Predicting Acceptability of Jaguars and Pumas in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Engel, Monica T.; Vaske, Jerry J.; Bath, Alistair J.; Marchini, Silvio

doi:10.1080/10871209.2016.1183731

Cited by 35 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…These preliminary findings showed that people who were more knowledgeable were less afraid of big cats and more supportive of their presence in the region. Although encounters between people and big cats are rare in the Atlantic Forest, the willingness of residents to coexist with jaguars and pumas is important when implementing ecological corridors (Engel et al ). Information about the predictors of acceptability can help managers, conservationists, and educators better design and implement conservation programs involving local residents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although jaguars in the Atlantic Forest biome may sometimes be smaller than in other regions, educators should emphasize size differences between the species when communicating with the public. The ability to identify correctly a big cat can affect people's fear of these species, which in turn might influence attitudes (Engel et al ). Although there was no difference in the mean score for attitudes among the 3 categories of knowledge, decreasing fear through knowledge could improve a person's general attitude, and strengthen the acceptability of jaguars and pumas in the PEC region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We coded the answers as correct or incorrect ("do not know" answers were also coded as incorrect). We included 3 cognitive constructs (Table 1; Engel et al, 2016): 1) fear of jaguars and pumas (2 items); 2) general attitudes toward jaguars and pumas (2 items); and 3) acceptability of jaguars and pumas in the PEC region (2 items). For each construct, we asked questions about jaguars and pumas separately.…”

Section: Variables Measuredmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Increasing knowledge about pumas through education efforts or communication strategies might mitigate harmful interactions and promote coexistence between humans and pumas (Casey et al ). A recent study in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest addressing acceptability of jaguars and pumas (i.e., the extent that an individual considers a wildlife species as acceptable or unacceptable) found that acceptability was indirectly affected by fear of big cats and directly affected by attitudes toward these species (Engel et al ). We recommend education efforts and communication strategies to increase public acceptance of jaguars and pumas in the region (Engel et al ); however, prior to implementing any education and communication strategies, we need to understand the role of knowledge on acceptability and other cognitions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our review of the literature suggests that this is the first attempt to investigate the role of factual knowledge about biological characteristics of jaguars and pumas on the public's fear of, attitudes toward, and acceptance of these species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. Based on previous research (Kellert and Berry , Cella et al , Engel et al ), we advanced the following hypotheses: H 1 High school students will be less knowledgeable about big cats than are older individuals. H 2 Women will be less knowledgeable about big cats than men. H 3 Individuals who are more knowledgeable will be less fearful of big cats. H 4 Individuals who are more knowledgeable will hold more positive attitudes toward big cats. H 5 Individuals who are more knowledgeable will be more accepting toward big cats. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Knowledge about big cats matters: Insights for conservationists and managers

Engel

Vaske

Marchini³

et al. 2017

Wildl. Soc. Bull.

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Jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) are declining in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest because of anthropogenic threats (e.g., habitat loss, depletion of prey, human persecution). We assessed the influence of local people's factual knowledge about jaguars and pumas on fear of these big cats, attitudes toward big cats, and the acceptability of big cats. We also examined the influence of demographics (i.e., age, gender) on knowledge. We collected data from 326 rural residents adjacent to 2 protected areas located in a pristine fragment of the Atlantic Forest: Alto do Ribeira State Park and Intervales State Park. Although factual knowledge did not influence attitudes, knowledge was related to fear of big cats and acceptability of these species in the wild. Individuals that were more knowledgeable about big cats were less afraid and more tolerant of jaguars and pumas. Males and adults were more knowledgeable about big cats than were females and younger individuals. Our findings provide evidence that local knowledge can affect tolerance for big cats in the region and potentially reduce people–big cat conflict. Our findings also suggest that conservation efforts should focus on women and youth. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Variables Measuredmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Knowledge about big cats matters: Insights for conservationists and managers

Engel

Vaske

Marchini³

et al. 2017

Wildl. Soc. Bull.

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Turkish and German university students’ emotions and protection intentions regarding wolves and wild boars

Dervişoğlu,

Menzel

2024

Eur J Wildl Res

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Emotional responses to wildlife can guide human responses to wildlife conflicts. At the same time, responses to wildlife often relate to cultural contexts. In this study, emotions associated with wolves and wild boars were examined in two samples taken from Turkish (N = 637) and German (N = 415) university students. As expected, different patterns of emotional responses emerged in the two samples. For example, while negative emotions such as disgust and anger toward the wild boar were prevalent in the Turkish sample, positive emotions such as joy, surprise, and interest occurred in the German sample. Significant differences between the emotions associated with wolves and wild boars were revealed in both samples. In the Turkish sample, wolves caused stronger fear, joy, and interest, whereas wild boars caused stronger anger and disgust. In the German sample, wolves caused stronger joy, surprise, interest, and sadness, whereas wild boars caused stronger disgust. Fear, however, was expressed toward both wolves and wild boars in both samples. The predictive power of emotions on students’ intentions to protect wild boars and wolves was examined as well as intentions to protect human interests against these animals. Disgust was the strongest (negative) predictor of a protection intention toward the wild boar in the Turkish sample. In the German sample, joy and interest were the emotions that best predicted conservation intentions (positive) for both animals.

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