Page 58 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

FARMERS BEAR CROP-RAIDER # 1
RED BROCKET DEER
RED BROCKET DEER
Widely found in the
COST OF LIVING rainforests of South
America, little is
known about this
IN THE AMAZON species’overall
population.The IUCN
says it is overhunted
in some areas, but
probably occurs at
Crop-raiding wildlife takes 7 per be the case in the communities of “natural densities”
in others.
cent of manioc harvest every Juruá, in the Brazilian Amazon –
year, new research finds. these animals were not generally CROP-RAIDER # 2 Crop ra ders: Un vers ty of EastAng a; w ndfarm: G oba Warm ng Images/REX/Shutterstock; frack ng: Robert N cke sberg/Getty
threatening people’s lives.” AGOUTI
AGOUTI
Researchers have identified the Nevertheless, Abrahams Largely confined
wildlife species that are most believes the international to the north-west
responsible for feeding on community should recognise Amazon Basin, the
crops grown by farmers in the the impact crop-raiding has agouti is presumed
to be widespread
Amazon Basin. on people’s lives. and numerous. Even
The biggest so-called crop- “Conservationists talk a lot where hunting takes
raiders are red brocket deer, about the ecosystem services place, the species
collared peccaries, pacas and black [such as carbon storage] still persists close to
agoutis (these last two are both provided by tropical rainforests,” villages. Classified as
of Least Concern.
medium-sized rodents), and they he says. “But as well as these
are taking, it’s estimated, about services, there are certain costs CROP-RAIDER # 3
eight per cent of the total manioc too, and many of these costs COLLARED
COLLARED
yield – an edible, starchy root that’s accrue locally.” PECCARY
the main agricultural commodity In some cases, farmers Ranges from the
of the region – every year. protect crops either by setting southern USA to
Argentina, and
Farmers told academics, led traps for, or actively hunting, found in a variety
by Dr Mark Abrahams from the the wildlife that feeds on them. of habitats from
University of East Anglia, that Conservationists could help rainforests to deserts.
losses would be 10 times higher support the implementation of Not endangered, but
if they didn’t employ a mixture sustainable game management overhunting for its
meat can be a threat
of lethal and non-lethal ways of practices. in some regions.
protecting their fields. “Vulnerable species such as
Despite this, Abrahams says spider monkeys, which do not NON CROP-RAIDER
there is no sense among the damage livelihoods, could be BRAZILIAN TAPIR
BRAZILIAN TAPIR
communities they spoke to protected from hunting, while Tapirs enter fields but
that this human-wildlife conflict common and damaging crop- are no threat to crops.
situation was creating a culture raiders such as agoutis could be The researchers say
this may be because
of despair. hunted for subsistence,” he adds. they are depleted
“Human-wildlife interactions James Fair by hunting or feel
can be bitter,” he adds. “Species threatened by it.
of high conservation concern, + FIND OUT MORE Hunting for their
meat is one factor in
including African elephants, can Projeto Médio Juruá www. the species’ decline,
endanger lives and may be killed projetomediojurua.org the IUCN warns.
by farmers. This does not seem to briefing
Shark: Chr s & Mon que Fa ows/NPL; PM: FrankAugste n/AP/REX/Shutterstock; Adelie: Alex Huizinga/Nature n Stock/FLPA Consumption of shark-fin soup IN TEARING UP THHE

CONSERVATION

THE ANSWERR
STILL ON THE MENU
`
DOES NOT LIIE
in China is no longer the greatest
threat to sharks, according to
the group WildAid. It says while
GREEN BELT.”
demand for it has dropped, byy
as much as 80 per cent, in
countries such as Indonesia,
y
resolve the “housing crisis” by increasing
housing density in cities and building on
increasing.
brownfield sites, not in protected rural areas.
58 Thailand and Vietnam it’s Prime Minister Theresa May promises to a Spring 2018
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