The conflict between scavenging birds and farmers: Field observations do not support people’s perceptions

Abstract

Human-wildlife conflict is an important emerging threat producing biodiversity loss around the world. It is therefore key to study people’s perceptions in order to overcome this conflict. Scavenger birds represent an interesting study case, since some people consider them beneficial but many have negative perceptions regarding their supposed potential role as livestock predators, resulting in intense conflicts with human populations. These conflicts could be responsible for harmful attitudes such as lethal control methods that affect the demography and conservation of scavenger bird populations. We studied the conflict between farmers and obligate and facultative scavenger birds in northwest Patagonia, Argentina, to ascertain whether people’s perceptions are supported by field observations. We interviewed farmers and made field observations on farms in the same area. We found that 92% of the farmers believe that scavenger birds (including both obligate and facultative) present in the study area are harmful to livestock. However, our observations show that while some harm to livestock may occur, predation events are exceptional. Field observations thus do not support people’s perceptions. We recommend the use of better livestock management and increased human presence during the birth of lambs in order to reduce the time during which scavenger birds can potentially cause harm. Our results are important for the development of better conservation policies to mitigate conflicts between farmers and scavenger birds based on scientific information, but at the same time considering local culture and perceptions.