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million hatchlings per year into the wild. However, there is no scientific proof that this program is working, and in fact populations are diminishing within some of the protected reserves, notably Rio Trombetas Biological Reserve. Throughout the remainder of its range in other countries, P. expansa populations have been drastically reduced (e.g. Peru; Soini 1997), and remain at high risk of local extinction. The present study examined turtle hunting patterns in the RDSM. These patterns include species, number and size of individuals extracted, hunting methods and season, and habitats where turtles are most frequently captured. METHODS The study was carried out in the Jarauá sector of the RDSM. The reserve covers 1,124,000 ha between the Japurá, Solimões and Auti-Paraná rivers, near the city of Tefé, Amazonas state, Brazil (03º 08'S, 64º 45' W and 2º 36' S, 67º 13'W). Crampton et al. (this volume) give a detailed description of the reserve. Information on species, number, sex, weight, method, habitat and use of turtles was gathered in the communities of São Raimundo de Jarauá (2º 51'S 64º 55'W), Nova Colômbia (2º54'S 64º54'W), Novo Pirapucu (2º53'S 64º51'W) and Manacabi (2º50'S 54º52'W) through both interviews and direct observations. These communities were selected because they are located near turtle-nesting beaches and near lakes designated for preservation, personal use or commercialization on the Japurá river and the Jarauá Paraná. Fifty families were interviewed on two occasions in these four communities, the first time between September 22 and October 12, 1996, and the second between November 17-18, 1997. All communities had few households and were therefore completely sampled. Data on turtle captures were collected from September 1996 to April 1998.

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Population structure, sex ratio and abundance of Podocnemis sextuberculata (Testudines, Podocnemididae) in the Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Amazonas, Brazil. We studied turtles in the focal area of the Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá from September 1996 through August 1998. The reserve is located in the western part of the Brazilian Amazon, between the Japurá, Solimões, and Auti-Paraná rivers, near the city of Tefé, in the state of Amazonas. In this study the populacion structure, sex ratio and abundance of Podocnemis sextuberculata were investigated. We intensively studied the population of turtles in the Jarauá river basin in order to determine population structure. We sampled turtles in different sectors of the focal area of the reserve for one month each year during July and August 1997 and 1998. We captured the turtles using flag gill nets and trammel nets. The type of net and size of the nets used influenced the size of the turtles captured. The nets used by the local fishermen were sexually selective in the capture of turtles. Seventy two per cent of the P. sextuberculata captured were adults; 13 % juveniles and 14.7 % subadults. During the second year of the study we found a lower density of turtles in the five areas which we sampled both years. The sex ratio of captured P. sextuberculata was 1.87 males per female.

Population structure, size and sex ratio in Podocnemis unifilis (Testudines, Podocnemididae) in the Guaporé river (RO), northern Brazil. Population structure and sex ratio of Podocnemis unifilis was studied from June to November 1989 and from March to June 1990 in the Guaporé river and its tributaries São Domingos and São Miguel, in the municipality of Costa Marques, Rondônia, Brazil. The margins of these rivers are not altered much by human activities and the water is not polluted in any way. Turtles were captured using 12 fyke nets. Around 1 % of the captured turtles died using this method. The majority of the turtles was captured in the bays and oxbows (55.8%) and when the water level of the river was declining (N=785). The proportion of adults (73.4 %) in the sample was about three times higher than that of juveniles (26.6 %). The distribution of carapace length in males formed a normal curve, while that of females showed no well-defined pattern. The sex ratio of adults in this population was 9.8 males per female.

El período de desove de Podocnemis unifilis ocurrió en los meses de agosto y septiembre, y la eclosión en octubre y noviembre. Los nidos fueron construidos en sustratos de greda (67.5%), arena (25%), y hojarasca (7.5%). La obtención de crías fue mayor en la playa de arena y menor en los barrancos de tierra gredosa. El hombre y la iguana Tupinambis, son los mayores depredadores de huevos. La protección y manejo de los locales de desove, la educación ambiental, la participación comunitaria y la fiscalización permanente del Instituto Brasilero de los Recursos Naturales y del Medio Ambiente -IBAMA son entre las actividades más importantes para viabilizar la recuperación de la población de P. unifilis en esta parte de la Amazonía. Palabras clave: Amazonía, depredación, Podocnemis unifilis, quelonio, reproducción. ResumoEste trabalho foi realizado de julho a novembro de 1998, na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá. A reserva está situada no médio Solimões, perto da cidade de Tefé, Amazonas, Brasil. O período de desova de Podocnemis unifilis ocorreu nos meses de agosto e setembro, e a eclosão em outubro e novembro. Os ninhos foram construídos em substratos de argila (67,5%), areia (25%), e folhiço (7,5%). A obtenção de filhotes foi maior na praia de areia e menor nos barrancos de terra argilosa. O homem e o lagarto Tupinambis, foram os maiores predadores de ovos. A proteção e o manejo dos locais de desova, a educação ambiental, a participação comunitária e a fiscalização permanente do Instituto Brasileiro dos Recursos Naturais e do Meio Ambiente-IBAMA estão entre as atividades mais importantes para viabilizar a recuperação da população de P. unifilis nesta parte da Amazônia.

At Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, river turtles are exploited by local traditional populations for decades. The nadequate use of this resource caused a striking decrease of the natural populations. Podocnemis expansa was the most affected species, followed by P. unifilis and P. sextuberculata. As a consequence, environmental authoryties introduced legal regulation, asm means to protect the most exploited species. At Mamirauá Reserve, the first step tow ards the participation of local population in the preservation of turtles was taken at the IV General Assembly of Mamirauá, where representatives of the nine sectors of villages that make Mamirauá Focal Area listed nesting beaches, and each sector selected at least one of them to be fully protected. In 1998 were recorded 272 nests at Horizonte beach: 261 of P. sextuberculata, 5 of P. unifilis and 6 of P. expansa; at Pirapucu beach 306 nests were recorded: 298 of P. sextuberculata and 8 of P. unifilis. Community participation can provide not only local political support, and lower costs for garding and enforcement of conservation rules, but also assures preservation of várzea biodiversity and maintenance of an important food item of local importance.

A educação é uma importante ferramenta para entender as causas e as consequências sobre a inserção de espécies exóticas em ambientes naturais, bem como os problemas que esta ação causa ao meio ambiente e a sociedade. Este artigo busca desenvolver um diálogo com os leitores sobre a inserção de animais exóticos e os perigos para a saúde e os ecossistemas, sugerindo uma proposta de alfabetização ecológica com o tema dos animais exóticos. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram alunos do 4° e 5° ano de Ensino Fundamental de uma escola da zona centro sul da cidade de Manaus, Amazonas. A mudança de postura frente à problemática dos organismos invasores e o reconhecimento de nossas ações cotidianas enquanto educadores e contribuintes na formação de sujeitos críticos e reflexivos resultam no constructo dos primeiros alicerces de uma Alfabetização Ecológica.Palavras-chave: Caramujo africano, Achatina fulica, espécies exóticas, alfabetização ecológica, Amazônia.