Perception Of Local People Research Articles

Effects of human–wildlife conflict on local people's livelihoods and wildlife conservation in and around Alitash National Park, northwest Ethiopia

Human–wildlife conflict has become one of the fundamental aspects of wildlife management. It threatens both wildlife and human welfare. People have injured, abused, and killed wildlife in response to perceived and/or actual damage from wildlife. Such negative interactions are common in adjacent protected areas (PAs) where people and wildlife share the same resources. However, the local contexts of the conflict around the most newly established PAs remain unaddressed. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of human–wildlife conflict on local people's livelihoods and wildlife conservation in and around Alitash National Park, Ethiopia. The data were collected by interviewing 198 households from 11 villages and conducting 3 focus group discussions and 12 key informant interviews. The survey questions were designed to understand the occurrence of wildlife damage, species involved, losses incurred, and local people's perception and reaction. The results revealed that 59.6% of the surveyed households encountered at least a single type of wildlife‐caused damage. Crop damage was the most prevalent, encountered by more than half (54%) of the households, of which 34.4 and 19.6% lost at most 25 and 75% of their crop fields, respectively. Common warthog, African porcupines, and common baboon were the top‐ranked wildlife species involved in crop‐raiding. The livestock loss from 2016 to 2020 was 287.89 tropical livestock units, which were shared by 47.5% of the respondents. Human attacks were rare, although 18 attacks by lion, spotted hyena, and leopard were reported by the study participants. The responses of the victims were negative and full of resentment to the wildlife. This undermines conservation efforts and the socio‐economic welfare of the local people. Thus, providing alternative livelihood opportunities and creating a context‐based conservation scheme along with continuous conservation education would help to reduce the negative effect of human–wildlife conflict on both wildlife and people.

People’s perception of the brown bear reintroduction in the Spanish Pyrenees

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) was reintroduced in the Pyrenees during the ‘90s. The bear population has increased in number and distribution, fostering human-wildlife conflicts in areas where the species was absent for more than a century. We analysed 236 questionnaires about people’s perception toward the bear reintroduction in the Spanish Pyrenees, as well as the role of public administration in managing the damages caused by bears using regression trees. Our tree models explained 85% of the observed variability of people’s perceptions being the main drivers of perception whether people consider brown bears to be overabundant, whether these mammals attract nature tourism, if bears represent a danger for humans and finally if the local administration compensates for brown bear damages. We conclude that local administration should create the appropriate social atmosphere for the coexistence of humans and brown bears through information and risk prevention campaigns, compensation of damages, and promoting the public valorisation of the species. These efforts to mitigate human-bear conflicts may promote a positive perception of local people towards this emblematic mammal.

An Analysis of Jirga System and Perception of Local People: A Case Study of Bahadur Khan Village, Attock District, Pakistan

An Analysis of Jirga System and Perception of Local People: A Case Study of Bahadur Khan Village, Attock District, Pakistan

Safe drinking water supply under extreme climate events: evidence from four urban sprawl communities

ABSTRACT In this study, the impacts of climate variability/change on water supply in three urban sprawl communities were examined. Using historical satellite climate datasets and social surveys, the study assesses the water stress during different seasons in urban sprawl communities. The primary data was gathered through structured questionnaires and focused group discussions (FGDs) in various communities throughout the study area. The stress of accessing drinking water was evaluated in different seasons and during climate extreme events. The correlation analysis was used to further examine the relationship between specific variables and people's perceptions of major observed climate change as they induce water stress. The results from local people's perception of climate change impacts on safe drinking water supply reflect meteorological analysis, which indicates that the mean minimum temperature has increased, 1.0° <Tmin> 1.3°C in the urban sprawl communities. The results indicate that age and time living in the neighbourhood have a significant influence on how people perceive and understand climate change as they induce water stress. These have resulted in much stress for women, who are forced to walk a long distance to fetch drinking water for the households, during the extremely dry seasons.

