Local Ecological Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Sapajus flavius in a Key Area for Primate Conservation

Costa, Annyelle Kelly da Silva; Fuente, María Fernanda De la; Sobral, André; Souto, Antonio; Schiel, Nicola; Alves, Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega

doi:10.1007/s10764-023-00364-9

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 105 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Some studies find similar effects as in our study (Gebo et al, 2022;Sousa et al, 2014;Teixeira et al, 2021), where other studies did not (Junior et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2020). These differences are discussed as reflecting varying histories and tradition of forest use among local communities (Da Silva Costa et al, 2023). As in other studies (Da Silva Costa et al, 2023), male respondents in our study showed higher LEK than women.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…These differences are discussed as reflecting varying histories and tradition of forest use among local communities (Da Silva Costa et al, 2023). As in other studies (Da Silva Costa et al, 2023), male respondents in our study showed higher LEK than women. Women reported less sightings and thus direct experience with chimpanzees.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…According to Pinto-Marroquin and Serio-Silva (2020), people who eat chimpanzees may have also learned from outside poachers or migrants. In line with our predictions, the correlation between age, time spent in the community and respondents opinions regarding the fact that the park should be abolish or managed by local community was also found by Da silvaCosta et al (2023) suggesting that older…”

supporting

confidence: 88%

“…Such impacts have been individuals and people who had lived in the area for longer exhibited a higher LEK score. However, in natural resource-dependent communities as in our study area, LEK acquired at a young age can increase over years, resulting in older people being more knowledgeable than younger ones (Da Silva Costa et al, 2023). People who have spent many years in such areas tend to be more aware of their natural surroundings, are more likely to observe animals, and accumulate more information about them (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Opinions, attitudes and perceptions of local people towards the conservation of Nigeria‐Cameroon chimpanzees in Mpem‐Djim National Park, central Cameroon

Fotsing,

Kamkeng,

Zinner

2024

People and Nature

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Local ecological knowledge (LEK), tied to specific cultures, is crucial for sustainability in conservation initiatives. Therefore, including holders of this knowledge in management decisions is essential. Collecting protected area‐specific data on local people's attitudes, opinions and perceptions towards wildlife, especially for highly threatened species like great apes, is therefore crucial for effective conservation. This study emphasizes the importance of LEK as an interdisciplinary approach, highlighting its essential role in informing conservation decisions and understanding human–environment interactions. To fill the information gap on the LEK on the Nigeria‐Cameroon chimpanzee in central Cameroon, we used questionnaires to assess the LEK of respondents specifically their perceptions, opinions and attitudes towards the population trend of chimpanzees, as well as their opinion about the current management systems of Mpem and Djim National Park. We collect data from 240 respondents in 15 villages in the neighbourhood of the park. Using generalized linear mixed models, we were also able to assess socioeconomic and demographic factors that correlate with the opinions, attitudes and perceptions of the respondents towards chimpanzee conservation. About 87% of the respondents exhibited good knowledge about chimpanzees and 59% reported taboos related to chimpanzees. About 94% were aware of laws that prohibit the hunting of chimpanzees, while 87% agreed that it is a good initiative to conserve chimpanzees, and 42% reported that their population increased. Almost half (52%) of the respondents said they were satisfied with the current park management system. Age, gender, education level, number of children in the household and time spent in the community were predictors that influenced the attitude, opinion and perception of the respondents while occupation and the geographic distance between the village and the park did not. Our findings suggest that raising awareness of human–chimpanzee coexistence through adult education programmes should target specific demographic groups, such as those with larger families, limited education, older age, individuals with lower LEK or native. These findings brought insights to guide future studies and should be taken into account when discussing regional management. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

show abstract