Diagnosing Wild Species Harvest

Diagnosing Wild Species Harvest Resource Use and Conservation

Salo Sirén Kalliola

Matti Salo

University of Turku, Department of Geography and Geology, Turku, Finland Diagnosing Wild Species Harvest adresses a multifaceted phenomenon that is simultaneously global and local, bridging gaps of scientific understanding that is often fragmented among different disciplines. The authors emphasize the interwoven nature of issues specific to the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural realms of wild species harvest. Wild species form important resources for people worldwide, and their harvest is a major driver of ecosystem change. Tropical forests regions, including Amazonia, are among those parts of the world where wild species are particularly important for people’s livelihoods and larger economies. This book draws on tangible experiences from Amazonia, presented in lively narratives intermingling scientific information with stories of the people engaged in harvest and management of wild species. These stories are linked to relevant theory of wild species harvest and to wider discussions on conservation, development, and the global quest of sustainability. The book presents the Diagnosing Wild Species Harvest Procedure as a universal approach that integrates seven thematic perspectives to harvest systems: resource dynamics, costs and benefits, management, governance, knowledge, spatiality, and legacies. When analyzed together, these themes help to build a holistic understanding of this globally important phenomenon. Scholars, professionals and students in various fields related to natural resources will find the book a valuable resource. The book also provides valuable information for anyone concerned about the state of Amazonian ecosystems in the past, today and tomorrow.

Key Features

• Includes research and report-style narratives describing a wide variety of concrete cases • Addresses wild species harvest from a holistic perspective, including ecological, economic and socio-cultural issues, not limiting the scope to a single type of resources

• Provides theoretical treatment of wild species harvest worldwide, with special emphasis in the most recent scientific understanding on the biodiversity of the Amazonian lowland region

• Presents an objective viewpoint, identifying problems the harvest may cause as well as addressing •

its potential to contribute both to biodiversity conservation and to local livelihoods and national economies Coherent, easily followed structure and abundant illustrations help the reader absorb central messages

I S B N 978-0-12-397204-0

9

780123 972040

Diagnosing Wild Species Harvest

Anders Sirén and Risto Kalliola

Resource Use and Conservation

University of Turku, Department of Biology, Turku, Finland


Matti Salo | Anders Sirén | Risto Kalliola


Matti Salo

Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

Anders Sirén

Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Risto Kalliola

Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO • SYDNEY • TOKYO Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier

Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier 32 Jamestown Road, London NW1 7BY, UK 225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02451, USA 525 B Street, Suite 1800, San Diego, CA 92101-4495, USA Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone (+44) (0) 1865 843830; fax (+44) (0) 1865 853333; email: [email protected]. Alternatively, visit the Science and Technology Books website at www.elsevierdirect.com/rights for further information. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN: 978-0-12-397204-0 For information on all Academic Press publications visit our website at elsevierdirect.com Typeset by TNQ Books and Journals www.tnq.co.in Printed and bound in United States of America 14 15 16 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Author Biographies xi Prefacexiii Acknowledgementsxv Acronymsxvii

Part I Focus on Wild Species Harvest 1.

All over the Earth, since the Dawn of Time A Vital Resource Base 3 Fuelling Economies, Feeding People 8 Why Care? 14

2.

A Conceptual Primer to Wild Species Harvest Harvest, Wild, and Species 19 From Biological Diversity to Biodiversity – from Science to Politics 21 Ecosystems and their Services 28 Transactions Connecting Nature and Society 30 Sustainability – The Capacity to Endure in Time 32

Part II Stories from the Forest Floor 3.

Millennia of Wild Species Harvest in Amazonia Genesis of the Amazon Basin 41 Early Human Occupation 47 The Conquest and the Colony 52 Dawn of Independence and National Integration 55 The Great Rubber Boom of Amazonia 57 Postrubber Wild Species Harvest 60 Smoke and New Winds over Amazonia 67

4.