Understanding the Socio-environmental Consequences of Rohingya Refugee: A Study on the Perceptions of Host Community

Rohingya refugees came into a massive influx in Bangladesh in 2017 and overwhelmed the camp areas with myriads of problems especially degrading environment and creating social chaos. This study seeks to understand the perception of local people about Rohingya refugees regarding the impacts of refugees on the host community from both environmental and social perspectives. The study finds that in the initial period of the refugee influx, local people showed their sympathy and provided support to help these forced migrants. However, the perception of local people started to change over time as they believed that because of the massive influx of refugees, the host environment lost a thousand acres of forest, more than half of the total hill lands, and vast biodiversity. Moreover, due to the establishment of refugee camps, the host communities face several social problems like theft, robbery, hijacking, teasing, violence, smuggling, etc. The long presence of refugees in an area with scarce resources brings social tensions and competition that may turn into social conflict if there is a lack of proper surveillance and policies from respective authorities. Social Science Review, Vol. 39(3), Dec 2022 Page 1-16

ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABLE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN TWO PLANNED RESIDENTIAL AREAS OF KHULNA CITY

'Sustainable housing affordability’ is a relatively new concept where housing affordability is assessed in context of sustainability. It is becoming an important concern in the context of sustainable urban planning due to growing housing demand and increasing housing costs. With the rapid urbanization rate, sustainable housing affordability is becoming a concern in Bangladesh as well. Being the third-largest city of Bangladesh, Khulna is also suffering from housing affordability issues. Planned residential areas also have sustainable housing affordability concerns, which have been revealed through this research. For this research, Sonadanga and Nirala residential areas are selected for sustainable affordability issues identification, assessment, and comparison.This paper reveals that the addition of social and environmental criteria along with the economical in the housing affordability assessment can bring a vital change in the outcome. The complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) of the multi-criteria decision-making method has been used to run the assessment and comparison. The methodology includes existing criteria selection and assessment in the study area through normalized weighted values based on the local people's perception. The outcome reveals that an assessment of housing affordability in a sustainable manner can identify the affordability issues in different housing locations more accurately than the method which includes the economic criteria only.

The perception of local people towards the Sources of Coarse Aggregates around their locality

The perception of local people towards the Sources of Coarse Aggregates around their locality

Determination of Local People's Perception of the Cittaslow Movement and the Effects of Tourism: The Case of Egirdir District

Sakin şehir kavramı sakin hareket kavramından esinlenerek 1999 yılında İtalya’da Paulo Saturnini önderliğinde dört küçük kentin belediye başkanlarının bir araya gelmesi ile ortaya çıkmıştır. Sakin şehir hareketinin amacı şehirlerin kendi kimliklerini koruyarak küreselleşme sonucu meydana gelen aynılaşmanın önüne geçmektir. Araştırmanın amacı, Eğirdir halkının sakin şehir hareketine yaklaşımı ile bölgedeki turizm etkisi algısı arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Nicel araştırma yönteminin uygulandığı araştırmada verilerin elde edilebilmesi için yerel halka yönelik yüz yüze anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonuçları, sakin şehir hareketinin bölgenin tanıtımına katkı sağladığını, yeni iş sahaları oluşturduğunu ve yerel halkın yaşam kalitesini artırdığını ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca sakin şehir statüsünün bölgede pahalılığa neden olduğu, ithal mal kullanımını artırdığı ve çevresel birtakım sorunlara yol açtığı tespit edilmiştir.

Local people perception on Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus spp. in Banyuasin, Sumatera, Indonesia

The population decline in horseshoe crabs was increasingly revealed by various researchers in Asian countries, but there are still gaps in information regarding their population and ecological status. In data-poor situations, especially in the Banyuasin peninsula, collecting local knowledge was required because this approach was an easy, wide-scale, inexpensive, and rapid way to obtain data. This work aimed to assess the contributing local knowledge regarding the horseshoe crab's distribution, use, and threats to the existence of horseshoe crabs in the Banyuasin peninsula. Interviews using a questionnaire were conducted in five villages and one hamlet by visiting randomly selected households. The result revealed that most respondents (94%; n = 115) could correctly identify the species and shape between Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus spp. Most respondents stated easily recognized C. rotundicauda by their rounded telson and smooth (without spines) whereas Tachypleus spp. was also easily recognized by their triangular telson with spines. The respondents avowed that Sembilang National Park Waters, especially Sembilang River (80%; n = 98), Cabe Island (71%; n = 87), Benawang River (56%; n = 68), and Sapi Island (52%; n = 64) were the most widespread location of horseshoe crabs. The C. rotundicauda was discovered more frequently than Tachypleus spp. in almost every distributing location around December (80%; n = 97), November (70%; n = 86), and October (57%; n = 69). The most horseshoe crabs benefit was for food (63%, n = 73). The main factors encouraged a decline in the horseshoe crab population, i.e. entangled in fishing nets (92%, n = 106). Respondents acknowledged that the Indonesian Government established the horseshoe crab as a protected animal. Fishermen's consciousness to reduce the horseshoe crab's bycatch and ensure it returned to the sea alive and safe was much needed to address the serious threat to its population decline.

