TESTING THE ECOLOGICALLY NOBLE SAVAGE HYPOTHESIS - INTERSPECIFIC PREYCHOICE BY PIRO HUNTERS OF AMAZONIAN PERU

Native peoples have often been portrayed as natural conservationists, living in ''harmony'' with their environment. It is argued that this p erspective is a result of an imprecise definition of conservation that emphasizes effects rather than actual behavior. Using foraging theory as a contrast, an operational definition of conservation is offered. Foraging theory assumes that foragers will behave to maximize their sh ort-term harvesting rate. Hunting decisions that are costly in terms o f short-term harvest rate maximization, yet increase the sustainabilit y of the harvest are deemed conservation. Using this definition, alter native hypotheses are tested using data on the inter-specific prey cho ice decisions of a group of subsistence hunters, the Piro of Amazonian Peru. Results indicate that hunters do not show any restraint from ha rvesting species identified as vulnerable to over-hunting and local ex tinction. Decisions are made that are consistent with predictions of f oraging theory.