A. Species
Scientific name: Varanus salvator
Common name(s): Water monitor
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Sumatera
Country/Region: Indonesia / Sumatra / North Sumatra Province
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State
Name/Details of location: Reptile abattoirs in Tanjung Balai, Kisaran, Rantau Prapat, Inderapura, and Sei Rampah
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2019
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat and Wild species sourced from significantly modified habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal and Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed and Decorative and aesthetic
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National external
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat and Wild species sourced from significantly modified habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Evidence supporting sustainability given in this study is weak, but essentially reasons that after 30 years of use as meat (and skins) monitor lizards remain just as trappable as ever, implying that use is not contributing to any population decline. Some abattoirs now even recruit and incentivise the younger generation, such as sons and nephews to take up lizard trapping as an occupation.. Thus, the trade of Water monitors has been a family business that seems to be a source of stable income for relatively long time. Prices are good and the meat is popular with some sectors of Indonesian society (varies with region and religion).
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Evidence supporting sustainability given in this study is weak, but essentially reasons that after 30 years of use as meat (and skins) monitor lizards remain just as trappable as ever, implying that use is not contributing to any population decline. Some abattoirs now even recruit and incentivise the younger generation, such as sons and nephews to take up lizard trapping as an occupation.. Thus, the trade of Water monitors has been a family business that seems to be a source of stable income for relatively long time. Prices are good and the meat is popular with some sectors of Indonesian society (varies with region and religion).
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: study does not record this
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: study does not record this
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: animal welfare compromised during transport and slaughter
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
The study cautions that because rural communities have relied on the close relationship between the skin and meat trade for their livelihoods for a long term now, any decline in demands for these wildlife product may affect their economics considerably. Therefore, an evaluation on the trade should aim to predict demands and production capacity in the longer term.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2020-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2022-12-06