O efeito da paisagem sobre a caça no Parque Nacional de Sete Cidades, Piauí, Brasil

Abstract

Hunting is an activity that, despite being ancient, still represents an important source of resources and income for millions of people, especially in developing countries and regions rich in biodiversity. It can be practiced only to feed the hunter and his family or for commerce, and the products obtained from it have a variety of uses, from the production of medicines to decorations, amulets, among others. It is an activity influenced by several factors, such as the ecology of the target species, personal preference and food taboos of the populations, as well as by the characteristics of the landscape, defined here as an area containing a mosaic of patches or elements of the landscape. Thus, the present study sought to understand the dynamics of hunting in the Sete Cidades National Park (PARNA), an Integral Protection conservation unit located in a supercenter of biodiversity in the Brazilian cerrados, and had the following specific objectives: (i) characterize the profile of hunting in the Sete Cidades National Park; (ii) verify how different landscapes are being used in hunting activities; (iii) build a map of hunting in the Park in order to delimit the places where the greatest intensity of this activity is concentrated and, thus, define priority inspection locations for monitoring hunting. Data was collected from the local Environmental Infraction Reports, showing that infractions against wildlife represented the third-largest category of Notices, but only two notices were related to hunting activity. The mapping of hunting traces on hunting trails and at pre-defined PARNA points was carried out through an active search for hunting traces and signs and the use of five capture strategies at the site was observed, totaling 21 hunting traces, with the categories of tocaia and ceva showing an indication of a relationship with the percentage of shrub formations. No correlation was found between landscape diversity and hunting intensity. A disparity was observed between the number of hunting traces mapped and the number of infraction notices drawn up for PARNA, demonstrating the need to intensify inspection within the park, especially throughout the southern part of the Park.