Abstract
Law enforcement is widely regarded as a cornerstone to effective natural resource management. Practical guidelines for the optimal use of enforcement measures are lacking particularly in areas protected under sustainable and/or mixed use management regimes and where legal institution are weak. Focusing on the yellow-spotted river turtles (Podocnemis unifilis) along 33 km of river that runs between two sustainable–use reserves in the Brazilian Amazon as an illustrative example, we show that two years of patrols to enforce lawful protection regulations had no effect on nest harvesting. In contrast, during one year when community-based management approaches were enacted harvest levels dropped nearly threefold to a rate (26%) that is likely sufficient for river turtle population recovery. Our findings support previous studies that show how community participation, if appropriately implemented, can facilitate effective natural resource management where law enforcement is limited or ineffective.
Highlights
Law enforcement can be an important tool for biodiversity conservation (Hilborn et al, 2006; Keane et al, 2008)
Harvest rates were high in enforcement years, whereas the lowest harvest level occurred when no enforcement patrols occurred along the river (42% and 26% harvest of areas and nests respectively, Table 1, Fig. 2)
The nest harvest rate declined during years of law enforcement compared to the 2011 reference level (Table 1, Fig. 2); nest harvest levels in one enforcement year (2015) did differ compared with 2011 (2-sample test for equality of proportions, P = 0.02508), the continually high harvest rates (55% and 67%, 2015 and 2016 respectively, Fig. 2) imply this statistical difference was of little biological relevance
Summary
Law enforcement can be an important tool for biodiversity conservation (Hilborn et al, 2006; Keane et al, 2008). How to cite this article Norris et al (2018), Community involvement works where enforcement fails: conservation success through community-based management of Amazon river turtle nests. The commercialization of farmed Podocnemis unifilis products including meat, eggs and hatchlings is legally (under certain circumstances) and technically possible but these actions are regulated by a complex and ambiguous suit of Brazilian Federal and State laws. The management approaches aimed at conserving the species along the rivers bordering the protected areas have varied over the last decade. Few alternative sources of revenue exist for the local riverine populations in the area as other widely commercialized species such as the Giant South American Turtle (Podocnemis expansa) and the arapaima (Arapaima gigas) are not present. Surrounded by sustainable-use protected areas the continued survival of the traditional riverine communities is further complicated by mercury contamination of fish stocks (Venturieri et al, 2017) and hydroelectric expansion (Norris, Michalski & Gibbs, 2018) that degrade the natural resources upon which they depend
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