Characterization of hunting and fishing activities in Caxiuanã National Forest, Para, Brasil, with emphasis on the use of chelonians

Abstract

There is an important relationship between Amazon human populations and wild fauna, used as a basic food source. In Caxiuana National Forest (FLONA), located between the municipalities of Melgaço and Portel, Pará, residents are predominantly farmers, dependent on subsistence fishing. Hunting plays an important role in their diet when fishing resources are scarce, particularly during the Amazonian winter. Chelonians have been historically used in the Amazon basin since before European colonization. In this study, we investigated the hunting and fishing techniques and the cultural practices involving chelonians. Sixty semi-structured interviews were conducted with hunters and / or fishermen, male and female, within 24 communities in the FLONA of Caxiuanã. Several techniques and artifacts of hunting and fishing are used for the capture of chelonians. Manual collection is performed both in summer and winter and is often used for the capture of nesting turtles. The jaticá and the paneiro are the most frequently used fishing artifacts throughout the year. According to the interviews, fish is the main consumed group at the FLONA (61.5%), while reptiles represent 12.8%. There were 28 local denominations referring to 12 species of chelonians. Among the chelonians, the jabuti (Chelonoidis spp.) is the most consumed, common and commercialized. The Giant South American River Turtle (Podocnemis expansa, locally denominated “tartaruga”) and the Big-headed Amazon River Turtle (Peltocephalus dumerilianus, or “cabeçudo”) were the ethnospecies most cited for zootherapic uses. These results indicate important tools for more inclusive strategies that aim to promote management programs and conservation of the fauna more appropriate to the reality of the residents of the FLONA of Caxiuanã.