nomes locais e científicos. Categorias de nomes comuns genéricos tiveram uma média de 5,1 nomes específicos locais, com "cação" sendo aquela com mais nomes específicos (24 nomes para seis espécies biológicas). Excetuando-se as espécies capturadas como fauna acompanhante do arrasto-de-camarão, observamos que os pescadores são capazes de identificar as espécies comercialmente importantes tanto a partir de espécimes quanto de fotografias. Os nomes comuns podem ser usados com segurança em programas de monitoramento de pescarias de pequena escala, sendo que seu uso facilita a participação dos pescadores em levantamentos baseados em declarações de captura, sejam elas voluntárias ou compulsórias.

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