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- Title
Using Peoples' Perceptions to Improve Conservation Programs: The Yellow-Shouldered Amazon in Venezuela.
- Authors
Sánchez-Mercado, Ada; Blanco, Oriana; Sucre-Smith, Bibiana; Briceño-Linares, José Manuel; Peláez, Carlos; Rodríguez, Jon Paul
- Abstract
The perceptions and attitudes of local communities help understand the social drivers of unsustainable wildlife use and the social acceptability of conservation programs. We evaluated the social context influencing illegal harvesting of the threatened yellow-shouldered Amazon (Amazona barbadensis) and the effectiveness of a longstanding conservation program in the Macanao Peninsula, Margarita Island, Venezuela. We interviewed 496 people from three communities and documented their perceptions about (1) status and the impact of threats to parrot populations, (2) acceptability of the conservation program, and (3) social processes influencing unsustainable parrot use. Approval of the program was high, but it failed to engage communities despite their high conservation awareness and positive attitudes towards the species. People identified unsustainable use as the main threat to parrots, but negative perceptions were limited to selling, not harvesting or keeping. Harvesters with different motivations (keepers, sellers) may occur in Macanao, and social acceptability of both actors may differ. Future efforts will require a stakeholder engagement strategy to manage conflicts and incentives to participation. A better understanding of different categories of harvesters, as well as their motives and role in the illegal trade network would provide insights to the design of a behavior change campaign.
- Subjects
VENEZUELA; BEHAVIOR; ATTITUDE (Psychology); SOCIAL acceptance; CONFLICT management; SOCIAL processes; SENSORY perception
- Publication
Diversity (14242818), 2020, Vol 12, Issue 9, p342
- ISSN
1424-2818
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/d12090342