Linking human and ecological components to understand human-wildlife conflicts across landscapes and species

Author(s)

Teixeira, Lucas ^[1] ; Tisovec-Dufner, Karina Campos ^[1] ; Marin, Gabriela de Lima ^[1] ; Marchini, Silvio ^{[2, 3, 4]} ; Dorresteijn, Ine ^[5] ; Pardini, Renata ^[6]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Programa Posgrad Ecol, Rua Matao, Travessa 14, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Oxford, Dept Zool, Wildlife Conservat Res Unit, Recanati Kaplan Ctr, Oxford OX13 5QL, Oxon - England

^[3] North England Zool Soc, Chester Zoo, Gaughall Rd, Chester CH2 1LH, Cheshire - England

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Dept Ciencias Florestais, Caixa Postal 09, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Utrecht, Copernicus Inst Sustainable Dev, Princetonlaan 8a, NL-3584 CB Utrecht - Netherlands

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Rua Matao, Travessa 14, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Conservation Biology; v. 35, n. 1 AUG 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) are complex conservation challenges that impair both wildlife populations and human livelihood. Research on HWC, however, has traditionally approached ecological and human components separately, hampering a broader understanding of connections between ecological drivers and human dimensions of conflicts. We developed a model that integrates ecological and human components of HWC to investigate how the amount of remaining native forest (forest cover, a key ecological variable known to influence species occurrence and abundance) affects human experiences with wildlife (contact with species and attacks on livestock) and how such experiences influence tolerance via beliefs, emotions, and attitudes. We tested the model with piecewise structural equation modeling and data on human interactions with 3 mammals with different rarity and body size: opossum (Didelphis aurita), crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), and puma (Puma concolor). Data were obtained by interviewing 114 landowners across 13 Atlantic Forest landscapes (10-50% forest cover). Forest cover was associated with high chance of attacks on livestock, and thus with low tolerance, only in the case of the puma. Effects of distinct experiences with wildlife on beliefs and emotions varied across species. Beliefs and emotions toward wildlife influenced tolerance toward all species, but negative emotions affected tolerance toward only with the puma. Conflicts with large carnivores, such as pumas, can then be understood as disservices provided by forests, indicating the relevance of framing HWC more broadly to consider trade-offs with ecosystems services. For some species, positive experiences with wildlife may counteract the negative effects of attacks on livestock in shaping tolerance. Models such as ours-that link ecological and human dimensions-can help identify more effective leverage points to improve HWC mitigation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/23457-6 - Interface project: relationships among landscape structure, ecological processes, biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Grantee: Jean Paul Walter Metzger
• Support type: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/06789-3 - Human-wildlife interactions: influence of ecological context on people's attitudes towards wild mammals
• Grantee: Lucas Manuel Cabral Teixeira
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 16/06690-7 - How does the intention of preserving the forest very among people living in landscapes with different percentages of remaining forest?
• Grantee: Karina Campos Tisovec Dufner
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master