ETNOECOLOGIA E OCORRÊNCIA DO PEIXE-BOI DA AMAZÔNIA (TRICHECHUS INUNGUIS NATTERER, 1883) NO RIO JURUÁ

Abstract

The Amazon basin is the most biodiverse in the world, hosting a wide variety of ways of life within its territory, composing sociobiodiversity. Some species that are part of the sociobiodiversity require special attention, as their presence in the territory can be of great importance to the communities living there. In this study, we seek to understand the ethnoecological aspects and occupation of the Amazonian Manatee in a stretch of the Juruá River, Amazonas, Brazil. The species is endemic to the Amazon basin and is a component of the diet of the peoples living along the river. The historical population trend of the species has shown stability after a period of decline, both in protected and unprotected areas. The only significant environmental variable for the occupation of the Amazonian Manatee is food availability, suggesting that other variables such as hunting and proximity to communities and urban areas are not determining factors in the species' occurrence.