Ethnoveterinary study of the medicinal plants of Dheri, Julagram, Khar, Tari, and Totakan Villages of Tehsil Batkhela, Malakand, Northern Pakistan

Background: The current study was conducted to document the medicinal plants used commonly for the treatment of veterinary diseases in the study area. Methods: The snowball sampling method was used for the selection of informants and the informants were interviewed through a semi-structured questionnaire. The documented data was quantified by indices UV (use value) and RFC (Relative Frequency of Citation). Results: During fieldwork, about 51 plant species belonging to the 35 families were collected and ethnoveterinary data was documented for these plants. The most dominant family was Apiaceae and Solanaceae (5 Species each). The most dominant life form was herb (34 Species). The most commonly used plant part was the leaf (16 Species). The most common method of drug preparation was decoction (28 Species). The highest RFC value was calculated for Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague (0.245) and the highest UV value was calculated for Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague (0.28). The most commonly treated group of diseases was digestive system disorders. Conclusion: Traditional communities still use medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases of animals. But the knowledge of ethnoveterinary is at risk because the younger generations have no interest. Furthermore, due to deforestation and urbanization, the local medicinal flora is also at risk. Keywords: Ethnoveterinary; Medicinal plants; Traditional knowledge; Local people perception

Environmental, social and health impacts of stone quarrying in Mitrapur panchayat of Balasore district, Odisha

Excessive demand for stones due to rapid infrastructure development led to uncontrolled stone quarrying in Mitrapur panchayat of Balasore district causing serious environmental degradation and socio-economic conflict. A large numbers of tribal people of this area are dependent on stone quarrying activities for carrying their livelihood. Methodology include field observation, photo documentation and interview of local people through a predesigned structured questionnaire to know the local people perception about the impacts of quarrying. This current study was conducted through collection of data from local people of five villages namely, Chatrikhunta, Chandipur, Patana, Kathagochhi and Jamudiha of Mitrapur panchayat of Balasore. Majority tribal people of study area (53%) depends upon quarrying activity for their livelihood. Many local people complained about various negative effects of stone quarrying activities. A vast majority of respondent stated that they suffered severely from the noise pollution caused from the stone quarry related activities (83%). Major source of noise pollution were stone crushers (54%), transport of material by truck/dumper/ tractor (24%) and use of dynamite in blasting operation in quarry (22%). About 40% respondent complained about the impact of dust pollution on agriculture. The availability of water resources in the study area varied from site to site. Many health impacts like bodily pain, eye infection, sleepless nights, headache, cough and chest pain have been reported due to engagement in stone quarrying. In spite of its contribution towards development, quarrying is also responsible for several negative environmental and socio-economic impacts, particularly when quarrying activity is carried out haphazardly.

Indigenous Knowledge and Perception of Local People towards Biodiversity Conservation in Rajouri District of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Plant resources have been used by humans for their wellbeing for ages. Tribal communities live in far flung areas in close proximity with forests and have a rich cultural heritage and traditional knowledge of forest resources. The present study was carried out in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir to document the traditional knowledge of plant usage and local perception towards biodiversity conservation. A total of 86 informants were selected through non-probability sampling using a convenience sampling method based on easy access, availability and relevance of informants. During the present study, a total of 92 plant species belonging to 85 genera and 57 families were recorded. Fabaceae and Rosaceae were found to be dominant families. In terms of growth forms, herbaceous species were dominant, followed by trees. Leaves were the most common parts used, followed by fruits. These plant species are used for different purposes such as medicine, edibles, fodder and dye making. A number of plant species were found to be multipurpose in use. Most of the documented plant species are collected by local people from the wild. Local people perceived that the populations of many species, such as Dolomiaea costus, Dioscorea deltoidea and Dolomiaea macrocephala, have declined in recent decades. Climate change, urbanization, deforestation, pollution, overexploitation and species invasion are some of the major threats to biodiversity perceived by the local people. Therefore, the establishment of protected areas and cultivation of wild species are recommended to safeguard forest wealth of the area. Furthermore, mass awareness and cooperation-building programs are highly recommended so that locals can enthusiastically participate in conservation and management programs.

