Ecology and Zoology Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, ECZ-CCB-UFSC, Florianópolis-SC, 88010-970, Brazil.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2009 Nov 21;5:36. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-5-36.
The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is considered one of the hotspots for conservation, comprising remnants of rain forest along the eastern Brazilian coast. Its native inhabitants in the Southeastern coast include the Caiçaras (descendants from Amerindians and European colonizers), with a deep knowledge on the natural resources used for their livelihood.
We studied the use of the terrestrial fauna in three Caiçara communities, through open-ended interviews with 116 native residents. Data were checked through systematic observations and collection of zoological material.
The dependence on the terrestrial fauna by Caiçaras is especially for food and medicine. The main species used are Didelphis spp., Dasyprocta azarae, Dasypus novemcinctus, and small birds (several species of Turdidae). Contrasting with a high dependency on terrestrial fauna resources by native Amazonians, the Caiçaras do not show a constant dependency on these resources. Nevertheless, the occasional hunting of native animals represents a complimentary source of animal protein.
Indigenous or local knowledge on native resources is important in order to promote local development in a sustainable way, and can help to conserve biodiversity, particularly if the resource is sporadically used and not commercially exploited.
巴西大西洋森林被认为是保护的热点地区之一，它由巴西东海岸的雨林残余组成。其东南沿海的原住民包括 Caiçaras（美洲原住民和欧洲殖民者的后裔），他们对用于生计的自然资源有着深刻的了解。
我们通过对 116 名当地居民进行开放式访谈，研究了三个 Caiçara 社区对陆地动物群的利用情况。通过系统观察和动物学材料的收集来检查数据。
Caiçaras 对陆地动物群的依赖主要是食物和药物。主要使用的物种有袋狸、树懒、犰狳和小型鸟类（几种 Turdidae 鸟）。与亚马逊原住民对陆地动物群资源的高度依赖形成鲜明对比的是，Caiçaras 对这些资源并不存在持续的依赖。然而，偶尔捕猎本地动物是动物蛋白的补充来源。
了解本地资源的原住民或当地知识对于以可持续的方式促进当地发展非常重要，如果资源是零星使用的且没有商业开发，那么这种知识有助于保护生物多样性。
