Do social factors influence perceptions of the jaguar Panthera onca in Ecuador?

Hernán G Álvarez,Galo Zapata-Ríos

doi:10.1017/s003060532000054x

Abstract

AbstractIn Latin America, the jaguar Panthera onca is one of the most persecuted and hunted carnivores as a result of its depredation of livestock. In north-west Ecuador jaguar populations are highly threatened, and the largest known population (20–30 individuals) is in El Pambilar Wildlife Refuge, a wet tropical forest surrounded by degraded forests and an agricultural matrix. As the killing of jaguars is one of the main threats to this population, its conservation depends on the perceptions and behaviour of the people living in this region. We interviewed people from 159 households (64% of the total) in eight communities in the buffer zone of the Wildlife Refuge, to examine people's perceptions of any harm caused by jaguars, and to determine the factors that influence these perceptions. In general, people perceived that jaguars caused little harm to their domestic animals or to themselves. However, our models showed that young people with a low level of formal education are the demographic group most likely to hold negative attitudes towards the jaguar, suggesting this group could potentially benefit from involvement in environmental education and awareness programmes.

Highlights

The killing of wildlife is one of the most widespread problems for species conservation (Dickman, ; Fisher, )
As far as we are aware, this is the first study to evaluate local perceptions of the harm caused by jaguars to people and their livelihoods in Ecuador
The majority of the local people interviewed perceived that the jaguar caused little harm to their domestic animals and themselves, and % of the interviewees had not had any direct experience with a jaguar

Summary

Introduction

The killing of wildlife is one of the most widespread problems for species conservation (Dickman, ; Fisher, ). The killing or injuring of species occurs in retaliation, or as a preventive measure, when the behaviour of animals, usually top predators or mega-herbivores, have a direct and recurring negative impact on the livelihoods and/or safety of people (Inskip & Zimmermann, ; Cavalcanti et al, ; Grande et al, ; Marchini & Macdonald, ). The persecution or killing of predators is generally assumed to be the direct result of attacks on domestic animals or livestock (Kansky et al, ).

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