Title
Subsistence hunting of the yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) in the Tacana I Indigenous Territory (La Paz, Bolivia)
Author(s)
Carvajal-Bacarreza, Pamela; Domic-Rivadeneira, Enrique; Wallace, Robert; Miranda-Chumacero, Guido
Published
2021
Publisher
Neotropical Hydrobiology and Aquatic Conservation
Abstract
Subsistence hunting of Podocnemis unifilis was evaluated in five Tacana indigenous communities in the Tacana I Indigenous territory, through self-monitoring of hunting between 2001 and 2008. In total, 1 242 P. unifilis individuals were captured, predominating females (61.0%) over males (39.0%). Most individuals were adults (84.9%), with lower percentages of juveniles (14.4%) and hatchlings (0.7%). The total biomass contributed by P. unifilis to the diet of the Tacana communities was 5 014 kg, most of the meat being used for family consumption, and to a lesser extent as non-monetary exchange between families within the communities. Hunting sites were located at an average of 6.28 km from the community, ranging between 0.42 km to a maximum of 25.87 km. We found positive relationships between community hunting area and number of hunters, community hunting area and number of individuals hunted, as well as between community hunting area and hunting rate, in three of the five communities.
Keywords
biomass; self monitoring; indigenous communities; sustainable use
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