PARTICIPAÇÃO COMUNITÁRIA NA PRESERVAÇÃO DE PRAIAS PARA REPRODUÇÃO DE QUELÔNIOS NA RESERVA DE DESENVOLVIMENTO SUSTENTÁVEL MAMIRAUÁ, AMAZONAS, BRASIL

Abstract

At Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, river turtles are exploited by local traditional populations for decades. The nadequate use of this resource caused a striking decrease of the natural populations. Podocnemis expansa was the most affected species, followed by P. unifilis and P. sextuberculata. As a consequence, environmental authoryties introduced legal regulation, asm means to protect the most exploited species. At Mamirauá Reserve, the first step tow ards the participation of local population in the preservation of turtles was taken at the IV General Assembly of Mamirauá, where representatives of the nine sectors of villages that make Mamirauá Focal Area listed nesting beaches, and each sector selected at least one of them to be fully protected. In 1998 were recorded 272 nests at Horizonte beach: 261 of P. sextuberculata, 5 of P. unifilis and 6 of P. expansa; at Pirapucu beach 306 nests were recorded: 298 of P. sextuberculata and 8 of P. unifilis. Community participation can provide not only local political support, and lower costs for garding and enforcement of conservation rules, but also assures preservation of várzea biodiversity and maintenance of an important food item of local importance.