Arachnids: between fear and financial support for environmental education projects

Abstract

Arachnids contribute to socioenvironmental development by acting as bioindicators of environmental quality and providing essential ecosystem services, highlighting the need for public awareness to conserve these potentially umbrella species. The aim is to evaluate the willingness to pay for informal education programs about arachnids in the central Brazilian savanna using the contingent valuation method (CVM). For this purpose, a preliminary analysis was conducted with 407 residents of a Brazilian municipality with a small population and significant incidents involving arachnid species. The respondents' profiles (gender, age, and education level), knowledge, perceptions of arachnids, and willingness to pay were collected. Quantification, average/total willingness to pay, and Pearson's correlation were performed using R software. Most respondents were women (75.43%), had a high school education and were aged between 35 and 65 years. We observed that most had some level of knowledge about the morphology, ecological characteristics, and importance of arachnids, especially for the environment. However, the results also indicate that older people, men, and those with lower education levels have a greater willingness to pay for educational events about Cerrado arachnids (IEPAs). Only a portion of the respondents were willing to pay for informal education programs in favor of arachnid awareness and conservation. The total willingness to pay was US$ 4,441.28, preferably managed by the state's public education institution. It is concluded that there is significant and necessary potential for environmental education actions to promote the conservation of arachnid megadiversity.