Percepção ambiental de comunidades locais sobre a herpetofauna de área protegida na Mata Atlântica setentrional brasileira

Abstract

Reptiles are animals of great ecological and cultural importance, but they often evoke aversion and fear in people, leading to conflicting relationships stemming from myths, legends, and local beliefs. In this context, this study aimed to identify the environmental perception of reptiles among inhabitants of communities surrounding the Jenipabu Environmental Protection Area (APAJ) in Extremoz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, as well as to characterize the uses of reptiles and the degrees of biophilia and biophobia towards reptiles in this Conservation Unit. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 120 residents from 4 communities surrounding the APAJ. They were shown photos of reptiles found in the region for species recognition and were questionedabout their perception of the local species. The interviews were transcribed and analyzedbased on discourses that pointed to Kellert's biophilic categories: utilitarian value,naturalistic, ecological-scientific, aesthetic, symbolic, humanistic, moralistic, dominionistic, and negativistic. Tests were also conducted to assess whether variables such as frequency of visits to forested areas, proximity of communities to forested areas,length of residence, level of education, and gender influenced the respondents' level of knowledge, as well as whether there was an influence of participants' degrees of biophiliaand biophobia. The results showed that although the inhabitants were familiar with the most common species or those adapted to the urban environment, they were not familiarwith cryptic and smaller species, such as the lizard Coleodactylus natalensis, an endemicand endangered species of the Atlantic Forest in Rio Grande do Norte. Aesthetic and negativistic values were most frequently mentioned by the participants, with control group animals (concriz and marmoset) being more commonly associated with aesthetic values and snakes with negativistic values. Men and women in APAJ differed in their degrees of biophilia and biophobia, and a higher frequency of visits to forested areas by people contributed to a lower degree of biophobia towards reptiles. This study demonstrated that ethnobiological research is relevant for identifying the level of knowledge about local biodiversity, including endangered endemic species, as well as detecting aversion levels towards reptiles. It can serve as a bridge between local perception of reptiles and environmental education, dispelling negative information infavor of conservation actions.