Uso histórico y actual de las tortugas charapa (<em>Podocnemis expansa<em>) y terecay (<em>Podocnemis unifilis<em>) en la Orinoquia y la Amazonia

The Arrau river turtle or giant South American turtle (Podocnemis expansa) and the yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) have wide distributions within the Orinoco and Amazon River basins. Both of them have been exploited since pre-colonial times as a protein source by indigenous groups,...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Antonio Castro Casal, Manuel Merchán Fornelino, Mario Fernando Garcés Restrepo, Miguel Andrés Cárdenas Torres, Fernando Gómez Velasco
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt 2013-07-01
Series:Biota Colombiana
Subjects:
Online Access:http://revistas.humboldt.org.co/index.php/biota/article/view/275
Description
Summary:The Arrau river turtle or giant South American turtle (Podocnemis expansa) and the yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) have wide distributions within the Orinoco and Amazon River basins. Both of them have been exploited since pre-colonial times as a protein source by indigenous groups, and have also played an important cultural role. The chroniclers that traveled these wide regions between the 18th and beginning of the 20th centuries recorded evidence of their abundance, traditional uses, hunting methods, changes in processes and intensity of exploitation, and sociocultural and socioeconomic importance. We present a compilation of traditional uses from local human communities as well as an analysis of its impact on the conservation of both species. Also, we put forth a general review of the uses and capture methods for these species in the last few decades, which reveal the important role that they still play among the indigenous and rural communities.
ISSN:0124-5376
2539-200X