Ethnobotany of native cacti in the northeast region of Brazil: can traditional use influence availability?

ABSTRACT Documenting the uses of native species of Cactaceae in Northeast Brazil contributes to understanding how the inhabitants of this seasonally dry and low-rainfall region have used these resources, considering that some species of this family of Cactaceae are among the most endangered in the world. The aim of this research was to determine which species of Cactaceae occur in the study area and investigate the knowledge and recurrent uses associated with them, as well as the local availability of the species most used by residents. Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structure...