IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Islas, C.A. | |
| Conhecimento ecol¢gico cai‡ara sobre animais silvestres como aporte para um manejo de base ecossistˆmica | |
| 2015 Full Book | |
The Caicara community of Praia do Sono is located within the Juatinga State Ecological Reserve (JSER) in Paraty Municipality, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Using qualitative research methods, I investigated Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) about wild animals. The aim of the research was to generate information for the wildlife management in the reserve and in Brazilian protected areas, incorporating principles of Ecosystem-based Management and Ecosystem Stewardship approaches. The JSER is a strict Protected Area (PA) that is currently undergoing a re-categorization process to adapt to federal legislation, which may modify the relationship of communities with subsistence resources like wild animals. Data collection consisted of four types of interviews: i) semi-structured with 39 Cai‡ara family's units to investigate uses, negative interactions, and conservation of fauna in the community; ii) structured interviews with seven key informants of the community, for correlation between popular and scientific names; iii) semi-structured interviews with four key informants of the community, to investigate TEK on biology of wildlife; and iv) semi-structured interviews with 10 JSER employees, to understand their view on resource management in the Reserve. Data also includes informal conversations and participant observation. The research indicated that in the community of Praia do Sono, wild animals are mainly used as food sources, but they are also used for medicinal purposes and kept as pets. Hunting also occurs due to losses in agriculture and animal husbandry, because of fear of attack, and as a leisure activity. After analyzing the data, the animals identified as relevant to the management of the Reserve, due to their hunting characteristics, their potential to generate negative interactions, or because of population fluctuations are: the mammals paca (Cuniculus paca), agouti (Dasyprocta leporina), opossum (Didelphis sp.), armadillo (Dasypus sp.), coati (Nasua nasua), brocket deer (Mazama americana), collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), capuchin monkey (Sapajus nigritus) and ocelot (Leopardus sp.); the birds: dusky-legged guan (Penelope obscura), solitary tinamou (Tinamus solitarius), and toucan (Ramphastos sp.); and the reptile: lizard-tegu (Tupinambis merianae). Cai‡ara's hunting traps, techniques and rules were described in this study and should especially be considered in the management of the reserve. The TEK examined in this community is robust and has the potential to be used in the management of the PA because it contains valuable information about the wildlife. In this context, the use of the Ecosystem Based Management approach for the development of a management plan can benefit the JSER and other Brazilian PAs due to the proposal of integration between TEK and technical and scientific knowledge and the systemic view of the approach. The Ecosystem Stewardship strategy complements Ecosystem-based Management approach with its proposal of "bottom-up" management, in which resource users are the most responsible for resource care and ensuring sustainability. Interactions between local human populations and fauna have been changing, with different ways of understanding conservation. Recognizing that traditional populations need to use natural resources to ensure their survival will highlight damaging uses and negative interactions harmful to ecosystems, but may also identify solutions for resource management. It is by working with the communities that you can find answers for conservation, and the Traditional Ecological Knowledge proved to be a valuable ally in this journey. |
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