Priority areas and integrated actions for the conservation of Amazonian turtle populations historically over-exploited by humans

• Autores: Gamba, Fábio Brega; Falcon, Guth Berger; Simoncini, Melina Soledad; Machado Balestra, Rafael Antônio; Malvásio, Adriana
• Año de publicación: 2022
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: AMAZON; CHELONIANS; CONSERVATION PRIORITY; GAME SPECIES; THREATENED SPECIES; WILD MEAT
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

The definition of priority areas for conservation and integrated management actions are essential for the effective maintenance and recovery of natural populations, especially for species overexploited by humans. Amazonian chelonians are a food resource historically used by people, resulting in the decline of species populations and worsening the risk of local extinctions. In this paper, we establish priority areas and define integrated conservation actions for populations of three Amazonian chelonians most threatened by human consumption in Brazil (Podocnemis expansa, P. unifilis and P. sextuberculata). To do so, we used 15 prioritization criteria (ecological, logistical and socioeconomic) estimated with 30 years monitoring data in 15 areas by the Amazon Chelonian Program (in portugues Projeto Quelonios da Amazonia, PQA). Each criterion presented four levels of priority with scores increasing according to the relevance for conservation of chelonian populations. The sum of the scores obtained in each area of the PQA allowed a ranking and four categories of importance for conservation to be defined. We also analyzed the similarity of scores among areas of the PQA and among the prioritization criteria to evaluate the application of integrated conservation action strategies. The areas of PQA were classified as Extremely Important for Conservation (Rebio Trombetas River, Middle Xingu River, Middle Araguaia River, Upper Guaporé River), Very Highly Important for Conservation (Middle Purus River, Middle Juruá River, Crixás-Açu River Mouth, Sub-middle Tapajós River); Highly Important for Conservation (Sub-Middle Araguaia River, Amazonas River Mouth, Middle Mortes River); and Important for Conservation (Middle Guaporé River, Lower Branco River, Flechal River, Afuá River). The prioritization and similarity analyses can support the development of a national integrated plan of conservation actions to reduce the overexploitation of Amazon chelonian populations, according to the ecological, logistical and socioeconomic needs of each PQA area.
Fil: Gamba, Fábio Brega. Universidade de Tocantins; Brasil
Fil: Falcon, Guth Berger. Integrated Actions For Species Conservation Coordination; Brasil
Fil: Simoncini, Melina Soledad. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Machado Balestra, Rafael Antônio. National Center For Research And Conservation Of Reptiles And Amphibians; Brasil
Fil: Malvásio, Adriana. Universidade de Tocantins; Brasil