A conservação da onça-pintada deve levar em conta não apenas fatores ecológicos e econômicos, mas também fatores sociais e culturais Efforts to resolve conflicts between people and large cats, of which the conflict between farmers and jaguars is the most emblematic in Brazil, have concentrated on the prohibition of hunting, creation of protected areas and the implementation of measures to reduce levels of or compensate farmers for economic losses. However, surveillance and enforcement in remote areas is not effective enough to solve the problems of lethal control or habitat degradation. Moreover, economic losses may not be the only reason to pursue and kill large cats. Fear, prejudice, or simply the pleasure of hunting a predator may also explain why people kill jaguar. However, the role and importance of social and cultural factors in influencing interactions between people and jaguars have been relatively neglected in conservation approaches.
The project “People & Jaguars” is conducting a study to identify the factors (besides economic) that explain variation in and causes of jaguar persecution in an agricultural frontier of the Amazon. More specifically, we are assessing the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and social patterns that determine the persecution and killing of jaguars and pumas in farms and rural communities around the Cristalino State Park. Once we have identified the factors that determine unsustainable behaviour in relation to jaguars and their habitat or that serve as a barrier to the adoption of sustainable behaviour, appropriate measures will be taken to increase knowledge and / or change attitudes to promote behaviour compatible with conservation. The project implements such education activities through the Cristalino Ecological Foundation's - School of the Amazon. |
