Changing taste preferences, market demands and traditions in Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua: A community reliant on green turtles for income and nutrition

Garland, Kathryn A; Carthy, Raymond R.

doi:10.4103/0972-4923.62675

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…We use the demand for sea turtle meat and eggs in the island of São Tomé, Gulf of Guinea, West Africa, as a case study. Sea turtles are a biological group which has been the target of documented unsustainable exploitation for decades (Frazier, 1980;Garland & Carthy, 2010), and for which limited consumer research is available (but see, e.g., Garland & Carthy, 2010;Nuno et al, 2018) despite the fact that this group is often targeted by demand reduction interventions (Veríssimo & Wan, 2019).…”

Section: Beyond Terrestrial Wildmeatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Audience research as a cornerstone of demand management interventions for illegal wildlife products: Demarketing sea turtle meat and eggs

Veríssimo

Vieira

Monteiro

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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The unsustainable wildmeat trade has been long recognized as a threat to wildlife. Yet, its impact on marine species has been underresearched. Sea turtles have been historically threatened by unsustainable trade, but there are few studies of consumer profile, motivations, and preferences. We conducted a survey in São Tomé Island, Gulf of Guinea, West Africa, including eight rural communities (n = 1,160) and the capital city of São Tomé (n = 628). We estimated prevalence of consumption, preference and availability of sea turtle meat and eggs. About 25% of rural and 32% of urban respondents had consumed meat in the past year. Around 25% of rural respondents were egg consumers, whereas little consumption was found in urban areas. Social norms were a predictor of consumption of sea turtle meat and eggs in rural communities but not in São Tomé city. Regarding influencers, teachers and religious leaders were the most trusted sources in rural communities, while teachers and NGOs were most trusted in São Tomé city. Radio and television were the most trusted channels in rural communities, while urban dwellers trusted radio the most. This research showcases how a structured approach to audience research can obtain behavioral insights that can guide behavior change efforts.

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Section: Beyond Terrestrial Wildmeatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Audience research as a cornerstone of demand management interventions for illegal wildlife products: Demarketing sea turtle meat and eggs

Veríssimo

Vieira

Monteiro

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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show abstract

“…Greater competition in farming and more market opportunities in fishing, particularly in communities nearer the new road, may be spurring the commercialization of other marine resources. [ 48 ], for example, report increased commodification of the green turtle ( Chelonia mydas ) fishery beyond its traditional, cultural importance. Since the completion of the new road, green turtles are being trucked inland to Mestizo communities with no historical custom of consuming turtle meat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coastal livelihood transitions under globalization with implications for trans-ecosystem interactions

et al. 2017

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Anthropogenic threats to natural systems can be exacerbated due to connectivity between marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, complicating the already daunting task of governance across the land-sea interface. Globalization, including new access to markets, can change social-ecological, land-sea linkages via livelihood responses and adaptations by local people. As a first step in understanding these trans-ecosystem effects, we examined exit and entry decisions of artisanal fishers and smallholder farmers on the rapidly globalizing Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. We found that exit and entry decisions demonstrated clear temporal and spatial patterns and that these decisions differed by livelihood. In addition to household characteristics, livelihood exit and entry decisions were strongly affected by new access to regional and global markets. The natural resource implications of these livelihood decisions are potentially profound as they provide novel linkages and spatially-explicit feedbacks between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Our findings support the need for more scientific inquiry in understanding trans-ecosystem tradeoffs due to linked-livelihood transitions as well as the need for a trans-ecosystem approach to natural resource management and development policy in rapidly changing coastal regions.

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“…Human exploitation of sea turtles has occurred at unsustainable rates (Garland and Carthy 2010), leading to significant population declines and six of the seven species "threatened with extinction" (IUCN 2020). In many parts of the world, sustained conservation efforts, fishery management, and regulatory measures have recently resulted in the gradual stabilization and increase in sea turtle subpopulations (Godley et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their eggs are used as food, traditional medicine, and traded commodities (Delgado andNichols 2005, Sardeshpande andMacMillan 2019). With increased demand from the wildlife trade industry, traditional harvesting of turtle eggs for subsistence has largely evolved into income-driven commercial exploitation in many parts of the world (Mancini and Koch 2009, Garland and Carthy 2010, Mohd Jani et al 2020. More recently, sea turtles are recognized for their non-consumptive values as flagship species for conservation and symbols for commercial purposes such as tourism (Waylen et al 2009, Godley et al 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing trends and perceptions of sea turtle egg consumption in Redang Island, Malaysia

Poti¹,

Long²,

Rusli³

et al. 2021

E&S

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Sea turtles have been exploited at unsustainable rates globally. In Malaysia, their populations have faced serious declines because of diverse anthropogenic stressors including turtle egg consumption. Redang Island, off the northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is an important rookery for green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Southeast Asia. The local community has depended on turtle eggs as a food and livelihood source for decades. Owing to the precipitous decline in sea turtles, the main nesting beaches became legally protected in 2007. Some turtle egg consumption continues despite the protection measures and long-term awareness raising. In our study, we assess the prevalence, motivations, demographic factors, and perceptions influencing turtle egg consumption and conservation. Through semi-structured interviews, we surveyed 73 respondents in Redang village. The interviews show that turtle egg consumption has decreased since the initiation of protection measures, making the eggs expensive and difficult to access. Using binary logistic regression, we found that the respondents' education level and occupation were significant predictors. Education level was negatively correlated with age. People with higher levels of education (younger people) were less likely to eat turtle eggs, possibly on account of changing cultural beliefs and taste preferences, as well as increasing awareness. Those working in the tourism industry were less likely to consume eggs. The growth in tourism has served as an alternative to livelihoods that were dependent on the consumptive use of natural resources such as fishing and turtle egg collection. Further, tourism has catalyzed a shift from consumptive to nonconsumptive uses of sea turtles. Many locals perceived the protection of beaches as important, without which they claimed that turtle populations would go extinct. This research shows that addressing sea turtle conservation requires a multi-targeted approach of regulating sea turtle egg collection, providing economic alternatives such as tourism and long-term awareness raising.

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Changing taste preferences, market demands and traditions in Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua: A community reliant on green turtles for income and nutrition

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Audience research as a cornerstone of demand management interventions for illegal wildlife products: Demarketing sea turtle meat and eggs

Audience research as a cornerstone of demand management interventions for illegal wildlife products: Demarketing sea turtle meat and eggs

Coastal livelihood transitions under globalization with implications for trans-ecosystem interactions

Changing trends and perceptions of sea turtle egg consumption in Redang Island, Malaysia

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