Game Harvest in the Most Populous Amazonian Sustainable-Use Protected Area
Insights from Community-Based Monitoring
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7514529 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yasmin Maria Sampaio dos Reis (0000-0001-7131-8487, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, corresponding author), Maíra Benchimol (0000-0002-1238-1619, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human Ecology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0300-7839 • E-ISSN: 1572-9915 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10745-026-00661-w |
| OpenAlex | W7134033575 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 69 |
Game harvest monitoring initiatives have become a key tool for evaluating the sustainability of hunting in tropical forests. We used a five-year community-based monitoring database from the Tapajós-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve in the Brazilian Amazon to examine hunting profiles across villages and assess how anthropogenic stressors and monitored years influence community composition (relative frequency and biomass) and hunting productivity, measured as catch per unit of effort (CPUE). We further assessed CPUE trends for all game species and the six most hunted species over the time series. Finally, we investigated the effect of sampling effort on CPUE for two threatened species: Tapirus terrestris and Tayassu pecari. A total of 5,760 hunting events by 391 families from 13 villages resulted in the harvest of 6,436 animals from 26 taxa, yielding 65,488 metric tons. Medium- to large-bodied mammals dominated the harvest, although hunting profiles varied among villages. Neither anthropogenic variables nor year significantly affected community composition or overall CPUE, which remained stable over time. However, species-specific analyses revealed that CPUE for T. terrestris increased with sampling effort, suggesting low detectability, potentially due to reduced abundance. In contrast, T. pecari CPUE was unaffected by effort, suggesting that behavioral factors or local depletion were at play. Our findings suggest that subsistence hunting is likely sustainable for common and resilient species but may threaten the persistence of large-bodied, vulnerable mammals. We recommend continuing and expanding community-based monitoring in Amazonian sustainable-use reserves and encourage the adoption of our protocol to support evidence-based management and safeguard both biodiversity and traditional livelihoods
Amazon rainforest · Amazonian · Biodiversity · Bushmeat · Catch per unit effort · Subsistence agriculture · Sustainability · Threatened species · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Species Distribution and Climate Change · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
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Socioeconomic Drivers of Hunting Efficiency and Use of Space By Traditional Amazonians
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |