Impoverishment of local wild resources in western Amazonia: a large-scale community survey of local ecological knowledge

A growing number of studies point to the depletion of flora and fauna along rivers of the Brazilian Amazon but the status of wild resources over large areas in Western Amazonia remains poorly known. In this paper we report on findings from the Peruvian Amazon based on the first large-scale community survey that uses local ecological knowledge to assess the presence of indicator species and expected harvest yields of game, fish and timber along four major rivers. Our findings from nearly 700 communities suggest that the forest and lakes near riverine communities have been impoverished over the past 50 years, especially of vulnerable species of high commercial value. A zone of species depletion is detected around the two major regional cities of Iquitos and Pucallpa as well as around an important oil town. Local extirpations are common though some recovery is noted for specific fish and timber species. Expected yields are falling and evidence is found for harvesting of previously non-preferred species. Newer communities face lower initial availability of wild resources and forest impoverishment is driven by market demand over subsistence needs. Our findings illustrate the value of drawing on local ecological knowledge and the importance of considering historical baseline conditions in assessments of the fate of wild resources in tropical forests.