Insights from Local Community on Changing Availability of Non-Timber Forest Products under Climate Change in Panchadeval Binayak Municipality, Achham District, West Nepal

Local people in the hilly area depend upon different varieties of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as foods, medicines, spices, etc. for income generation, except timber. This paper highlights the perception of local people over current situation including status of availability of NTFPs under changing climate. Data were collected by using questionnaire survey and key informant interview (KII) in 9 wards of Panchadeval Binayak Municipality during April, 2022. Altogether 225 interviews were taken with the oldest family members of each household. Total 89 species of NTFPs were noted. Majority of species were used for medicinal purpose (53.92%), followed by edible (30.33%) whereas 15.73% species were used for fodder, fuelwood and other purposes. Climate change and availability of NTFPs were analyzed according to people’s perception. The study showed that about 96% of respondents agreed to increase in temperature, 84.83% believed in decrease of rainfall, whereas13.33% agreed the rainfall to be unpredictable. Due to those climatic changes, the availability of NTFPs is predicted to decrease and the dependency of people on NTFPs is in critical condition in this municipality. Therefore, it is urged to develop some climate change coping strategies at the local and national level which will assure the NTFPs availability for the local people.

Local People's perception of forest ecosystem services, traditional conservation, and management approaches in North Wollo, Ethiopia

For their livelihoods, many people rely on the services offered by forest ecosystems. Nevertheless, forests are being lost and degraded on a global scale, endangering the delivery of important services. This is the situation in Ethiopia, a nation where land degradation and deforestation pose a threat to the majority of forest ecosystems. Studies in North Wollo are very scarce and limited despite the present growth in evidence bases measuring environmental services and risks across the globe. The traditional knowledge and attitudes of the locals concerning trends in forest management, conservation, and ecosystem services were investigated in this study. We used many approaches for gathering data. The quantitative data were analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, multiple linear regression, and general linear regression models. The main threats to forest ecosystems in North Wollo included deforestation for the production of firewood and charcoal, increased population growth and agricultural needs, environmental pollution, the allelopathic influence of exotic species, and loss of soil fertility. These dangers cause instability and a decline in the range of ecological services provided by forests. Regarding this, the customary rules, social exclusion, and indigenous beliefs were utilized as a conservation technique to maintain and protect the remaining natural resources. In addition, the community uses terracing, gully prevention, and hillside planting with native trees to restore the ecology that has been damaged. As a result, efforts should be made to solve the current difficulties and dangers since local people, the government and non-governmental organizations have an interest in preserving forest ecosystems. In general, encouraging the direct involvement of locals in decision-making and equitable distribution of the benefits resulting from the ecosystems could aid in addressing the difficulties and risks to the ecosystems.

Peoples' Perception on Invasive Alien Plant Species of Ramdhuni Municipality, Sunsari District, Eastern Nepal

The purpose of this study was to record existing information and perception of local people on invasive alien plant species IAPs in the rural areas of lowland, eastern Nepal (Ramdhuni Municipality, Sunsari District). A semi-structured questionnaire survey and interview were carried out to document whether the people were known or unknown to the IAPs followed by harmful or beneficial effects of IAPs and control measures to minimize the spread of IAPs. We found that only 6.25% of respondents knew about the IAPs and there was significant difference between the percentage of respondents who were known or unknown to IAPs. There was a significant positive correlation between the respondents' ages and the number of plants they described. Local people have been using IAPs for food, medicine, and fodder for a long time. However, some IAPs also have detrimental effects in forest and agriculture.

Exploring the Rural Tourism Perception of Local People and Farmers

This study aims to examine rural tourism perception of local people and farmers living in Mordoğan, Izmir, Turkey. Main material of this study was obtained from surveys conducted with 103 local people and 65 farmers. In this study, factor analysis was used to determine rural tourism perceptions of local people and farmers. According to the analysis result, .ix main factors related to rural tourism perceptions of local people and farmers, which can be measured by nineteen statements, were determined. These factors were named as economic, socio-cultural, environmental, interaction, awareness and local development factors. Cronbach alpha coefficient of factors was calculated as 0.840 and it explained 73.29 % of total variance. The economic factor was found to be the most important explanatory factor.

Ecosystem Services, Local People Perception and Preferences in Chilimo forest of Ethiopia

Site and situation specific assessments of such services are crucial to sustainably conserve and manage forest resources. In this study, using Chilmo forest as a case study site, an attempt has been made to identify the main ecosystem services which are perceived and preferred by local communities. The study triangulated primary data collection methods such as field observations, household surveys, key informant interviews and pebble-distribution methods. In addition, secondary data was used to support and verify the primary data. Combinations of techniques were employed for data analyses. We identified five landscapes and four forest ecosystem services. Out of which, provisioning services are the main source of livelihood and subsistence incomes for local communities. We also found that forests are the sole source of water and fuel wood services in the study area. According to the perception and preferences of local people forest land received the highest scores compared to other landscapes for all services except provisioning services. We conclude that local communities are highly dependent on forests’ ecosystem services in the study area. This finding is expected to contribute towards management of the Chilmo forest and to be used as an input for further valuation study. Keywords: Ecosystem service; Valuation; Forest, Ethiopia. DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/89-01 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Perception of local people and visitors towards ecotourism development in Jagadishpur reservoir

