Abstract
Persecution by humans is one of the most pressing threats to jaguars (Panthera onca) throughout the Americas, yet few studies have examined the killing of jaguars outside cattle-ranching communities. Although over one-third of the jaguar’s range is formally protected, relatively little is known about human-jaguar relationships within protected areas and indigenous territories. Protected land within the Bolivian Amazon, considered a stronghold for the jaguar, contains communities who differ economically, legally, and socially from previously-studied human populations living with jaguars. Using in-person structured interviews, we investigated attitudes and norms related to jaguars and jaguar killing, self-reported past killing of jaguars, and demographic variables in two protected areas and an indigenous territory: Integrated Management Area of Santa Rosa del Abuna (Santa Rosa, n=224), Indigenous Territory Tacana II (n=137), and Manuripi National Amazon Wildlife Reserve (MNAWR, n=169). Overall, people disliked (48.9%) or felt neutral (26.8%) toward jaguars. A relatively large number of people reported either being attacked or knowing someone who had been attacked by a jaguar: 15.45% in Santa Rosa, 14.20% in MNAWR, and 30.88% in Tacana II. Many respondents stated to have killed a jaguar, although the proportion differed among study areas: 20.39% of Santa Rosa, 55.47% of Tacana II, and 32.72% of MNAWR. People perceived jaguar persecution as relatively common: 44.9% of Santa Rosa, 90.8% of Tacana II, and 65.8% of MNAWR said their neighbors kill jaguars (i.e. descriptive norm). Also, 75.4% of Santa Rosa, 89.1% of Tacana II, and 69.1% of MNAWR said that some of their family members and neighbors thought jaguar killing was good (i.e. subjective norm). Descriptive and subjective norms positively influenced both attitudes toward killing and past killing of jaguars. This perception of jaguar killing being common and socially-accepted, combined with high rates of past killing and a growing illegal trade of jaguar parts, may create an atmosphere conducive to widespread jaguar persecution in the Bolivian Amazon. We recommend management strategies that focus on preventing jaguar depredation of small domestic animals, lessening the perception of carnivore encounters as dangerous to decrease safety-related fears, and making large carnivore killing socially unacceptable (e.g. through social marketing).
Highlights
Habitat loss and persecution by humans are the principal causes of the rapid declines in large carnivore populations worldwide (Ripple et al, 2014), whose long-term persistence is increasingly dependent on their survival in landscapes shared with people (Carter and Linnell, 2016; Glikman et al, 2019)
This study focuses on communities living in three areas in and around the northwestern region of the Bolivian Amazon (Figure 1): the Integrated Management Area (IMA) of Santa Rosa del Abuná, the Indigenous Territory Tacana II, and the Manuripi National Amazon Wildlife Reserve
Our findings indicate the prevalence of jaguar persecution in northern Bolivia and highlight the need for conservation interventions
Summary
Habitat loss and persecution by humans are the principal causes of the rapid declines in large carnivore populations worldwide (Ripple et al, 2014), whose long-term persistence is increasingly dependent on their survival in landscapes shared with people (Carter and Linnell, 2016; Glikman et al, 2019). Relatively little is known about human-jaguar relationships and, in particular, jaguar persecution in forested land within and around protected areas, and in indigenous territories relying primarily on natural resources [with the exception of Carvalho (2019)’s examination of jaguar hunting in extractive reserves in the Brazilian Amazon]. This knowledge gap is significant, considering around one third (38%) of the large felid’s global distribution overlaps protected areas and most of the remaining range is in the Amazon basin (de la Torre et al, 2017). Demographics Gender (% male) Mean age (years) Hunt Gun-carrying Experiences Attacks on humans Attacks on domestic animals Median perceived jaguar abundance (individuals) Beliefs Jaguar attacks Risk Feelings Jaguars Normative beliefs Descriptive Subjective Jaguar killing Past killing
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