Local Perceptions of Biodiversity among Rural Residents of Serra do Mar State Park, Southeastern Brazil

This case study assesses local perceptions of a conservation project focused on the PESM (Serra do Mar State Park) of southeastern Brazil. The park harbors among the largest remaining fragments of Atlantic Coastal Forest. Residents of Núcleo Itariru, a settlement center within the PESM, continue to utilize these forest fragments; the fragments supply food, medicine, and building materials to them. Drawing on participant observation and freelisting conducted among mostly small farmers and their families in Núcleo Itariru,  human/landscape relationships are addressed in a temporal and spatial context. Despite variation among these residents, in terms of length of occupation in situ and their place of origin, evidence thus far indicates shared perceptions concerning the conservation project, and more specifically, the species in most vital need of protection. These perceptions in association with local environmental knowledge may be applicable to continuity of human society inside conservation areas elsewhere.