Economic Incentives for Management of Venezuelan Caiman

Abstract

In Venezuela, the harvest of spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) has generated significant economic benefits for citizens and the government wildlife department. Between 1983 and 1995 more than 1 million caiman were harvested, with an export value in excess of $US 115 million. Although limited survey data restrict quantitative comparisons, most indications suggest that the harvest has been within sustainable limits. Hunting is conducted on private lands in the central Venezuelan plains where caiman populations benefit from cattle ranching management activities, particularly the construction of dry‐season water holes. For ranchers, caiman hunting produces a high return on investment, but the overall earnings are small when compared to those produced by cattle. Caiman are mostly a quick and easy source of income that complements cattle ranching, and there is little incentive to actively manage caiman populations. The only evidence that the income from caiman harvests generates economic incentives to protect caiman populations is that landowners sold the skins of caiman illegally hunted in other areas, so as not to reduce their own caiman populations and possibly diminish future hunting quotas. There is no evidence that caiman harvesting generates economic incentives to protect natural habitat, because caiman benefit from human alteration of savanna habitats associated with the much more economically important cattle ranching activities. Recent changes in how hunting quotas are assigned have reduced economic incentives for landowners to protect caiman populations, but the changes have made the quota‐setting procedure simpler. One of the greatest conservation benefits of the program has been its ability to generate operating funds for the traditionally cash‐strapped government wildlife agency through a variety of taxes and user fees. Due to a recent government restructuring, however, program proceeds will now go to the central treasury and will no longer benefit wildlife management programs.

A exploração da fauna silvestre no Brasil: Jacarés, sistemas e recursos humanos

“…A partir daí, a espécie vem-se recuperando, mesmo com cotas crescentes de extração. Os monitoramentos anuais são coordenados por equipes bem treinadas, as propriedades rurais geram renda através da exploração econômica da espécie e mantém o ecossistema dos lhanos sem alterações profundas, o que congrega de maneira significativa um alto valor conservacionista a uma adequada relação custo-benefício do ponto de vista econômico (Thorbjarnarson & Velasco 1999).…”

“…Neles, uma maior flexibilização permite que algumas espécies mais abundantes e produtivas sejam exploradas de forma extensiva, a baixo custo, gerando renda localmente e assim propiciando a conservação de sua biodiversidade através da valoração de seus ambientes naturais (Joanen e McNease 1987, Thorbjarnarson & Velasco 1999. O caráter legal dessa exploração torna possível seu monitoramento, propiciando eventuais correções de rumo e dosagem do manejo.…”

Science and conservation of Amazonian crocodilians: a historical review

“…Other management initiatives, such as captive‐breeding farms in Colombia (Velasco, 2008; Webb, Brien, Manolis, & Medrano‐Bitar, 2012) are focused on C. c. fuscus , a sub‐species not occurring in the Amazon basin. In Venezuela, all successful harvesting activities carried out between 1990 and 2015 were conducted on C. crocodilus populations from the Orinoco river basin (Thorbjarnarson & Velasco, 1999; Velasco, 2008). Despite the wide extent of the Amazon basin and the occurrence of high‐density caiman populations, we are not aware of any further management initiatives currently being undertaken.…”

“…Management programmes based entirely on the sale of wildlife skins have shown their limitations related to the instability of luxury markets (Thorbjarnarson, 1999). Thus, possibilities to diversify into meat production should be examined, adding value particularly in local markets where harvesting is taking place, as is the case in Venezuela (Thorbjarnarson & Velasco, 1999). In Louisiana, for example, the sale of alligator meat and skins reached 25 million USD per year in the early 1990s (Joanen, McNease, Elsey, & Staton, 1997).…”

Catálogo de los peces de la cuenca Iténez (Bolivia y Brasil)

“…En Bolivia, el año 1997 se promulgó el Reglamento para la Conservación y Aprovechamiento del Lagarto (C. yacare ), que dio paso al denominado "Programa Nacional de Lagarto" (PNCASL) que se desarrolla hasta la fecha, y el cual permite anualmente la exportación legal de 30 000 a 45 000 pieles obtenidas de individuos de vida silvestre. El programa adoptó como modelo el programa de aprovechamiento venezolano de Caiman crocodilus (King & Godshalk, 1997;Thorbjarnarson & Velasco, 1999). El modelo biológico para el manejo de la especie en Venezuela se basa en el dimorfismo sexual que presenta la especie y permite establecer los límites de tamaño mínimo de los animales a ser aprovechados.…”