Abstract Tortuguero is a small Caribbean village of Costa Rica, where sea turtles have always played a central role in the culture and economy. Historically, Tortuguero based its economy on the exploitation of natural resources, including marine turtles. However, thanks to long term conservation efforts, policy modifications and a change in the mindset of the community, this village is now globally recognized as an example of how marine turtles can be used to generate significant revenue in a non-extractive way, through ecotourism. Nevertheless, poaching of nests and egg trade still occurs in the area. This study identifies the perceptions and attitudes of the local community towards the consumption and trade of sea turtle eggs and its impact on conservation. From October to December 2017, a total of 187 questionnaires were distributed to the community of Tortuguero, and 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with local key informants. Our results show that sea turtle egg consumption still persists within the community, and it is perceived as a frequent practice (Questionnaire Respondents (QR); 62.2%, n = 51/Interview Respondents (IR); 58.8%, n = 10). There is awareness among villagers about the negative effects of sea turtle egg consumption mainly on the economy (QR; 76.7%, n = 89), tourism (QR; 88.4%, n = 107) and conservation (QR; 87%, n = 107), and the practice is negatively regarded (QR; 77%, n = 107/IR; 76.5%, n = 13). Nevertheless, consumption continues as a traditional practice (QR; 26.7%, n = 28/IR; 41.2%, n = 7), facilitated by the ease to obtain eggs (QR; 19.4%, n = 20/IR; 76.5 n = 13) and the persisting belief of their aphrodisiac properties (QR 18.6%; n = 19/IR 23.5%; n = 4). Despite this and the perceived lack of enforcement, interviewees stated that most consumers do not risk taking the eggs and they buy them from local poachers (IR; 88.2%, n = 15), who are usually associated with substance abuse problems. In addition, most interviewees (94.1%, n = 16) affirmed that consumption in the community has decreased over the last 10 years, and that the majority of eggs extracted from Tortuguero are traded with nearby Caribbean communities (76.5%, n = 13). The destination of the eggs seems to depend on the area from which they were taken and prices range widely depending on the seller and the trade area. Overall, this study provides an improved understanding of the local perception of egg consumption and trade dynamics. Additionally, it provides insights into the challenges of tackling this issue in Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. We hope that our conclusions will contribute to the improvement of current conservation and management strategies in the region.

中文翻译：

---

哥斯达黎加托尔图格罗当地社区对海龟蛋使用的看法

摘要 Tortuguero 是哥斯达黎加加勒比海的一个小村庄，海龟一直在那里的文化和经济中发挥着核心作用。从历史上看，托尔图格罗的经济以开发自然资源为基础，包括海龟。然而，由于长期的保护工作、政策的修改和社区观念的改变，这个村庄现在被全球公认为如何通过生态旅游以非采掘方式利用海龟创造可观收入的一个例子. 尽管如此，偷猎巢穴和鸡蛋贸易仍然在该地区发生。这项研究确定了当地社区对海龟蛋的消费和贸易及其对保护的影响的看法和态度。2017年10月至12月，总共向托尔图格罗社区发放了 187 份问卷，并对当地关键知情人进行了 17 次半结构化访谈。我们的结果表明，海龟蛋的消费在社区内仍然存在，并且被认为是一种常见的做法（问卷受访者 (QR)；62.2%，n = 51/采访受访者 (IR)；58.8%，n = 10）。村民意识到海龟蛋消费主要对经济（QR；76.7%，n = 89）、旅游（QR；88.4%，n = 107）和保护（QR；87%，n = 107），而这种做法受到负面评价（QR；77%，n = 107/IR；76.5%，n = 13）。尽管如此，消费仍是一种传统做法（QR；26.7%，n = 28/IR；41.2%，n = 7），因为鸡蛋容易获得（QR；19.4%，n = 20/IR；76. 5 n = 13) 以及对其壮阳特性的持久信念（QR 18.6%；n = 19/IR 23.5%；n = 4）。尽管如此，并且被认为缺乏执法，受访者表示，大多数消费者不会冒险拿鸡蛋，他们是从当地偷猎者那里购买的（IR；88.2%，n = 15），他们通常与药物滥用问题有关。此外，大多数受访者 (94.1%，n = 16) 肯定社区的消费量在过去 10 年中有所下降，并且从 Tortuguero 提取的大部分鸡蛋都与附近的加勒比社区进行了交易 (76.5%，n = 13) . 鸡蛋的目的地似乎取决于它们的产地，价格也因卖家和贸易区域而异。总体而言，这项研究提供了对当地鸡蛋消费和贸易动态的看法的更好理解。此外，它还提供了对在哥斯达黎加加勒比海岸解决这一问题的挑战的见解。我们希望我们的结论将有助于改善该地区当前的保护和管理战略。