IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Marchini, S. | |
| Coexistence Project: Human Dimensions of the Conflicts between People and Jaguars (_Panthera onca_) in Brazil | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
Jaguar conservation has relied upon ecological aspects of the species, those relative to its feeding ecology - predation on livestock - in particular. This strictly ecological-economic approach does little to protect jaguars where hostility toward the species is socially and culturally ingrained. Vitally, the goal of my research was to identify the factors - besides ecological and economic ones - that explain variation in jaguar persecution and assess their relative importance. Questionnaires and interviews were used to assess knowledge, values, beliefs, attitudes and norms toward jaguars, plus socioeconomic and demographic variables. Approximately 600 students (ages 6-18) on the Amazon's agricultural frontier and 400 landowners in Amazonia, Pantanal and Atlantic Forest were assessed. I found that livestock depredation is often the proximate cause of persecution. However, the rather great variation in tolerance to depredation is explained mainly by education and cultural background. These findings suggest that effective strategies to resolve human-jaguar conflicts should combine measures to decrease depredation and education/communication interventions to increase tolerance to jaguars. Based on the findings, education and communication interventions - e.g. lectures, posters and stickers, radio advertisements, cartoon magazines for children and practical guides for landowners - have been conducted in rural communities around Cristalino State Park, in Amazonia. |
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