Tourism for observation of the long-snouted seahorse Hippocampus reidi (Ginsburg, 1933) in the Jericoacoara National Park
management actions for conservation of the species
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37002/biodiversidadebrasileira.v15i1.2644Keywords:
Endangered species, community tourism, wildlife watching, monitoringAbstract
Seahorse watching tourism is an attraction of the Jericoacoara National Park (PNJ), carried out in partnership with the local communities. The pratice of capture and temporary containment can cause stress to individuals of Hippocampus reidi, a species considered vulnerable (VU) to the risk of extinction. This present study aimed to establish guidelines for the protection of H. reidi in the PNJ and to describe the socio-environmental aspects of the activity. Between 2020 and 2024, the seahorse population was monitored at the three points of embarkation for the tours. In 2022, the cruises were accompanied by volunteer observers who described the social, environmental and economic aspects of the activity. At Point 1 we observed the lowest average number of visitors, the lowest gross revenue and the highest number of authorized drivers. At Point 3 we observed the greatest irregularities from an environmental point of view and the highest number of visitors and, consequently, the highest revenue. At Point 2 we recorded the shortest containment time for H. reidi individuals, but the visitation strategies had the greatest environmental impact. During the sample period, we carried out 26 seahorse population monitoring campaigns, observing a total of 121 individuals, 63 males and 58 females. At the beginning of the 2010s, the monitoring recorded hundreds of individuals, which dropped to just a few in this study. This population decline is seen throughout Brazil, justifying a special strategy for protecting the species in the PNJ, with a ban on capturing, adopting the principle of observing the fauna in its natural environment without direct interaction.
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