Campinarana e índios baniwa: influências ambientais e culturais sobre a comunidade de vertebrados terrestres no alto Rio Negro, AM

Abstract

In spite of the great diversity of higher-taxa animals found in the Amazonian forest, few studies have tried to characterize the structure of vertebrate communities in the region, and the peculiarities related to different Amazonian physionomies. In this study I analised, using four different methods, the structure of terrestrial vertebrate community found in Amazonian white sand vegetation environment, focusing on the species richness, abundance and density. Information on different species could be obtained by surveying the area and registering direct observations (sights and sounds), animal tracks on sand parcels and animal burrows. Information about other species found in that region could also be obtained by interviewing Baniwa Indians, inhabitants of the area studied. Results show the Upper Rio Negro white sand vegetation as an ecossistem with a very similar vertebrate community when compared to lowland terra firme forest environments, in terms of species richness. On the other hand, most animal populations censed here presented lower values of abundance when compared to other sites in Amazonia, propably influenced by the low productivity of this environment. Here I present the use of wildlife and subsistence hunting among Baniwa Indians, from the Upper Rio Negro River, Amazonia. Just like other studies carried out in different neotropical rainforest sites, Baniwa Indians use a wide array of species for protein consumption and cultural purposes. Different hunting technologies are being employed by this group, resulting in different prey compositions. Despite the short-term study, the game composition and yield obtained indicate a low amount of preys killed and bushmeat obtained by Baniwa Indians, compared to other Indian groups, suggesting the low preference of hunting acitivity to supply the daily protein requirements compared to fishing activity. This behaviour is probably influenced by the low abundance of important game species in the area, although not indicating nutritional resources depletion, noted by the despise for consumption of lesser bodied animals and the presence of taboo areas. Different studies have already demonstrated the influence of subsistence hunting activities affecting the terrestrial vertebrate community structure. But, despite the amount of studies on this subject, it is still difficult to measure the levels of impact caused by this kind of activity. Here I examine the effects of human population size on game species community, known to be one of the greatest concerns in conservation issues, as it increases hunting impact and other deleterious activities on the environment. The species richness was not significantly affected by the cultural and environmental variables measured. The community composition showed a stronger relation to geographic variation, than any other variable measured. Species abundance, on the other hand, tended to vary with human population size. Results indicate that, although environmental factors can affect wildlife composition, even a slight increase of human population is sufficient to cause considerable changes in the game species community.