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<p>Despite 21 years of protection, sideneck river-turtles (<italic>Podocnemis expansa</italic>,
<italic>P. unifilis</italic> and <italic>P. vogli</italic>, arrau, terecay and galápago,
respectively), an important food resource for riverine communities (<italic>ribereños</italic>)
in the Middle Orinoco, have not recovered. To determine the most effective conservation
alternative for recovery, we conducted semi-structured interviews of ribereños and
determined their attitudes towards turtle conservation; we collected discarded turtle
remains in riverine communities to estimate the level of turtle harvest; and constructed
a population model to study the effect of reduced survival and future extraction on
arrau turtle population growth. We found that ribereños blame continued commercial
extraction for the lack of turtle population recovery. Ribereños have a desire to
participate actively in conservation and, despite feeling alienated by governmental
officials charged with protecting turtles, prefer to be included in conservation efforts.
However, ribereños also fear retaliation from turtle poachers. We found widespread
turtle harvest along the Middle Orinoco centered on juvenile arrau turtles, and adult
female terecay and galápago turtles. In our population model, reducing harvest causes
an increase in population growth. A 10% increase in survival causes rapid exponential
growth in arrau turtles. The population continues to grow in over 70% of projected
scenarios with limited harvest from a recovered stock. Due to the widespread distribution
of turtles and their harvest, we recommend increasing ribereño participation in conservation
activities, closing outsider (non-ribereño) access to the resource, increasing enforcement
against illegal commercial harvest, instating possession limits for subsistence harvest,
and promoting localized captive breeding of faster maturing terecay and galápago turtles
to satisfy desire for turtle consumption.</p>
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