Conceitos, percepções e estratégias para conservação de uma Estação Ecológica da Caatinga nordestina por populações do seu entorno / Concepts, perceptions and strategies for conservation of an Ecological Station of Caatinga by communities in the vicinity

Abstract

The loss of Earth´s biodiversity is a major concern for the international scientific community andmegadiverse countries like Brazil are paramount for discussions about the overall situation of theplanet. The Caatinga biome is probably one of the most threatened in Brazil and the implementation ofConservation Units (CU) represents a measure for protecting its natural resources and biodiversity.The Station Ecological of Seridó (ESEC-Serido) is one of the few CU in the Caatinga of Rio Grande doNorte State (NE Brazil) and interacts with several neighboring communities and settlements. Howeverthe ESEC does not integrate environmental perception feedback from the local communities in itsmanagement plan. Considering this, the present articles aims at identifying the perceptions and conceptsof such communities regarding environmental issues and biodiversity as well as indicate strategies toimprove the administration of this CU. In order to achieve these goals, a review of the specializedliterature was carried out and a research tool based on Environmental Perception was developed in theform of structured interviews applied to the persons from communities neighboring the ESEC. Theseinterviews were later processed through content analysis. The concepts and perceptions obtained throughthis analysis show that the people from the environs are aware of the main problems faced by ESECSeridó,as well as the strategies to address them.

Keywords

• Biodiversity
• Local population
• Conservation unit
• Environmental Perception.