Abstract
While
there have been increasing numbers of reports of human-wolf conflict in
China during recent years, little is known about the nature of this
conflict. In this study, we used questionnaires and semi-structured
interviews to investigate local villagers’ perceptions of wolves in
Jiuzhaigou County, western China. We sampled nine villages with more
frequent reports of wolf depredation to the local government, but
included three villages near alpine pastures in which reports of
depredation were less frequent. We sampled 100 residents, a subset of
the local population who were more likely to have had experience with
wolves. During the preceding three years, most families of the
respondents grazed livestock on alpine pastures, and most of them
reported that their livestock suffered from depredation by wolves. The
mean value of the reported annual livestock loss rates was considerably
higher in villages that reported depredation more frequently than in
those with less frequent reports of depredation. Most respondents in the
more frequently depredated villages perceived an increase in wolf
populations, whereas many in the less frequently depredated villages
perceived a decrease in wolf populations in their areas. People’s
attitudes towards wolves did not differ significantly between these two
village categories. The majority of the respondents were negative in
their attitude to wolves, despite a prevalent Tibetan culture that
favors the protection of wildlife. People’s negative attitude was
directly related to the number of livestock owned by their family. Those
with a larger number of livestock were more likely to have a negative
attitude towards wolves. Factors such as village category, ethnicity,
age and education level did not influence people’s attitudes to wolves.
We suggest that improved guarding of livestock and provision of monetary
support on human resources and infrastructure may mitigate human-wolf
conflicts in this region.
Cite this as
(2015) Local villagers’ perceptions of wolves in Jiuzhaigou County, western China. PeerJ 3:e982 https://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.982
No comments:
Post a Comment