Local community perceptions of sea turtle egg use in Tortuguero, Costa Rica

Mejias-Balsalobre Carmen; Restrepo Jaime; Borges Gilberto; Garcia Raul; Rojas-Canizales Daniela; Barrios-Garrido Hector; Valverde Roldan A.

摘要

Tortuguero is a small Caribbean village of Costa Rica, where sea turtles have always played a central role in the culture and economy. Historically, Tortuguero based its economy on the exploitation of natural resources, including marine turtles. However, thanks to long term conservation efforts, policy modifications and a change in the mindset of the community, this village is now globally recognized as an example of how marine turtles can be used to generate significant revenue in a non-extractive way, through ecotourism. Nevertheless, poaching of nests and egg trade still occurs in the area. This study identifies the perceptions and attitudes of the local community towards the consumption and trade of sea turtle eggs and its impact on conservation. From October to December 2017, a total of 187 questionnaires were distributed to the community of Tortuguero, and 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with local key informants. Our results show that sea turtle egg consumption still persists within the community, and it is perceived as a frequent practice (Questionnaire Respondents (QR); 62.2%, n = 51/Interview Respondents (IR); 58.8%, n = 10). There is awareness among villagers about the negative effects of sea turtle egg consumption mainly on the economy (QR; 76.7%, n = 89), tourism (QR; 88.4%, n = 107) and conservation (QR; 87%, n = 107), and the practice is negatively regarded (QR; 77%, n = 107/IR; 76.5%, n = 13). Nevertheless, consumption continues as a traditional practice (QR; 26.7%, n = 28/IR; 41.2%, n = 7), facilitated by the ease to obtain eggs (QR; 19.4%, n = 20/IR; 76.5 n = 13) and the persisting belief of their aphrodisiac properties (QR 18.6%; n = 19/IR 23.5%; n = 4). Despite this and the perceived lack of enforcement, interviewees stated that most consumers do not risk taking the eggs and they buy them from local poachers (IR; 88.2%, n = 15), who are usually associated with substance abuse problems. In addition, most interviewees (94.1%, n = 16) affirmed that consumption in the community has decreased over the last 10 years, and that the majority of eggs extracted from Tortuguero are traded with nearby Caribbean communities (76.5%, n = 13). The destination of the eggs seems to depend on the area from which they were taken and prices range widely depending on the seller and the trade area. Overall, this study provides an improved understanding of the local perception of egg consumption and trade dynamics. Additionally, it provides insights into the challenges of tackling this issue in Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. We hope that our conclusions will contribute to the improvement of current conservation and management strategies in the region.

机译：Tortuguero是一座小型加勒比哥斯达黎加村，海龟始终在文化和经济中发挥着核心作用。从历史上看，托尔杜罗基于自然资源开采的经济，包括海龟。然而，由于长期的节约努力，政策修改和社区心态的变化，这个村庄现在全球被认可为船舶龟如何通过生态旅游来利用船舶龟的举例来产生重大收入。。然而，该地区仍然发生巢穴和鸡蛋贸易的偷猎。本研究确定了当地社区对海龟鸡蛋消费和贸易的看法和态度及其对保护的影响。从10月到2017年12月，共有187名问卷分发给托尔杜罗的社区，并与当地关键信息人员进行了17个半结构化访谈。我们的研究结果表明，海龟蛋消耗仍然存在于社区内，并且被认为是常见的练习（调查问卷受访者（QR）; 62.2％，n = 51 /面试受访者（IR）; 58.8％，n = 10）。村民们对主要对经济（QR; 76.7％，N = 89），旅游（QR; 88.4％，N = 107）和保护（QR; 87％，n = 107），这种做法是否定的（QR; 77％，n = 107 /红外; 76.5％，n = 13）。然而，消费持续作为传统实践（QR; 26.7％，N = 28 / IR; 41.2％，N = 7），通过易于获得卵（QR; 19.4％，n = 20 / IR; 76.5 n = 13）和持续存在于它们的壮阳性质（QR 18.6％; n = 19 / IR 23.5％; n = 4）。尽管如此，受访者缺乏执法，受访者表示，大多数消费者都没有冒着鸡蛋的风险，他们从当地偷猎者（IR; 88.2％，n = 15）购买，他们通常与滥用问题有关。此外，大多数受访者（94.1％，N = 16）肯定了过去10年中社区的消费已经下降，而从托尔古罗罗出来的大多数卵都与附近的加勒比社区交易（76.5％，N = 13）。。鸡蛋的目的地似乎取决于他们所采取的地区，根据卖方和贸易区广泛地广泛。总体而言，该研究提供了改善对鸡蛋消费和贸易动态的局部感知的了解。此外，它还为在哥斯达黎加的加勒比海岸解决了这个问题的挑战提供了见解。我们希望我们的结论将有助于提高该地区现有的保护和管理战略。

Local community perceptions of sea turtle egg use in Tortuguero, Costa Rica

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