Conflicts between humans and crocodilians in urban areas across Brazil: a new approach to support management and conservation

Abstract

Crocodilian-human conflicts, caused especially by urban expansion and habitat destruction, have been considered one of the main threats to the conservation of these species worldwide. In Brazil, such conflicts have been documented with crocodilian species all over the country. This study identified 400 conflict events in on-line journalistic news between humans and caimans within Brazilian cities between 2016 and 2021. Caiman latirostris (57.3%) was the most common species found in large urban centers in the Northeastern and Southeastern regions. Most encounters in which the date was informed were registered in the wet season (64.5%), and the rescues were mainly carried out by the environmental military police and fire brigades. We outlined management protocols to be undertaken by environmental agencies during crocodilian rescues to minimize animal stress and risk of accidents. The increasingly common interaction between humans and caimans in urban environments is an important alert to envisage best conducts for the coexistence between people and caimans in Brazil and shows the need to invest in public policies to mitigate the negative effects of urbanization on wildlife.

Global conservation prioritization areas in three dimensions of crocodilian diversity

“…latirostris in South America, despite they have developed ability to colonize human-made habitats (e.g. small swamps in grasslands and secondary woodlands), is suffering continuous anthropogenic pressures in the Atlantic Forest 36 , 37 , one of the most threatened hotspots of the world 38 , 39 . Due to habitat loss, this species is increasingly isolated in small fragments, and many individuals that enter urban areas are exposed to various threats, such as hunting, climate change, invasive species, and pollution 37 , 40 .…”

Nondestructive Evaluation of Metal Bioaccumulation and Biochemical Biomarkers in Blood of Broad‐Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) from Northeastern Brasil

“…The organization identifies, evaluates the health of, rehabilitates, and reintroduces animals to proper habitats. It is common for C. latirostris to arrive at CETAS from rescue operations in urban areas within the state of Pernambuco, especially during the rainy season, from May to August (Mascarenhas‐Junior et al, 2021). Rescued animals were evaluated for their health, and blood samples were taken through a partnership between CETAS and the Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis.…”

“…The area is occupied by local communities and households that practice subsistence or commercial activities such as polyculture, livestock farming, sugar cane plantation, and flour factories (Aprile & Bouvy, 2008). Organic and inorganic pollutants are deposited in the reservoir from upstream cities along the course of the Tapacurá River (De Araújo & Nunes, 2003; Mascarenhas‐Junior et al, 2021). Within the highly urbanized metropolitan region of Pernambuco's capital, Recife, broad‐snouted caiman are also found and rescued by the state environmental agency (Mascarenhas‐Junior et al, 2021) from water bodies within the drainage basins of rivers polluted by domestic sewage and industrial activities (Pernambuco State Environmental Agency, 2019).…”

Assessing factors influencing students’ perceptions towards animal species conservation

“…The vertebrate group includes taxa that stand out for providing useful products to humans, as well as species that are targets of various conflicts ( Gore et al, 2006 ; Inskip & Zimmermann, 2009 ; Alves, 2012 ; Mascarenhas-Junior et al, 2021 ). The wide range of perceptions with a greater degree of aversion or greater degree of empathy of people regarding different vertebrate species influences human attitudes towards fauna ( Alves, 2012 ; Alves et al, 2010 ).…”