Ecologia, etnoconhecimento e educação: integrando os saberes acadêmico e popular para a conservação do patrimônio natural e cultural de São Tomé das Letras, Minas Gerais

Abstract

The municipality of São Tomé das Letras is located in the southern Minas Gerais State, in the western Mantiqueira Range, at the Rio Grande Basin, in a transition zone between the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest. It has 6.655 habitants and its economy is based on three main activities: the mining of quartzite (pedra são tomé), which employs 70% of the active population, agriculture and tourism. This work was divided in four chapters. The first one aims to study the environmental perception of leaders of the municipality. Sixty three individuals were interviewed individually (social, political, economical, educational, environmental, cultural, religious, sportive, communitarian associations and public institutions segments) and the results indicated that the interviewed known about the environmental problems of the city, especially those of mining, and theirs reasons to conservation are anthropocentric and utilitarian. The second chapter aims to characterize the environmental perception of the students of Escola Estadual José Cristiano Alves, in São Tomé das Letras. Seven hundred and thirteen students of Elementary and High School answered questionaries about global and local environmental questions. The results showed that the students have a general knowledge about the environmental problems, from especially the television media, but they need be sensibilized critically about the environmental local problems. The third chapter aims to determine the phytossociological structure of three Cerrado areas in the municipality. The sampled units were distributed in 60 points-quadrats at each area, trees with circumference at ground level of 10cm or bigger were measured (high and circumference). It was found a total of 720 individuals, distributed in 27 families, 36 genera with 56 botanical species. The most representative species were Eremanthus erythropappus (candeia), Miconia ferruginata, Stryphnodendron adstringens (barbatimão) and Myrsine guianensis (capororoca). This study can be useful in local restoration projects at São Tomé das Letras, which areas are threatened by anthropic activities. The last chapter aims to study the popular knowledge of 20 residents about the medicinal plants native from region. In total, were cited 87 medicinal species, belonging of 46 botanical families. The species that have the same uses cited by 10 or more informants were barbatimão (Stryphnodendron adstringens), curraleira, pé-de-perdiz (Croton antisyphiliticus), assa-peixe (Vernonia polyanthes), douradinha (Rudgea viburnoides/Palicourea rigida), carobinha (Jacaranda decurrens), carapiá (Dorstenia brasiliensis) and arnica (Lychnophora pinaster). These results can be useful in bioprospection projects, cultivation and commercialization of the medicinal products from the native plants, by the people of São Tomé das Letras, constituting an economic alternative for the city and reducing the harvesting pressure of wild stocks