The Return of Giant Otters to the Baniwa region.

       The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is the largest existing mustelid, endemic to Latin America. The species was considered to be locally extinct in many areas of its historical distribution due to intense commercial hunting for their valuable skin. Only with the hunting ban in Brazil in 1967, did the species began to show signs of population recovery. However the otter is still considered to be "endangered" by the IUCN due to threats it faces in the recolonisation process, such as habitat destruction, conflicts with fishing activity, and gaps in ecological knowledge about the species that hinder the development of efficient conservation strategies.

       Trying to understand how the landscape influences the distribution of otters, a Natalia Camps Pimenta a master's graduate student on the INPA Ecology program,  returned after 45 days to the mid Içana River, where she was investigating the recolonization of lakes and streams by otters in the region. The expedition is part of her research project entitled "The Return of the Giant Otters to the Baniwa Region", which aims to identify the historical, cultural and environmental factors that are influencing the return to the region by otters, taking into consideration the indigenous population's perspective.

       The lake region of the middle section of the Içana is located in the Indigenous Lands of the Upper Rio Negro, São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Amazonas), and is inhabited by an indigenous group of Baniwa ethnicity. Frequent use of lakes and streams for fishing have allowed the Baniwa to see a significant return of otters to the region. An observation which attracted the interest of the local population, who, like the giant otter, use fish as their main food source.

       To meet the demand of the local population and fill in gaps the knowledge about the ecology of this species, this colaborative research was started with the Baniwa. During the field research carried out by both idiginous and non-idiginous researchers, data was collected on the occurrence of otters in lakes and streams in the region that will be correlated with various landscape elements, such as the predominant type of marginal vegetation, the transparency and depth of water, rthe steepness of the river banks, the surroundings, and the area and shape of the water body.

        Ethnoecological data were also collected about the composition of fish in the sampled lake or stream, as well as information about the history of hunting in the area, the history of local extinctions and the recolonization of the area by the giant otters and Baniwa perceptions of the region on the return of otters to the areas they use. Checking for overlapping diets and habitat use among Baniwa and otters, respondents were also asked about their food preferences and their preference of lakes and streams for carring out fishing activities.

        The data generated from combining the traditional knowledge and practices of the Baniwa with the scientific communities methods will be used in the restructuring of the management program 'Kophe Koyanaale' (Fish House). In this way, we hope to contribute to the creation of a proposal for the integrated management of Baniwa territory. Management activites in the region, are intended to regulate the use of natural resources in a sustainable manner ensuring availability for future generations. Thus it is hoped that damage to the otter reoccupation process of otters in the area will be prevented, simultaeneously ensuring the way of life of the Baniwa people.

         The research is being conducted under the supervision of PhD. Adrian Barnett of the Group of Amazon Mammal Research of the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) and the PhD. Glenn Shepard of the Department of Anthropology of Paraense Emilio Goeldi Museum, in partnership with the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro (FOIRN) and the Indigenous Organization of the Içana Basin (OIBI). It has the financial support of the The Rufford Foundation and logistics support from Idea Wild institution.

Text: Natalia Camps Pimenta (Reasearch Group of Amazoanian Mammals / INPA)

Translation: Tim Vincent