Atividades de caça no Semiárido Potiguar, Nordeste do Brasil, sob a perspectiva de estudantes do ensino médio.

Abstract

Hunting activities in Potiguar semiarid, Northeastern Brazil, under the high school students perspective. In Caatinga ecosystem, hunting is an ancient practice and plays an important socioeconomic and cultural role for populations. This research aims to provide information about captured wild animals, forms of use and hunting techniques in two towns in Agreste region of Rio Grande do Norte state (Northeastern Brazil). For this, interviews were conducted with 80 resident students from rural areas. A total of 84 animal species were recorded, which fall into the following categories of use: feeding (73 spp.), pets (43 spp.), medicinal (14 spp.) and trade (45 spp.). The use values (UV) ranged from 0.01 to 0.61, being Sporophila albogularis and Euphractus sexcinctu the species with the highest use value. We identified 15 traditional capture techniques employed according to the species and the intended use, being hunting with guns, slingshot and bird traps the predominant techniques. Considering ilegal hunting as one of the factores that has been led to population decline of species and changed the dynamics of ecosystems, it is expected that the results obtained are useful for the implementation of conservation strategies in Brazilian semiarid region.