Ameaças à conservação biocultural de Psidium guineense Sw. em alagoas: um olhar para as mudanças climáticas e usos locais

Abstract

Araçá, Psidium guineense Sw., fits the meaning of unconventional food plant (UFP), whose fruit, a non-timber forest product (NTFP), belongs to the local repertoire of extractive communities in the municipality of Piaçabuçu, Alagoas, Brazil. Due to its neotropical distribution, its food potential and the imminent risks of climate change to socioecological systems, this study sought to investigate the threats linked to the biological and also cultural conservation of the araçá, in light of: (i) species distribution modelling (SDM), for current and future bioclimatic scenarios throughout the Neotropics, focusing on Alagoas and Piaçabuçu; (ii) analysis of the araçá population structure; (iii) participatory workshop with local extractivists. Thus, it was observed that climate changes will reduce the distribution of araçá in the Neotropics, over optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, in Alagoas as well, but to a lesser extent, with the region of Piaçabuçu being one of the least affected in the state, what makes it a key environment for the species perpetuation. This data is reinforced by the indication of araçá’s population structure suitability in a harvesting area. Despite this, reports from local extractivists indicated the UFP disappearance due to deforestation and burning practices on harvesting areas, which are generally private properties. In this sense, it is recommended that future works continuously monitor the araçá’s population dynamics in other areas of extractivism, and in order to answer if anthropic intervention in these properties interferes in the species conservation status. And yet, that public policies for agrarian reform in the region consider the implementation of management plans, including the local perspective and the main paths towards the sustainable extraction of araçá and other NTFP. Keywords: bioculture; species distribution modelling; population structure; non-timber forest product; araçá.