Chacterization of hunting in rural communities in the river Valparaíso, Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil

Abstract

The use of hunting animals as a source of animal protein corresponds to the reality of many human groups in different tropical areas. Identifying the most consumed species, the techniques used and the relations of use is essential to understand the degree of threat to hunting species. From this perspective, this study aimed to characterize the hunting exercised in three rural communities located in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre. To obtain the data, hunting forms were applied with hunters and no hunters. As a result, 17 species were cited, distributed in 25 families, with mammals being the greatest taxonomic richness (n=11/61,11%), followed by birds (n=4/27,78%), and reptiles (n=2/11,11%). As for hunting techniques, hunting on a course (n=76/45,78%) was the most mentioned. In relation to the less hunted animals currently, Tapirus terrestris (tair), Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (capybara), and Chelonoidis spp. (tortoise). The results show a great dependence on the use of hunting animals as a food resource, and that due to the great hunting pressure, there is a need for measures to make it possible to reduce the consumption of these animals in the participating communities.