Viabilidade cultural da reintrodução do Mutum-de-Alagoas (Pauxi mitu Linnaeus, 1766) no Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

The Alagoas Curassow (Pauxi mitu) became extinct in the wild in the 1980’s through a combination of loss/degradation of its Atlantic Forest habitat and over-hunting. Ambitious plans are now underway to reintroduce captive-reared Curassows using a patchwork of protected forest fragments on private lands. Although the planned reintroduction sites are broadly ecologically suitable, it is not clear that the threats from hunting and habitat disturbance have been removed. In other words, the cultural (as opposed to biological) suitability and viability of these sites is largely unknown. We used a semi-structured social survey to evaluate the cultural suitability of the reintroduction, assessing relevant aspects of the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour of 402 residents who live near three proposed reintroduction sites. Although respondents were generally positive to the reintroduction, our data indicates that hunting is still a major part of the local culture. While general knowledge about biodiversity did not significantly shape peoples’ attitudes, increased knowledge about the curassow was associated with positive attitudes towards the reintroduction. Educational level, gender and firewood use were also significant factors. We also observed significant differences in attitudes between reintroduction sites. Our results highlight the importance of focused environmental educational programmes to improve the cultural feasibility of this flagship reintroduction for northeast Brazil.