Know Your Monkey: Identifying Primate Conservation Challenges in an Indigenous Kichwa Community Using an Ethnoprimatological Approach

Abstract

Increasing pressure on tropical forests is continually highlighting the need to find new solutions that mitigate the impact of human populations on biodiversity. However, developing solutions that can tackle the drivers of anthropogenic pressure, or at least take them into account, hinges upon building a good understanding of the culture and perceptions of local people. This study aims to provide an overview of the ethnoprimatology of an indigenous Kichwa community in the Ecuadorian Amazon that maintains a traditional lifestyle but also has good access to markets. We examine whether primates are seen as a distinctive group and their relative importance as sources of bushmeat and as household pets. Pile-sorting exercises revealed that although locals generally group members of the order Primates together, tree-dwelling non-primates including sloths, coatis, kinkajous and tamanduas are also frequently classified as ‘monkeys'. The perceived importance of primates to the forest and the community lay more in their potential as bushmeat, and only 1 respondent identified an ecological role for the group in terms of seed dispersal. Gaining a better understanding of local perceptions will allow for better-informed conservation decisions that are more aware of potential impacts and are more likely to gain community support.

Local Ecological Knowledge about Endangered Primates in a Rural Community in Paraíba, Brazil

“…The capture and the use of primates as pets are still neglected in studies examining the reasons underlying the decline in Neotropical primates. Although this may not be as pressing an issue as bushmeat hunting, live captures could still be an important source of disturbance, influencing primate distribution and behaviour [Stafford et al, 2016].…”

“…Interactions between humans and primates are highly diverse, and they have been ongoing for a long time [Stafford et al, 2016]. Ethnoprimatology blends the perspectives of primatology and cultural anthropology [Sousa and Frazão-Moreira, 2010], and it incorporates the relationship between socio-economic and cultural contexts with respect to primate conservation [Fuentes and Hockings, 2010].…”

A pan-neotropical analysis of hunting preferences

“…Overlaid upon these parameters, however, will be cultural influences that can alter the value of species targeted. Woolly monkeys (Lagothrix), for example, offer good returns in terms of meat because of their large size, but have added prestige as centerpieces for festivals and weddings (Sirén 2012;Stafford et al 2016). Cultural taboos in neotropical indigenous groups, which may protect some species from hunting, are widespread but inconsistent.…”

Disappearing in the Night: An Overview on Trade and Legislation of Night Monkeys in South and Central America

“…2 ): A. miconax, A. nancymaae, and A. nigriceps in Peru [Shanee, 2012: Shanee et al, 2015b, A. zonalis in Panama [Altherr, 2007;Svensson, 2008] [Parathian and Maldonado, 2010], A. griseimembra in Venezuela [Lizarralde, 2002], A. azarae in Brazil [Altherr, 2007], and A. lemurinus and A. vociferans in Ecuador [Tirira, 2013;Stafford et al, 2016].…”