Local knowledge of the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis Blainville, 1817) in the Lake Amanã region, Amazonas.

Abstract

Traditional communities possess detailed knowledge about the environment in which they live. Through daily and seasonal observations, information is accumulated over generations. The research that brought about this paper sought to identify the knowledge of Amazonian ribeirinhos with respect to the Amazon river dolphin, a cetacean that lives in rivers in Amazonia. Residents of the area near Lake Amanã, in the Amanã Reserve for Sustainable Development - ARSD, were interviewed. Through partially structured interviews with 19 persons in seven different locations, information was obtained about the Amazon river dolphin’s biology and ecology, as well as beliefs associated with this animal. The results show that these communities have broad knowledge about the dolphin and even that regional beliefs influence the relation between residents and the dolphin. It was concluded that the local population holds practical and relevant knowledge about this species, which can be important for scientific research and also for the management of the conservation area.