Increasing Population Status of Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) Based on Sustainable Use Strategies in a Managed Protected Area in Santa Fe, Argentina.

Simple Summary: Broad-snouted caimans are found in North Argentina. In the past, they were heavily hunted, leading to a decline in their population. To avoid diminishing populations, a sustainable use program under a ranching system was implemented, and broad-snouted caiman populations have recovered significantly. Local communities play a key role as egg harvesters under the concept of incentives for conservation. The current management program in Argentina intends to balance the growth of caiman populations, ensure benefits for local people, and protect valuable wetlands. Each year, the dynamics of the broad-snouted caiman population are monitored through night surveys and the identification of wild nesting in specific areas. These monitoring efforts show that the sustainable use program ensures practices that are sustainable and have a non-detrimental impact on wild populations. On the contrary, the encouragement of local people to preserve caimans and their nesting habitats has generated very positive results, including increased caiman populations and improvements in social and cultural aspects, as well as providing important income to local economies. There are many precedents regarding the advantages of enacting sustainable use programs, but this knowledge is not yet adequately communicated. Even crocodilians are an example of this, and we already have numerous studies about the pillars that programs should follow, regardless of the species and management mechanism implemented. Now the great challenge is to maintain the achievements reached and control threats such as habitat destruction, pollution, and activist groups from reversing them. People and crocodilians have engaged in interactions since the earliest human settlements. After many years of escalating non-regulated use, coupled with emerging threats such as habitat modification, environmental pollution, and the exponential growth of human populations, natural crocodilian populations have been pushed to the brink of extinction. To prevent this, various initiatives have implemented strategies to prevent local extinction. Reinforcing wild populations through reintroductions and head-starting programs has been considered the safest approach to recovering crocodilian populations. Subsequently, the concept of sustainability emerged. In the case of many historically exploited crocodilian species, it became evident that rational utilization need not adversely affect population status; on the contrary, there were clear signs of recovery when local communities were involved. In 1990, the broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) was in a critical state due to decades of poaching and the aforementioned threats. In response, the "Monitoring and restocking program of the broad-snouted caiman for management purposes", commonly known as Proyecto Yacaré, was established to study population abundance and assess the biological, ecological, and social response to this management methodology. As a result of the eggs's harvest, a proportion equivalent to or greater than what would have survived in natural conditions was released into the original habitat where the eggs were collected. The surplus was allocated for leather and meat production with a focus on economic and environmentally sustainable practices, without affecting biodiversity or threats to the managed species. The in situ work carried out by this program has been crucial for the recovery of broad-snouted caiman populations under the "incentives for conservation" system, whereby local communities receive benefits for nest identification and egg harvesting. Over time, conservation incentives have become significant contributors to regional economies. This study illustrates how C. latirostris populations increased due to the implementation of egg harvesting by local communities in a natural reserve for management purposes. This population increase was detected through continuous night monitoring and an analysis of the number of nests in the area. Currently, C. latirostris populations have transitioned from being among the most threatened to becoming one of the most abundant throughout their distribution area. Based on the analyzed information, we may affirm that the commercial value of these species is one of the most relevant aspects contributing to the sustainability of these programs, primarily due to the change in perception generated among local communities. Therefore, identifying and controlling factors affecting these programs are fundamental for the conservation of these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]