On a Winding Trail towards Sustainable Hunting The Munditi Call 75 A Man ahead of His Time 76 Blowguns, Dogs, and Shotguns 78 Emerging Environmental Awareness 82 Debate and Inquiry 84 Taking Action 87 v

vi

Contents

5. Fishing in and Fishing out the Amazon A Bounty in the River 93 The Costs and Benefits of Life on Board 97 Conflicts and Competition 98 Diversity of Species and Techniques 102 A Migratory Resource under Increasing Pressure 105

6. River Turtles – They Have Come Back A Thatched-Roof Biological Station 111 Watching and Learning 114 The Start of the Recovery 116 Spreading the Word of Success 117

7. Palm Leaves, Sustainability, and Dignity Leaves for Good Roofs 125 Leaf Supply Running Out 128 From Free-for-All to Private Business 129 Concern for the Future 134 Palm Leaves for City Roofs 137 Promoting Sustainable Harvest 140

8. Collect Locally, Eat Globally – The Journey of the Brazil Nut Rainforest Giant Left Alone 143 Joys and Fears of Castañeros 146 From a Frontier to a Transit Zone 153 Indigenous Brazil Nuts from Peru 154 Extractive Economies across the Border 158 The Legacy of Rubber Tapper Activists 159

9. Changing the Law of the Jungle: Forests and Forestry in Peru New Forest Policies: Same Old Habits? 161 Logging Team in the Woods 165 Putting Theory in Practice 169 Troubled Timber in the Black Markets 173 The Quest for Better Forestry 176

10. Biodiversity and Business: An Experience with Medicinal Plants At the End of the Road 179 A Dreamer and Businessman 183 The Garden and the Forest 184 Unusual Use of a Laundry Room 187 Profitable Sustainability? 188

Contents

vii

11. Açaí: The Forest Farms of the Amazon Estuary The Ver-o-Peso Market 191 Açaí in the History of the Amazon Estuary 195 A Peri-Urban Forest Farm 197 Wild or Cultivated? 199 The Booming Açaí Economy 200

12. Blank Maps and Desires about Biodiversity Wealth Roads into the Unknown 203 Biodiversity’s Promise 209 Does Improved Knowledge Make a Difference? 217

Part III Seven Thematic Perspectives 13. Resource Dynamics behind the Provision from Nature Transactions with Nature 223 Ecological Impacts on Different Levels 225 Impacts on Individuals: Viability and Fertility 226 Impacts on Populations: Abundance and Structure 228 Impacts at Community Level 232 Impacts on Ecosystems and the Biosphere 239 Modelling the Impacts of Wild Species Harvest 242 What is an Ecological Model? 242 The Logistic Model of Population Growth and Harvest 242 Extensions of and Alternatives to the Basic Logistic Model 247 Using Harvest Models in Practice 251 Applying the Logistic Model to Hunting in Amazonia 251 Studying Harvest of Palms Using Matrix Models 255

14. Costs and Benefits Weighted by Harvesters Resources Becoming Goods 259 Understanding Harvesters’ Decisions 260 Determining Labour Input 266 Supply and Demand of Wild Species 268 Multispecies Harvest 273 Discounting the Future 278

15. Management of Resource Systems Not Only Taking Away 281 Refraining from Harvest 284 Enhancing Resource Stocks 290

viii

Contents

16. Governance Shaping Incentive Structures Regulating Transactions with Nature and Society 295 Policy Instruments: How To Turn Goals Into Action 299 Four Types of Resources 304 Rights to Resources 307 Governance of Common-Pool Resources 313 Devising Efficient Incentive Structures 315

17. Knowledge for Action and Interaction From Data to Wisdom 319 Operative Knowledge for Wild Species Harvest 322 Adjusting Profitability 326 Awareness of Impacts 330 Science and Uncertainty 332 Facilitating Learning at the Grassroots Level 338

18. Spatiality in Nature and Society Patterns in Space 347 Natural Environmental Variability 349 Accessibility and Cost-Distance 352 Movements and Misfits 361 Discovering Environmental Patterns in Amazonia 365 Scaling Space and Time 371

19. Legacies from the Past and for the Future The Moment of Harvest in the Flow of Time 373 The Inherited Provision from Nature 378 The Sociocultural Heritage of Harvest 381

Part IV Diagnosis and Action 20. Diagnosing Wild Species Harvest: The DWiSH Procedure Toward a Holistic View of Wild Species Harvest 389 Rationale of the DWiSH Procedure 394 What is the Dwish Procedure Made of? 396 Let’s DWiSH: Application of the Procedure 399 Case Definition 399 Collecting Information about the Case 400 Explorative Diagnostics of Seven Thematic Perspectives 403 Focussed Research-Based Diagnostics 413

Contents

ix

21. Whose Interest? Whose Action? Harvesters in the Spotlight 415 Interacting with Nature and Society 417 Stakeholder Networks, Commitment, and Trust 420 Worries and Disputes 422 From Awareness to Action 425

22. Savage, Ravaged, or Managed? Fighting the Fates of Overharvest and Oblivion 427 The Biogeopolitics of Wild Species Harvest 429 Wild or Not-So-Wild Nature 433

Photo Credits 437 References439 Index461