Hunters and hunting across indigenous and colonist communities at the forest-agriculture interface: an ethnozoological study from the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

BackgroundWildlife has been traditionally used by forest communities as a source of protein, and the Peruvian Amazon is no exception. The articulation of colonist and indigenous communities to urban centers and markets results in changes in livelihood strategies and impacts on wildlife populations. To address the threat of overhunting and forest conversion, we provide a generalized characterization of colonist and indigenous communities and their hunting activities near Pucallpa, Ucayali, Peru.MethodsA semi-structured household survey was conducted to characterize hunters and describe their prey collections. The data were analyzed by conducting a Kruskal-Wallis test, a multiple regression analysis, and by estimating the harvest rate (H).ResultsLess wealthy households were more actively engaged in hunting for food security and as a livelihood strategy. Additionally, older hunters were associated with higher hunting rates. Although the percentage of hunters was relatively low, estimated hunting rates suggest overharvesting of wildlife. Lowland pacas (Cuniculus paca) were the most frequently hunted prey, followed by red brocket deer (Mazama americana) and primates. While hunting intensity was not significantly different between indigenous and colonist communities, hunting rate disparities suggest there are different types of hunters (specialized vs. opportunistic) and that prey composition differs between communities.ConclusionClose monitoring of wildlife populations and hunting activities is ideal for more accurately determining the impact of hunting on wildlife population and in turn on forest health. In lack of this type of information, this study provides insight of hunting as a shifting livelihood strategy in a rapidly changing environment at the forest/agriculture frontier.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13002-018-0247-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Changes in food access by mestizo communities associated with deforestation and agrobiodiversity loss in Ucayali, Peruvian Amazon

“…In terms of population size, these communities are similar to those in the districts to which they belong. Other recent studies in the Ucayali department, using larger samples to characterise farming households and their practices (Bennett et al 2018;Francesconi et al 2018; Glinskis and Gutiérrez-Vélez 2019), present similar findings concerning the demographic and productive features of the households. This reinforces the validity of our data, which, despite the small sample, provide an adequate characterisation of the main livelihood strategies and land uses of non-indigenous households in Ucayali.…”

“…Mestizo families sometimes gather wild food plants from agricultural fields, home gardens, and secondary forests (Cruz-Garcia and Vael 2017). In addition, hunting is one of the livelihood strategies in the region, but the small number of animals harvested claimed by most hunters suggest hunting is an irregular and opportunistic approach (Francesconi et al 2018).…”

Use of game fauna by Fulni-ô people in Northeastern Brazil: implications for conservation

“…Fita et al [44] point out that the decrease in hunting activity may be a result of the increase of alternative productions of consumption and income generation. This possibility of external alternatives is similarly highlighted in the study by Francesconi et al [42], mainly among younger hunters who migrate more frequently to urban areas. This migration or the urbanization processes that local/traditional communities are subjected to, despite contributing to the well-being and providing opportunities for education and access to health, is pointed out by the authors as a factor that favors habitat fragmentation in their territories, which diminishes traditional sources of subsistence [45].…”

“…This recent increase in wildlife utilization by the Fulni-ô caused by strong drought regimes, which consequently affects fishing activity in the region, can also be interpreted as a temporal reflection that may or may not change over time, depending on the availability of other natural resources. This characteristic change in the ways of obtaining natural resources was pointed out by Francesconi et al [42], who argued based on their findings that hunting intensity may reflect a specific context of these communities in space and time or a cultural fusion of subsistence activities. Similarly, McNamana et al [43] reinforce the idea that preference for game meat may not be fixed, varying according to the circumstances experienced by such hunters.…”

“…In addition, the defaunation that has been occurring in the semi-arid region may also be a factor for this transfer for the use of other species [17,41]. This targeting of small species may indeed be a reflection of the decline of preferred species in the vicinity of human settlements, inducing hunters to search for animals other than their primary choices [17,42].…”