Traditional Knowledge on the use of Turtles in a Protected Area of the Amazon in Maranhão (Brazil): A Conservation Proposal

Abstract

The use of turtles for food or breeding is a traditional practice in the Baixada Maranhense Environmental Protection Area (EPA), which is composed of wetlands of high conservation value. However, species such as Kinosternon scorpioides, a semi-aquatic Amazon turtle , are threatened by direct harvesting and habitat loss. Local knowledge of biodiversity has been used to understand these practices and to control these problems as a theoretical basis in research on the use and management of natural resources and conservation. This work aimed to analyze the traditional knowledge of riverside communities on the biology, habitat, capture methods, forms of use, and conservation of turtles in the Baixada Maranhense. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with inhabitants of riverside communities. Based on our results, turtle species are commonly caught in fishing activities (54.71 percent of the interviewees) or by burning (32.35 percent), a practice with great environmental impacts. 41.77 percent of respondents capture these animals for consumption and prefer the K scorpioides, which also has cultural and medicinal importance for the riverside communities. 89 percent of the interviewees report no knowledge of either the structure and function of an EPA or how resource management works, compromising the sustainability principles and operation of this Conservation Unit (C.U.). It is concluded that capture of turtles is one of the reasons for the decrease in natural stocks of K scorpioides. Strategies for management and conservation of the Baixada Maranhense EPA resources are proposed.

Conservation units alone are insufficient to protect Brazilian Amazonian chelonians

“…We observed that the largest distribution areas of chelonians were within Indigenous Lands (more than 40% of occurrence points). Indigenous peoples rely on chelonians as a significant food source, consuming adults, juveniles, and their eggs, with the latter being the most consumed item 12 . Aquatic species such as Podocnemis expansa (Tartaruga-da-Amazônia) and Podocnemis unifilis (Tracajá) are the most consumed due to their higher abundance, broader distribution, and larger body size.…”

“…Turtles play a very important socio-economic role in the Amazon region. Indigenous people and riverine communities have been fishing and trading these animals for generations 12 . Among the consumed species, the Amazonian turtles most traded and used for consumption belong to the genus Podocnemis 13 .…”

Traditional harvesting practices employed for freshwater turtles by the indigenous communities along Shilabati River, West Bengal, India

“…Our findings also confirmed this contention as 92% of the respondents were either illiterate or had undergone only school education. Education is widely recognized as one of the foremost factors for knowledge acquisition and learning, exerting a profound impact on individual's perspectives towards environmental conservation and the responsible use of resources (Medeiros et al 2023). It plays a pivotal role in enhancing employment prospects and alternative livelihood strategies, ultimately reducing the direct reliance on natural resources (Kideghesho et al 2007).…”