Who is the expert? Evaluating local ecological knowledge for assessing wildlife presence in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

AbstractAmazonian wildlife population studies often employ conventional biological survey methods to assess species presence but a growing number of studies are making use of local ecological knowledge (LEK) household surveys. Despite concerns in the scientific community over the accuracy and precision of LEK, scant research to date compares data from conventional biological survey methods with data gathered from household surveys. An important question among scientists is who should be approached when collecting household survey data for wildlife inventories, both for accurate data and for ethical concerns. In this article, we report on the accuracy and precision of LEK household surveys for wildlife inventories based on data collected along the Napo River in Peru using 10 land transect surveys, 5 river transect surveys, 487 camera trap days, and 37 LEK household surveys. Our findings indicate that the household surveys for wildlife inventories are accurate in comparison to biological survey methods, and that they may outperform conventional surveys for certain aquatic, ephemeral, and cryptic terrestrial species. We find no statistical differences among households defined by participation in hunting, community leadership, or primary livelihood strategy. Community members recommend that scientists first solicit wildlife data from community leaders and then hunters. Through the use of retrospection, LEK surveys can reveal how wildlife presence changes through time in remote, data‐poor tropical forests. Use of LEK household surveys is recommended as a useful complement to other methods, with attention to collecting data ethically in collaboration with local communities.