Biodiversity and traditional knowledge: a review of medicinal plants in Conservation Units in Sergipe, Brazil
Abstract
Biodiversity conservation and traditional ethnobotanical knowledge are two sides of the same coin, essential for sustainability, especially in areas of high ecological relevance in the state of Sergipe, Brazil. This work aimed to conduct a literature review to analyze the conservation status and traditional knowledge about medicinal plants in conservation units (CUs) in Sergipe. We highlight the crucial role of CUs in biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of local ethnobotanical knowledge. We mapped the CUs based on changes in land cover use using the MapBiomas project in QGIS software and supplemented the data with a bibliographic survey of medicinal plants recorded in these environments, covering 24 years of literature. In the conservation units, we found 38 records of plant species used in folk medicine, belonging to 22 botanical families, most of which have not been evaluated regarding their conservation status. We raised gaps and questions regarding the ethnobotanical knowledge of these areas, highlighting the need for public policies that integrate traditional communities in the management of conservation units and promote the sustainable conservation of these plants, both for the maintenance of biodiversity and for the safe and continuous use of these plant resources.
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BibTeX
@article{santos2026biodiversity,
title = {{Biodiversity and traditional knowledge: a review of medicinal plants in Conservation Units in Sergipe, Brazil}},
author = {Cristianne Santana Santos and Bruno de Santana Santos and José Eduardo Andrade Neto and Larissa Monteiro Rafael and Marcos Vinicius Meiado},
journal = {Rodriguésia},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1590/2175-7860202677023},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860202677023},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Biodiversity and traditional knowledge: a review of medicinal plants in Conservation Units in Sergipe, Brazil
AU - Cristianne Santana Santos
AU - Bruno de Santana Santos
AU - José Eduardo Andrade Neto
AU - Larissa Monteiro Rafael
AU - Marcos Vinicius Meiado
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Rodriguésia
DO - 10.1590/2175-7860202677023
UR - https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860202677023
AB - Biodiversity conservation and traditional ethnobotanical knowledge are two sides of the same coin, essential for sustainability, especially in areas of high ecological relevance in the state of Sergipe, Brazil. This work aimed to conduct a literature review to analyze the conservation status and traditional knowledge about medicinal plants in conservation units (CUs) in Sergipe. We highlight the crucial role of CUs in biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of local ethnobotanical knowledge. We mapped the CUs based on changes in land cover use using the MapBiomas project in QGIS software and supplemented the data with a bibliographic survey of medicinal plants recorded in these environments, covering 24 years of literature. In the conservation units, we found 38 records of plant species used in folk medicine, belonging to 22 botanical families, most of which have not been evaluated regarding their conservation status. We raised gaps and questions regarding the ethnobotanical knowledge of these areas, highlighting the need for public policies that integrate traditional communities in the management of conservation units and promote the sustainable conservation of these plants, both for the maintenance of biodiversity and for the safe and continuous use of these plant resources.
SN - 2175-7860
SN - 0370-6583
ER -