A better understanding of human behavior, not only of ‘perceptions’, will support evidence-based decision making and help to save scavenging birds: A comment to Ballejo et al. (2020)

Abstract

In a recent study about the interactions between farmers and scavenging birds in northwest Patagonia, Argentina, Ballejo et al. (2020) found that perceptions of harm caused by the birds to livestock were not supported by field observations. While acknowledging the contribution made by this study, we argue that management and conservation would benefit from a broader approach that goes beyond the assessment of perceptions of damage to include also an examination of the tangible and intangible drivers of persecution (e.g. intentional poisoning). We describe examples of approaches grounded in the conservation social science framework, integrating disciplines such as social psychology and the science of behavior change, that can be used in a planning cycle to inform the decision-making process in cases of human-wildlife conflict. We end this letter by calling researchers and conservationists worldwide for considering these approaches in order to improve the relationships between human and scavenger birds.