El papel de los líderes en el manejo colectivo de los recursos naturales. Evidencia del experimento de la pesca en el río cuduyarí (vaupés, Colombia)

Traditional institutions, culture and symbolism are central to the management of natural resources in the indigenous societies of the Amazon. Leaders —religious and civil authorities— play an important role as custodians of traditional knowledge as well as their influence in the resolution of conflicts and decision-making. In this paper we present the results of the Fisheries Game implemented with people of the Cubeo community, inhabitants of the Cuduyari river basin in the department of Vaupés. We found that while the groups that communicate remained with larger availability of the resource, those unable to communicate tended to the resource’s depletion. The presence of leaders in communication groups had a positive impact on the sustainability of the resource which is explained by their own behavior and their influence on the behavior of the other participants.