Community-based fisheries management effectively exert a vast value-added protection footprint in Amazonian floodplain and upland forests
co-management, payment for environmental service, conservation
Engaging of local communities in the protection and sustainable use of natural resources is a promising strategy for natural resource management and biodiversity conservation in tropical developing countries. So called community-based conservation (CBC) has particularly gained traction in the Brazilian Amazon due to its potential to combine territory protection, local well-being, and biodiversity conservation. One of the main challenges of CBC initiatives is ensuring that the economic burden faced by local communities in implementing conservation measures is adequately compensated. Payment for Environmental Services (PES) programs may offer a viable solution to this challenge. Here, we evaluate the protection footprint and surveillance dynamics of the largest community-based conservation arrangement in the Brazilian Amazonia co-management of giant arapaima. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between vigilance costs, anthropic pressure, and fish abundance through participatory mapping for different forms of territorial protection. A Generalized Additive Model was used to investigate the relationship between the cost of protection, distance to the nearest town, and arapaima density. Communities protect on average 6.4 lakes (1 ± 13) with an average area of 43.99 ha (±82.226 ha). The effective protection areas are 54.5 times larger than the size of direct protection, which is the focal area for financial return through co-management. The average functional area is 11188 ha, 254.8 times larger than the direct protection area. The cost for territorial vigilance is R$189.62 per year (33,266.84 dollars/year) to accomplish the effective protection of 2346 ha. Our study highlights the remarkable efforts made by rural communities in the Amazon to conserve natural systems and underscores the importance of supporting and expanding community-based conservation initiatives through mechanisms such as PES programs. By compensating communities for their conservation efforts, such programs can enhance the sustainability and economic viability of co-management systems. Acknowledging and valuing the contributions of local communities is crucial for achieving effective biodiversity conservation and for promoting sustainable development in the Amazon.