Zank Sofia, Peroni Nivaldo, de Araújo Elcida Lima, Hanazaki Natalia
Department of Ecology and Zoology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, Florianópolis, CEP: 88040-900, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Street Dom Manoel de Medeiros, Recife CEP: 52171-900, Pernambuco, Brazil.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2015 Feb 23;11:11. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-11-11.
The concept of eco-cultural health considers the dynamic interaction between humans and ecosystems, emphasizing the implications of the health of the ecosystem for the health and well-being of human populations. Ethnobotanical studies focusing on folk medicine and medicinal plants can contribute to the field of eco-cultural health if they incorporate the perspective and local knowledge of communities. We investigated the local health practices in three rural communities living within the vicinity of a protected area of sustainable use in a semi-arid region of Brazil. We analyzed the opinions of local health experts on the elements that influence human health and on how the environment contributes to this influence. We also analyzed and compared the local knowledge of medicinal plants, as knowledge of this type is an important factor when considering the interaction between environmental and human health.
We performed structured interviews and free-listings with 66 local health experts. We used content analysis to systematize the elements of the influences on human health. We compared the richness of the plants cited among communities and analyzed the differences among the three communities regarding the ways in which the plants were obtained and the environments in which plants were collected.
The local experts identified several influences of the environment on human health. These influences can be associated with ecosystem services, such as climatic conditions, water and air quality, recreation and medicinal and food resources. We identified 192 medicinal plant species, most of which were gathered from wild ecosystems. The most important environments for the three communities were the plateau mountain and backyards.
The informants had a broad and integrated view of health, perceiving the importance of conserving the environment within the National Forest of Araripe for the health and well-being of the local populations.
生态文化健康的概念考虑了人类与生态系统之间的动态相互作用，强调生态系统健康对人类健康和福祉的影响。专注于民间医学和药用植物的民族植物学研究，如果纳入社区的观点和当地知识，就能为生态文化健康领域做出贡献。我们调查了巴西半干旱地区一个可持续利用保护区附近的三个农村社区的当地健康实践。我们分析了当地健康专家对影响人类健康的因素以及环境如何促成这种影响的看法。我们还分析并比较了当地关于药用植物的知识，因为在考虑环境与人类健康的相互作用时，这类知识是一个重要因素。
我们对66位当地健康专家进行了结构化访谈和自由列举访谈。我们使用内容分析法将影响人类健康的因素系统化。我们比较了各社区提到的植物丰富度，并分析了三个社区在获取植物的方式和采集植物的环境方面的差异。
当地专家确定了环境对人类健康的若干影响。这些影响可能与生态系统服务相关，如气候条件、水和空气质量、娱乐以及药用和食物资源。我们识别出192种药用植物物种，其中大多数是从野生生态系统中采集的。对这三个社区来说最重要的环境是高原山区和后院。
受访者对健康有广泛而综合的看法，认识到保护阿拉里皮国家森林内的环境对当地居民的健康和福祉的重要性。
