Economic incentives for management of Venezuelan caiman

In Venezuela, the harvest of spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) hers gen erated significant economic benefits for citizens and the government wildli fe department. Between 1983 and 1995 more than I million caiman were harves ted with an export value in excess of $US 115 million. Although limited sur vey data restrict quantitative comparisons most indications suggest that th e harvest has been within sustainable limits. Hunting is conducted on priva te lands in the central Venezuelan plains where caiman populations benefit from cattle ranching management activities, particularly, the construction of dry-season water holes. For ranchers, caiman hunting produces a high ret urn on investment, but the overall earnings are small when compared to thos e produced by cattle. Caiman are mostly a quick and easy source of income t hat complements cattle ranching, and there is little incentive to actively manage caiman populntions. The only evidence that the income from caiman ha rvests generates economic incentives to protect caiman populations is that landowners sold the skins of caiman illegally hunted in other areas, so ns not to reduce their own caiman populntions and possibly diminish future hun ting quotas. There is no evidence that caiman harvesting generates economic incentives to protect natural habitat, because caiman benefit from human a lteration of savanna habitats associated with the much more economically im portant cattle ranching activities. Recent changes in how hunting quotas ar e assigned have reduced economic incentives for landowners to protect caima n populations, but the changes have made the quota-setting procedure simple r: One of the greatest conservation benefits of the program has been its ab ility to generate operating funds for the traditionally cash-strapped gover nment wildlife agency through a variety of taxes and user fees. Due to a re cent government restructuring, however, program proceeds will now go to the central treasury and will no longer benefit wildlife management programs.