Trends in Urban Wild Meat Trade of Chelonians (Turtles and Tortoises) in the Peruvian Amazon
Mayor Aparicio, Pedro Ginés (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Bodmer, Richard E (University of Kent. Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology)
Moya, Kelly (Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana)
Solis, Samantha (Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana)
Kirkland, Maire (British Trust for Ornithology (Regne Unit))
Perez-Peña, Pedro (Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana)
Fang, Tula (Comunidad de Manejo de Fauna Silvestre en la Amazonía y en Latinoamérica)
Orta-Martínez, Martí (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals)

Data:	2024
Resum:	Turtles provide the rural and urban populations of tropical forests with food and income. We studied one of the largest urban wild meat markets in the Amazon between 2006 and 2018. Turtle meat was the most expensive animal protein, being 50% more costly than the most common fish, Prochilodus nigricans, and 48% more costly than poultry meat. Most of the turtle meat was from Chelonoidis denticulatus (86. 3%) and Podocnemis unifilis (13. 6%). Eggs from P. unifilis and P. expansa were also sold. Culturally, chelonians are important sources of nutrition and income for rural and urban people in tropical rainforests, but urban trade can cause declines in wild populations. This study analyses the urban chelonian trade and its trends to better understand the impact on free-living populations in the Northern Peruvian Amazon. We studied the urban trade of wild chelonians by conducting 526 days of participant observation and structured questionnaires with the main chelonian vendors in the wet markets of Iquitos between 2006 and 2018. The trade of chelonians decreased by -161. 6%, from 22,694 individuals in 2006/07 to 8657 individuals in 2017/18. Chelonoidis denticulatus was the species sold the most (86. 3%), followed by Podocnemis unifilis (13. 6%). Podocnemis expansa was only sold in 2006/07. River turtle sales increased in the dry season, while sales of Chelonoidis denticulatus decreased. Turtles were the most expensive meat sold in urban markets: 49. 7% more expensive than the most frequently consumed fish, Prochilodus nigricans, and 48. 4% more expensive than poultry. Turtles represented only 0. 19% (SD 0. 23) of the index of domestic meat and fish consumption per capita. River turtle eggs are sold by a different set of vendors, and in 2017/18, 570,229 eggs were traded in the market of Belén in Iquitos, equivalent to an approximate lay of 10,418 P. unifilis and 1178 P. expansa females. The high magnitude of the trade of river turtle eggs together with the reduction in their meat trade suggests a prioritization of egg sales, which should improve the conservation of adults, since meat sales can be detrimental to chelonian populations.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Tortoises ; River turtles ; Podocnemis ; Chelonoidis ; Eggs ; Wild meat ; Urban markets
Publicat a:	Animals, Vol. 14 (november 2024) , ISSN 2076-2615

DOI: 10.3390/ani14223205
PMID: 39595258

16 p, 3.1 MB

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