Book Reviews

Neotropical Wildlife Use and Conservation.-J. G. Robinson and K. H. Redford [eds.]. 1991. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 538 pp.-HB: $62.00, ISBN O-226-72258-9: PB: $28.00. ISBN 0-226-72258-97. “In this book: we and most authors agree that unless wildlife has some use to people, then wildlife will not be valued bv oeople. If wildlife has no value, then wildlife and its-habitat will be destroyed to make way for other landscapes” (p. 3). These sentences clearly identify the utilitarian or “use-it-or-lose-it” philosophy of conservation advocated in this volume. Arguments over the ethics of human exploitation of other animals are not developed; rather, sustained harvesting ofwildlife is presented as the most effective means of conserving biological communities in the Neotropics. The contention that wildlife should be conserved for its own sake has provoked much resistance, even in North America where economic hardship and population pressures are far less severe than those in most Latin American countries. The purpose of this volume, therefore, is to document how wildlife is exploited and to offer prospects for the sustained use of wildlife as a basic tenet of conservation policy in the Neotropics. The extent to which each of the diverse chapters in this volume succeeds reflects the spotty knowledge ofthe basic ecology and natural history of many of the most intensively harvested species. Taken as a whole, however, the book succeeds very well in presenting a case for sustainable exploitation rather than just preservation of wildlife. Many chapters in Robinson and Redford’s book include kinds of data that seldom appear in ecological journals. For example, hunter interviews and estimates of income from ecotourism and the export of parrots, teigu (Tupinambis spp.) lizard skins, and rhea feathers are presented. Some of these figures are surprising. For example, between 1976 and 1984, nearly 8,000 k of rhea feathers were exported from Argentina (p. 18). Average annual export of teigu lizard skins (mostly for cowboy boots) numbers 1,250,OOO skins (p. 303). At least 1.4 million parrots were exported from Neotropical countries between 1982 and 1986 with a retail value of $1.6 billion. These figures are not viewed as a conservation problem (e.g., evidence of overexploitation) but as an indicator of a conservation opportunity. The basic argument is that preserving the habitats of these economically important species will guarantee the continued availability of these sources ofincome. Even the parrot trade, which has been blamed for the declines and even extinction of some species, can be used as a tool for habitat preservation if parrots can be harvested from nest boxes in the wild (Chapter 24). Similarly, ecotourism can provide local employment, revenue, and even funding to help maintain the infrastructure of local parks and preserves. The book covers diverse taxa (i.e., herps, mammals, and birds) and very different systems of exploitation such as sport hunting, market hunting, and game ranching. Given this diversity, we believe that the optimism generated by studies of economically important wildlife must be tempered by a realization of some limitations on wildlife use in the Neotropics. Silva and Strahl’s chapter on human impacts on Cracidae is particularly sobering. At first glance, cracids appear to be ideally suited for exploitation by hunting. Cracids contribute by far the most avian biomass taken by hunters in most forested areas and are remarkably abundant in many forests. Some species average more than 50 kg/ 100 ha, a biomass greater than that of all the breeding species ofa typical temperate zone forest bird community. In some Venezuelan forest sites, guans (Penelope spp.) have population densities as high as 37 individuals/100 ha, which would likely make them one of the 5 or 10 most abundant species in the community, a remarkable figure for such large (> 1,100 g) birds. As Silva and Strahl’s data show, however, forests subjected to even moderate hunting pressure have much lower cracid population densities. Using a simple population model, they argue that cracid productivity is too low to withstand the kinds of continuous hunting pressure that more productive temperate game animals can withstand. Cracids can probably only withstand local hunting in extensive forest preserves. The loss of such dominant frugivores as guans and curassows may lead to a reduction of seed dispersal and long-term changes in plant communities in fragmented habitats where hunting is intense. The low productivity of many other tropical animals may also limit their utility. Mittermeier (Chapter 7) argues that primate populations will only survive in areas where human populations remain small relative to the surrounding areas of undisturbed forest. Smythe (Chapter 15) argues that pacas (Agouti pacas) bred in domestication are a potentially productive source of protein. Whereas Smythe has pioneered several interesting techniques for rearing pacas, it appears that their reproductive rate is still too low for producing adequate amounts of affordable meat. Other species, especially those with comparatively high reproductive rates, offer better prospects. For example, Werner (chapter 14) reports on successful techniques for ranching green iguanas (Iguana iguana) whereby iguanas are hatched and reared in captivity and then released into forests where they attain sufficient mass for harvesting. The effectiveness ofthis “put and take” strategy in conserving forest habitat remains to be determined, but the approach appears promising. White-winged Doves (Zenaidu asiatica [chapter 181) and whistling ducks (Dendrocygna spp. [chapter 191)