Factors influencing local attitudes and perceptions regarding jaguars Panthera onca and National Park conservation in Panama

Abstract

Throughout its range in Latin America the jaguar Panthera onca is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and conflict with humans. Protected areas in Panama harbour some of the last remaining suitable habitat for jaguars and are vital to conservation. However, no previous studies had assessed which factors in particular affect the tolerance of rural Panamanians towards jaguars and National Park conservation, which is important to jaguar persistence. Whether these factors are consistent with previous research on human-carnivore coexistence is unclear. To address this we estimated the number of instances of depredation of cattle by jaguars, and assessed attitudes and perceptions of rural Panamanians. We conducted semistructured interviews in two disparate study areas: Cerro Hoya National Park and Darién National Park. Depredation events were more frequent in the latter, but only residents of the former reported conflict between people and coyotes Canis latrans. Positive perceptions of jaguars and National Parks, and criticism of park management, increased with level of education and land ownership. Men were more open to receiving help on their farms to mitigate impacts of jaguars, and more tolerant of the presence of jaguars, than women. Residents from both study areas indicated high appreciation for their respective National Parks. We provide recommendations to improve community outreach and education initiatives, and suggest priority areas for future mitigation efforts concerning human-jaguar interactions in Panama.

Jaguar Persecution Without “Cowflict”: Insights From Protected Territories in the Bolivian Amazon

“…However, the origin of the story was unclear since, in the different areas, people claimed the attack occurred in their region. Stories, or myths, are intertwined with our beliefs, values, actions (Gottschall, 2012;Fort et al, 2018). Hearing stories about a jaguar attack may influence jaguar killing, as fear of large carnivores can be incited through knowledge of an attack (Dickman, 2010;Kelly, 2019) and the perception of the jaguar as threatening to humans is associated with attitudes toward jaguar killing in the Amazon (Carvalho, 2019).…”

Multiple factors influence local perceptions of snow leopards and Himalayan wolves in the central Himalayas, Nepal

“…Local perceptions also vary among ethnic groups, and are linked to religious and cultural beliefs (Ale, Shah & Jackson, 2016;Dickman et al, 2014;Kellert et al, 1996;Li et al, 2013;Mkonyi et al, 2017). Socio-demographic variables such as age, sex, income, occupation, literacy, number of livestock owned and loss to predators have all shown to be associated with local perceptions and attitudes towards large carnivores (Caruso et al, 2020;Fort et al, 2018;Kellert & Berry, 1987;Kideghesho, Røskaft & Kaltenborn, 2007;Naughton-Treves, Grossberg & Treves, 2003;Oli, Taylor & Rogers, 1994;Røskaft et al, 2007;Trajçe et al, 2019).…”

Current Societal Views about Sustainable Wildlife Management and Conservation: A Survey of College Students in China

“…In this study we seek to understand the reasons why people make certain decisions or exhibit certain behaviors using an attitude survey of young Chinese students, where newer ideas about the wildlife–human nexus are emerging. Attitude studies can help researchers understand people’s concepts and values on wildlife conservation, assist managers to formulate more scientific and comprehensive wildlife conservation strategies that also reflect public awareness and concerns about wildlife-related issues [ 18 , 19 ].…”