Plant uses in a traditional fisherman community in northeastern Brazil

Background Knowledge of traditional plant use in rural communities is under threat from urbanization and also land use change. Hence, elucidating region-specific patterns traditional knowledge of habitat resource use is crucial for assisting policy making with regard to nature conservation, human nutrition, and human health. Using original data from northeast Bahia, Brazil, we aim to document the collective knowledge of plant use possessed by artisanal fishermen and women in fishing communities, related to medicinal, construction, technology and ritualistic/religious uses. Methods Data were collected through interviews with and opportunistic guided tours by local specialists to record the local knowledge of plant use and methods of use. Results Through interviews, 116 species of plants from 104 genera and 47 botanical families were identified along with their local names, plant parts utilized, habitats, and preparation methods, and an additional 26 spp. for which only local names were available. Of these, 72 spp. are used as medicine, 48 spp. as non-conventional edibles, 31 spp. for construction and 11 for religious/mystical purposes. Female informants generally cited more food and medicinal plants than male informants. All interviewees unanimously expressed that the use of plants for medicines and fishing technology has significantly reduced or been superseded by modern materials. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that the rich collective plant use knowledge of an artisanal fishing community in northeast Brazil. The results of this study serves as a framework for to extend ethnobotanical investigations to other traditional fishing communities in the vicinity, and also to examine more social and demographic factors influencing traditional knowledge related to uses of plants. Finally, the rich tradition of plant use in the region underpins the need to encourage measures to preserve this cultural knowledge and conserve the natural environments that are a source of these plants.