Ethnoecology of Chelid Turtles Phrynops spp. (Testudinomorpha: Chelidae) among traditional fishermen in Bodocongó reservoir, Campina Grande, Paraíba, Northeast Brazil

Abstract

Bodocongó is an urban reservoir located in Campina Grande, Paraíba State, Northeast Brazil (07°13’11”S, 35°52’31”W). Although the high levels of water pollution and alcalinity, the traditional fishermen living around this reservoir have been using its natural resources in an intensive way. Living in a degraded environment, these people have developed their own corpus of empirical knowledge about the function, structure, and management of this reservoir. Chelid turtles of the genus Phrynops, locally known as “cago-d’água” or “cágado-d’água”, are included among the biological resources known and used by local people in their daily life. The main objective of this study was to describe and evaluate how local people know and use these turtles. Fieldwork consisted of ethnographic interviews, as well as direct observation of fishermen’s work. Turtles were collected and identified. Many aspects of behavior, taxonomy and feeding habits of chelid turtles are known by the people who work in the reservoir. Also, local people feed on these reptiles and use their fat (“banha”) for treating human and animal diseases. Chelids play, therefore, an important role in the ethnoecological dynamics of the Bodocongó reservoir. On the other hand, Phrynops turtles are perceived by fishermen as responsible for the “mugging” of fishes and baits, as well as for damaging fishing utensils. So, a conflicting relationship involves fishermen and chelid turtles in the study site. Describing and understanding this local ecological knowledge and its related behavior may be a support for improving scientific knowledge and conservation of Brazilian reservoirs and their biodiversity, specially the threatened and poorly known genus Phrynops.