CORRELATION OF TRADITIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE: DIALOGUES ON ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION FROM QUILOMBOLA EXPERIENCE

The knowledge of traditional peoples can be correlated with scientific knowledge in the joint search for effective solutions to the problems arising from global warming and climate change. These people, including the quilombola communities, contribute their ancestral wisdom about nature and should be included in dialogues about environmental preservation. This qualitative research investigated the validity of this correlation of knowledge through a partnership with a quilombola community, Caçandoca, located on the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. A questionnaire was applied in a semi-structured interview with a member-leader of the quilombola community, to propose to the participant reflections on topics related to the themes of environmental preservation and perception, linked to her experience as a member of a traditional community. The method used to analyze the primary qualitative data was Content Analysis, with the use of categories (analysis factors), which made it possible to relate the interview discourse to the academic-scientific framework. The results obtained corroborate prior research on the subject, demonstrating that it is possible to extract valuable knowledge about the environment from contact with individuals who have experiences directly linked to nature. Aspects of socio-environmental vulnerability in the Caçandoca community were also identified. The study provides scope for more extensive research on the subject, as it highlights the commitment that the scientific community must adopt towards these historically marginalized peoples.