Community involvement works where enforcement fails: conservation success through community-based management of Amazon river turtle nests

PeerJ

article

Darren Norris¹  Fernanda Michalski²  James P. Gibbs⁵ 

[1] School of Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Amapá;Ecology and Conservation of Amazonian Vertebrates Research Group, Federal University of Amapá;Postgraduate Programme in Tropical Biodiversity, Federal University of Amapá;Instituto Pró-Carnívoros;Department of Forest and Environmental Biology, State University of New York

关键词: Integrated management;    Protected area;    Reptile;    Nest harvest;    Turtle conservation;    Monitoring;    Amazon conservation;    Natural resource management;    Human impact;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.4856

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Law enforcement is widely regarded as a cornerstone to effective natural resource management. Practical guidelines for the optimal use of enforcement measures are lacking particularly in areas protected under sustainable and/or mixed use management regimes and where legal institution are weak. Focusing on the yellow-spotted river turtles (Podocnemis unifilis) along 33 km of river that runs between two sustainable–use reserves in the Brazilian Amazon as an illustrative example, we show that two years of patrols to enforce lawful protection regulations had no effect on nest harvesting. In contrast, during one year when community-based management approaches were enacted harvest levels dropped nearly threefold to a rate (26%) that is likely sufficient for river turtle population recovery. Our findings support previous studies that show how community participation, if appropriately implemented, can facilitate effective natural resource management where law enforcement is limited or ineffective.

【 授权许可】

CC BY