Knowledge, attitude and practice of the local people towards human–carnivore coexistence in Faragosa–Fura Landscape, Gamo Zone, southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Local people knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) have played an important role in human-wildlife coexistence and have received increased attention in biodiversity conservation. However, studies on the KAP of local people towards human-carnivore coexistence (HCC) are scarce, species-specific or limited to the protected areas. Therefore, we investigated the local people KAP towards carnivore coexistence with humans, the problem of livestock and mitigation practices in a human-dominated landscape of southern Ethiopia. We collected the data from 352 households interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire and photographic sampling. The respondents mentioned 13 carnivores coexisting with local people belonging to six families. Eighty-five percent of the respondents perceived carnivores as problematic species and expressed a negative attitude towards them, primarily due to the damage they caused to their livestock. Respondents who had better knowledge of carnivores also showed a positive attitude towards carnivores. The cluster analysis showed that the spotted hyena, serval, leopard, common genet and black-backed jackal were grouped under a high-threat cluster. Chickens and goats were the most threatened livestock reported by respondents. The main predation control methods reported were guarding and fencing for larger livestock and keeping chickens indoors during the night. The regression models predicted that males and literate respondents had better knowledge of carnivores than females and illiterates. The respondents who owned more livestock experienced more damage to livestock, and females showed a negative attitude towards carnivores. Although the study area is the critical conservation value of the 13 carnivore species, livestock predation by carnivores, the local people's negative attitude towards carnivores and lethal predation control methods practiced by local people were affecting HCC in the area. The findings call for conservation actions such as conservation education to raise awareness and develop a positive attitude and non-lethal predation mitigation measures to promote HCC in consultation with the local community.

Perceptions of farmers towards carnivores in an Ethiopian protected area

“…Studies (e.g. Berhanu et al, 2022; Gebo et al, 2022; Miller et al, 2016) stated that local people and carnivores are in conflict due to overlapping resource demand in different parts of the country and elsewhere.…”

Population Density of Wild Animals and Their Conflict in Konasa_Pulasa Community Conserved Forest, Omo Valley, Southern Ethiopia

“…Te questionnaires were administered to members of the households randomly on a frst-come, frst-served basis. Te questionnaires focused on three main areas of interest: Tese include (i) demographic and socio-economic information of respondents, (ii) the identifcation of problematic wild animals responsible for crop damage and domestic animal depredation, (iii) mitigation measures, and farmer attitudes towards wild animal conservation by following the procedures of Naughton-Treves and Treves [38] and Gebo et al [37]. Te attitude of the respondents towards the wild animal was categorized as a major problem (negative perception), a minor problem (negative perception), no problem (positive perception), and no response (neutral).…”

“…Large, medium, and small-bodied wild mammalian species cause crop damage and predation on livelihoods, which negatively infuence the attitudes of local people towards wildlife and increase the local community to take retaliatory killings [27,35]. People's attitudes towards forests and wild animal conservation are likely infuenced by the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of residents [30,37]. Experienced costs and benefts, personal or cultural beliefs about wildlife, and other environmental factors also infuence the local people attitudes towards wildlife [5,28,38].…”

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Locals towards Greater Kudu (<i>Tragelaphus strepsiceros, Pallas, 1766</i>) Conservation in Lake Bogoria Landscape, Kenya

“…Respondents who are well informed on sustainability tend to have a positive attitude towards conservation [10]. Markedly, in a study to investigate KAP of locals towards carnivore coexistence with humans in a human-dominated landscape of southern Ethiopia, it was found that respondents who had better knowledge of carnivores also showed a positive attitude towards carnivores [11]. This was affirmed in a study in Sekong, Sesan, and Srepok (3S) Rivers, in South East Asia, where a KAP sur-vey was conducted on a community-based conservation program that had been implemented to protect threatened water birds by utilizing direct payments to local communities for bird nest protection.…”