Biblioteca Digital Curt Nimuendajú

Arquivo enviado pelo autor em janeiro de 2020

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Matses Indians were interviewed for their knowledge of natural history of local non-flying mammals using
standardized questionaires. Matses folk natural history knowledge of local mammals was found to be quite detailed and extensive. The quality of their knowledge was not equal for all species: knowledge was superior for mammals that were economically important, or easily observed due to large size, diurnal activity, and high population densities (xenarthrans, primates, ungulates, and large rodents); conversely, knowledge of economically unimportant, small, nocturnal, rare animals (marsupials and small rodents) was notably more limited.

In order to test the utility of an aspect of Matses Indians' ethnobiological knowledge, I studied the Matses
rainforest classification system. The Matses recognize 47 named rainforest habitat types within the Galvez River drainage basin, many more than have been described in any published study of a single rainforest area. By combining vegetative and geomorphological habitat designations, the Matses can describe 104 primary rainforest habitat types and 74 secondary habitat types. The Matses apply their knowledge of plant species composition and mammalian abundance in different habitat types to hunt, trap, and gather more efficiently.

The biological reality of their habitat classification system was tested by documenting vegetative characteristics and mammalian species composition by plot sampling, trapping, and hunting in named habitats near the Matses village of Nuevo San Juan. Highly significant (P<0.001) differences in measured vegetation structure parameters were found among 16 sampled Matses-recognized habitats. The 16 sampled habitat types also exhibited distinctive palm species compositions and densities. Captures of small mammals in 10 Matses-recognized habitats revealed a non-random distribution of small marsupial and small rodents. Mammal sightings and signs recorded while hunting with the Matses suggest that some species of mammals have a sufficiently strong preference for certain Matses-recognized habitat types to make hunting more efficient by concentrating search effort for these species in specific habitat. The differences in vegetation structure, palm species composition, and occurrence of small mammals indicates that Matses-recognized habitat types are ecologically constant units. I suggest that the Matses habitat classification system can be useful to rainforest ecologists and managers responsible for conservation policies.

Matses were interviewed to determine which non-flying mammal species they named and recognized. Scientific names were associated with the Matses mammal names using field guides and species descriptions. An extensive inventory of non-flying mammals was conducted in the Nuevo San Juan area with the help of Matses Indians. The Matses species list and the list of mammals captured were compared to determine discrepancies between t he two lists. Matses recognized 100% of xenarthrans, primates, ungulates, cetaceans, and large rodents. Matses knowledge of marsupials and small rodents was deficient compared to the list of capture species. I recommend that indigenous knowledge of mammalian species richness can be used to temporarily substitute standard survey data for well-known taxa.

Arquivo enviado pelo autor em janeiro de 2020

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