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Local perspectives on conflicts with wildlife and their management in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Arroyo-Quiroz, Ines, García-Barrios, Raúl, Argueta-Villamar, Arturo, Smith, Robert J., Salcido, Ramón Pérez Gil (2017) Local perspectives on conflicts with wildlife and their management in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Journal of Ethnobiology, 37 (4). pp. 719-742. ISSN 0278-0771. (doi:10.2993/0278-0771-37.4.719) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:58667)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided. (Contact us about this Publication)
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-37.4.719

Abstract

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a widespread issue of increasing concern to conservationists, as it impacts people's lives and livelihoods and reduces their tolerance to the species concerned. HWC is often interpreted as a result of people encroaching upon and destroying natural habitats, but some incidents could be linked to economically driven emigration that results in depopulation and institutional and cultural disruption. Here we use an ethnobiological approach to gain insights on HWC dynamics from a case study in Mexico, where emigration is common in rural areas. We carried out a five-year study of HWC in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, a biodiversity-rich protected area in Mexico that also supports a human population of nearly 100,000 mostly poor and marginalized people. We found that villagers reported conflict incidents involving 25 terrestrial vertebrate species, contradicting the original self-perception that HWC mostly involved cattle ranchers and a few large carnivore species. As a response, we develop a multi-layered assessment of villagers' perspectives, emotions, and attitudes towards wildlife based on the local roles of gender, probability of encountering wildlife, and the conflicting moral beliefs and switching ethical responses of people with different cultural and economic backgrounds. Our assessment identifies the need for pluralistic approaches to enhance the sustainable use and management of wildlife in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.2993/0278-0771-37.4.719
Uncontrolled keywords: human-wildlife conflict, perspectives, management, Sierra Gorda, Mexico
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history > QH75 Conservation (Biology)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation > DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology)
Depositing User: Bob Smith
Date Deposited: 16 Nov 2016 12:50 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Feb 2021 13:39 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/58667 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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