Traditional knowledge and plant diversity: an integrated analysis of ethnobotanical and floristic surveys in Eastern Amazonia
Climate crisis; Pollutants; Plant diversity; Healing plants; Toxic elements; Amazon region
Inadequate management and the disorderly growth of waste dumps in industrial hubs in the Amazon have impacts on natural ecosystems and traditional populations. This study was conducted in the municipality of Barcarena, Pará, a region marked by the presence of waste dumps associated with industrial activities. The research was divided into two chapters, with the objective of evaluating the effects of these waste dumps on riparian vegetation and on plant species used medicinally by local communities in eastern Amazonia. The first chapter analyzed the floristic composition and structure of riparian forests in areas close to a solid waste dump, comparing them with control areas without direct influence from waste disposal. A forest inventory was carried out, with analyses of vegetation diversity and structure, including methods such as NMDS similarity ordination, plant abundance heatmap and rarefaction curves of plant species richness. The partial results revealed significant changes in species composition between the areas studied, since proximity to the waste dump can act as a modifying factor of the plant community. The second chapter aims to investigate the use of medicinal plant species traditionally used by traditional communities, combining an ethnobotanical survey with quantitative analyses to assess the possible presence of heavy metals in plants collected in community areas under the influence of industrial waste. Therefore, this study reinforces the importance of waste management policies that consider both environmental conservation and public health in the Amazon region.