Ecotourism promotes stewardship of natural and cultural resources. However, local people and tourists' opinions are necessary to promote ecotourism development. This study attempts to identify prospective ecotourism products and assess local and visitor perceptions towards ecotourism development in the Jagadishpur reservoir. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 50 local households, 65 visitors, and 7 key informants. We used Friedman's rank test to determine the preferences for ecotourism products, and Fisher's exact test to quantify locals and visitors' perceptions of ecotourism. The findings showed that lakes/scenic beauty, and bird watching are the highest rated ecotourism products by locals and visitors, respectively. Local people and visitors perceived picnic spots and view towers as additional ecotourism products for ecotourism development, respectively. The perceptions of locals and visitors showed no significant difference that the area is suitable for ecotourism, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood promotion of locals. However, a significant difference was found in the perception between locals and visitors of the culture and tradition. The study showed that local people and visitors both are positive for ecotourism development in terms of suitability, livelihood, and biodiversity conservation. Detailed understanding and prioritized ecotourism products can contribute to ecotourism promotion more effectively. Furthermore, more research on the feasibility of identified ecotourism products and the effectiveness of fund allocation for ecotourism products are urgently needed to develop wetland tourism in a sustainable way.

Effectiveness of physical barriers in mitigating human–elephant negative interactions in North-East India

Physical barriers, like solar fences, elephant-proof trenches, stone, or rubble walls, are installed as conflict mitigation interventions in India’s major Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) ranges. However, installations lacking a priori scientific assessment of site specificity for reducing elephant incursion in the human settlements often fail in the intended goals of the resource-intensive management interventions. Since humans are central to conflict issues, research focusing on social aspects is essential for devising solutions. Despite the use of barriers in the Golaghat district in Assam, human–elephant conflict (HEC) cases are increasing, which offers an opportunity to evaluate their efficacy. Optimized hotspot analysis of the historic HEC records from 2010 to 2019 was done to check the spatial extent of the conflict and its dispersion in the district. We also assessed the efficiency of a 4.2-km long solar fence and a 2-km long elephant-proof trench through generalized linear modeling. We evaluated the encounter rates of elephant signs and other site covariates at the barrier and non-barrier sites. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to assess the perception of local people on the barriers and overall HEC in their areas based on their willingness to pay (WTP) for maintenance of the barriers. The highest cases occurred between 2016 and 2017, making up 25% of the total conflict cases. It was noticed that the extent of these hotspots was concentrated, and there was no dispersion of the conflict to other areas. Furthermore, a significant difference in the encounter rates of elephant signs between barriers and no barrier sites was observed. Solar fenced areas showed relatively lower encounter rates than areas with the trench, suggesting better efficiency of solar fencing than trench in the landscape. In addition, only five out of seven explanatory variables, viz., the persistence of HEC cases, amount of ex-gratia compensation, time taken in getting compensation, change in elephant behavior (incursion), and crop-raiding frequency significantly explained people’s perception of the barrier and non-barrier sites. According to local people, physical barriers are essential in managing HEC; hence, installing and maintaining solar fences in the high conflict hotspots is crucial for this landscape.

Climate change, dietary shift, and traditional norms in the western Himalayan region, India

ABSTRACT Climate change is the new normal of modern times, complicating the assurance of food security to the vulnerable peoples, especially the local communities with deep-rooted customary beliefs associated with the dietary habits of the Himalayan region. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the climate-induced impacts on traditional communities is not yet fully understood for evidence-based policy formation. Hence, this study aims (i) to analyze the perception of local people towards climate change, (ii) to investigate the perception of local communities toward traditional dietary habits, and (iii) to explore the changes observed in socio-cultural beliefs system due to dietary shift. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 75 in-depth qualitative interviews. The results of the grounded theory approach show that climate change has a localized meaning. Further, environmental change has significantly affected local food choices, which have an implication on the customary belief system attached to the local communities, irrespective of the socio-demography of the communities. The current study concludes that traditional knowledge is significant in addressing the issue of climate change. Therefore, the local society’s socio-ecological beliefs must be integrated for effective food security and climate change adaptation strategies.