Traditional Ecological Knowledge on Wildlife as a Subsidy for Ecosystem-Based Management in Brazilian Protected Areas

Abstract

"Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) has been a widespread approach focusing management actions on maintaining a healthy, productive and resilient ecosystem, particularly in protected areas. Despite success in other countries, this approach is poorly studied and rarely used in Brazilian protected areas (PA) – most of them showing conflict between traditional people (e.g., Caiçaras) and PA managers due to these people use of natural resources, such as wild animals. Although hunting is prohibited in most part of Brazil, it may be allowed within sustainable-use PA, if managed to ensure both resource conservation and people subsistence. In this paper, we explore the use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of local communities as a subsidy to develop EBM focusing on wildlife within PAs in Brazil. We carried out semi-structured interviews with 39 residents and four local experts from a Caiçara community living within a PA in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil in order to understand their use and knowledge of wildife. We also carried out semi-structured interviews with 10 managers and staff of this PA to assess their willingness to take TEK into account an EBM plan. The community has its own management system, known and respected by the locals, in which hunting is allowed only during winter months (March to July), when game is fat and not reproducing. Caiçara often leave fruit in the woods to fatten the animals during the winter. Their main interests in wildlife include a source of food, medicinal use and as Pets. Conflicts emerging from wildlife inside Caicara communities relates to disturbances of vegetable gardens, consumption of domestic animal and human fear. Based on the prevalence of use and conflicts 10 species were selected to further explore TEK related to them for EBM. These include: the mammals paca (Cuniculus paca), agouti (Dasyprocta leporina), opossum (Didelphis sp), armadillo (Dasypus sp.), coati (Nasua Nasua), deer (Mazama americana), collared peccary (tajacu peccary), monkey (Sapajus nigritus) and ocelot (Leopardus sp.); the birds guan (Penelope obscura), macuco (Tinamus solitarius), toucan (Ramphastos sp.); and the reptile tegu lizard (Tupinambis merianae). Seven out of the ten PA staff interviewed believe TEK is an important factor to consider for management; they also understand that it is necessary to make new management arrangements and provide alternatives to hunting for local communities in order to ensure the wildlife conservation and local livelihoods. Main suggestions for management include formalize local Caiçara hunting rules through legal agreements; create other necessary rules under a systemic view; clearly define species that can be hunted and those that need conservation measures or population studies; and propose participatory community monitoring, using the community as partners in protecting animals from other threats such as poachers and wildlife traffickers. Wildlife uses and conflicts in Brazilian PAs are real issues and cannot be neglected. Our study highlights TEK relevance in providing critical information for EBM in protected areas in Brazil."