Valuing bushmeat for people living at a subsistence level: The case of Cuniculus paca meat in Flavio Alfaro, Manabí, Ecuador

ABSTRACT

This paper assesses the guanta (Cuniculus paca) as a source of edible bushmeat under the frame of Buen Vivir, an Ecuadorian official paradigm that postulates, among other things, a single harmonized relationship between wildlife species and society. Three econometric models are estimated using a 2014 survey of Flavio Alfaro (Manabí, Ecuador) hunters. The results showed that estimates of private value fail to reflect the intrinsic social value of guanta, as they only take into account conventional production costs, ignoring other subjective features such as the mix of cultural factors as an unequivocal reflection of the ancestral ethos distinctive of communities living under subsistence conditions. Some important aspects are proposed for consideration when preparing public policy toward the sustainable management of guanta and other closely related species.

KEYWORDS:

• Cuniculus paca
• social valuing
• bushmeat
• Buen Vivir
• Ecuador

Notes

^1. The hunting ritual usually takes place in special circumstances such as on dark nights without moonlight during a period between the 8th and 15th day of each month in the phase of lunar waning.

^2. To represent most of the area under study, Flavio Alfaro canton is the geo-reference.

^3. Clearly, hunting also reduces the numbers of the hunted species.

⁴. Obviously, attaining such a goal will require the implementation of appropriate public policies.