IK Monitor Research (8-3)

Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, November 2000

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Research, projects

Conservation issues and the hunting practices of the Guaymí in Southern Costa Rica
The Guaymí people, called Ngöbe in their own language, are one of the nine tribes living in Costa Rica (Central America) who still preserve their traditional culture. The Guaymí live mainly from hunting. Fabricio Carbonell, currently on the staff of the NGO Meralvis (see below), conducted a study among them in 1998 to determine the relationship between their hunting practices and the size of wildlife populations, particularly of threatened and endangered species. Carbonell's study resulted in a master's thesis. The research was supported by several organizations, among them the World Wildlife Fund and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

The English title of the study is 'Fauna use and conservation in an indigenous Ngöbe (Guaymí) community in Punta Burica and its relation with conservation in Costa Rica'#1. Carbonell described and analyzed the hunting practices in order to determine the rate at which the indigenous people were harvesting animals. He then determined the size of the wildlife populations. The question he sought to answer was: How can sound plans for managing neotropical wildlife be designed that meet the requirements both of the government and the local communities?

Fieldwork was conducted for seven months between late 1997 and mid-1998. A total of 133 interviews were conducted with 19 hunters and their families (55% of the local population). At the same time, assessments of the wildlife populations were made on the basis of tracks and sightings. Over the seven months, the Guaymíes, who hunt with rifles, were found to have shot 191 animals (851 kg). This game was used mainly for consumption (81%), but some cases (10%) were a matter of pest control. The species hunted most frequently were the paca (Agouti paca) and the coati (Nasua narica). But in terms of weight, three species accounted for most of the harvest: the paca, the collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). The tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) and the cappucin monkey (Cebus capucinus) were the main species shot as pests.

The Guaymíes generally prefer to hunt in primary forests and forests alongside rivers and streams. The exact areas depend on the time of year. Carbonell found that there seemed to be a trend towards hunting farther and farther away from the areas of forest inhabited by humans. There red brocket deer (Mazama americana) and other larger species can be found in greater numbers. In inhabited areas, where the people used to hunt, harvest rates had put pressure on such species as the paca and the iguana (Iguana iguana).

The study is concluded with several recommendations for wildlife management in the area where the Guaymíes live. In any case the indigenous groups and community-based organizations should be involved in a dialogue with the government agents. And their harvest rates need to be watched. Even when the rates seem to be low, it is important to consider them alongside other factors, such as habitat fragmentation and the local status of the species in question. Tapirs (Tapirus bairdii), white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) and jaguars (Panthera onca) have become extinct in the area because of habitat fragmentation and overexploitation. If the same is not to happen to green turtles, cappucin monkeys, and red-faced monkeys (Ateles geofroyi), steps will have to be taken quickly to conserve and manage the present populations.

The results of this study were presented to key persons in the local community, and a dialogue was established for the purpose of partipatory education. One result has been the publication in two languages of a colouring book which has been distributed in all the elementary schools and to all the community development groups in the region. It is called 'Jaguars will come back' (Kruá rugaydä-ghuóre in Ngöbe, and El regreso del tigre in Spanish). There are no more copies left, but possibilities are being sought for reprinting the colouring book.

Meralvis (Improving Regional Rural Development through Wildlife Conservation) is a recently established virtual organization promoting rural regional development in Latin America through wildlife conservation see 'Networks').

For more information, please contact: Meralvis, P.O. Box 1854-3000, Heredia, Costa Rica.
E-mail: maralvis@yahoo.com.

1 Carbonell, F. (1998) Uso y abundancia de fauna en una comunidad indígena Ngöbe (Guaymí) en Punta Burica y su relación con la conservación en Costa Rica. Masters thesis in Wildlife and Conservation Management. Regional Wildlife Management Program for Mesoamerica and the Caribbean, National University, Heredia, Costa Rica. 106 pp.