Impacts of cultural and religious practices on biodiversity in traditional communities of the Brazilian Semiarid region

Abstract

The search for healing the body and soul in communities in the Brazilian semiarid region comes from a tradition experienced among the subjects, who mainly inhabit rural spaces. This article aims to indicate the impacts produced on biodiversity from cultural and religious practices, of communities on the island of Massangano, a black rural town belonging to the municipality of Petrolina, PE and Lage dos Negros, a quilombo belonging to the municipality of Campo Formoso, BA. Therefore, the investigation arises from the ethnic and cultural foundations of the sociodiversity of these traditional groups. To this end, the technique called snowball sampling was used as a methodological tool for selecting the participants who took part in the investigation. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires involving religious leaders and participants in local cultural groups. The analysis that guided the study was content analysis. This article demonstrates a complete understanding of devotion to the environment and its elements and the results showed that religious and cultural practices that use natural resources, such as fauna and flora, do not have negative effects on local biodiversity. By keeping their cultural and religious practices alive, these communities demonstrate awareness of the value of their ecosystems and what they represent in their contexts. Based on these notions, quilombola communities teach the world that it is necessary to guarantee life for their future generations.