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Quarles LF, Dechanupong J, Gibson N, Nekaris KAI. Knowledge, Beliefs, and Experience Regarding Slow Lorises in Southern Thailand: Coexistence in a Developed Landscape. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3285. [PMID: 37894010 PMCID: PMC10603664 DOI: 10.3390/ani13203285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural landscapes are being converted for agriculture and other human uses across Asia and this development presents potential threats for specialist species of primates, like the Endangered slow lorises of Thailand (Nycticebus bengalensis and N. coucang). It is crucial to understand the interface between humans and slow lorises in order to conserve these primates. Local ecological knowledge provides valuable information about these cryptic nocturnal species. We conducted 36 semi-structured interviews in Khao Lak, in southern Thailand, asking (1) where slow lorises were seen, (2) what they were doing, (3) how often people see slow lorises, and (4) what people knew about them. We converted the interviews to free lists and determined the importance of key words. Our results show that the informants saw lorises frequently in six general locations: forests/trees (58%), electric wires (47%), towns/villages (36%), plantations (33%), homesteads (28%), and roads (17%). The most prominent places were forests/trees, wires, and plantations. Eleven key concepts defined local beliefs, with the most prominent being that lorises are awake at night (69%), eat fruit (42%), are not aggressive (25%), are bad omens (25%), and there used to be more of them (25%). Due to a minimal presence of persecution or exploitation of slow lorises by humans in the study area and general tolerance in the face of competition for the same resources and spaces, we suggest that, despite extensive persecution for the illegal photo prop trade in nearby Phuket, the people of Khao Lak seem to live in a state of passive coexistence with slow lorises. However, we did find some evidence that the pet and photo prop trade are still present in the area. It is crucial that coexistence be struck within the context of deforestation and urbanization so that conservation initiatives can take place within the community to further improve the lives of humans and the status of lorises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke F. Quarles
- Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Gibbs Building, Gipsy Ln, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | | | - Nancy Gibson
- Love Wildlife Foundation, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
| | - K. A. I. Nekaris
- Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Gibbs Building, Gipsy Ln, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
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Deborah Daolapogy, Talukdar NR, Choudhury P. Ethnozoological use of primates in northeastern India. JOURNAL OF THREATENED TAXA 2021. [DOI: 10.11609/jott.6873.13.11.19492-19499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Ethnozoological practices to cure various diseases have a long history. Communities that reside near the forest collect wild animals and their derivatives to prepare medicines and get relief from diseases. Northeastern India is home to many tribes with vast traditional ethnobiological knowledge, and there are many reports of zootherapeutic uses in the region. In an attempt to understand primate-based ethnozoologic use in the area a literature survey was carried out using different sources. The findings revealed that Hoolock hoolock was the most used species among the primates (48 %), followed by Macaca assamensis (20 %) and Macaca mulatta (10 %). Among the materials used, the flesh of primates was the most dominant (43 %), followed by the blood (20 %) and brain (14 %). This paper highlights the negative effects of ethno-medicinal uses of primates to draw the attention of conservationists and encourage conservation education to address the damage to primates in the name of health care. Government agencies are also requested to strengthen health care systems to discourage the killing of valuable primate species.
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Wojciechowski FJ, Kaszycka KA, Otadoy JB. Utilizing local community knowledge of the Philippine tarsier in assessing the Bilar population endangerment risk, and implications for conservation. J Nat Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Chaves LS, Alves RRN, Albuquerque UP. Hunters' preferences and perceptions as hunting predictors in a semiarid ecosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 726:138494. [PMID: 32320877 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Game meat is a resource widely exploited by rural populations in various parts of the world. In recent decades, the growth in the number of people living near conserved areas has increased the demand for game meat. In this work, based on the Social-ecological Theory of Maximization, we seek to verify the influence of cost-benefit ratio, availability, and subjective preferences (flavor) in the selection of hunted species. We interviewed game-eating people in seven communities in the Brazilian semiarid region, recording information on hunting strategies, flavor preferences, and relative abundance of game fauna. We found that people hunt for the most available species regardless of the cost-benefit of this choice. Also, flavor preference can increase the odds of a species being hunted almost 100%. Our data show that hunters may prefer species that require less capture effort, even though they have energy-efficient alternatives. We found that flavor preference is proportionally the variable with the most significant effect on the chances of a species being hunted, suggesting that traditional optimal foraging models are too simple to cover the complexity involved in the selection of game species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo S Chaves
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Etnobiologia e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 52171-900 Recife, PE, Brazil; Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Sistemas Socioecológicos, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Rômulo R N Alves
- Departamento de Biologia e Programa de Pós-Graduação em Etnobiologia e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Av. das Baraúnas, 351/Campus Universitário, Bodocongó, Campina Grande, PB 58109-753, Brazil
| | - Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Sistemas Socioecológicos, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil.
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Birot H, Campera M, Imron MA, Nekaris K. Artificial canopy bridges improve connectivity in fragmented landscapes: The case of Javan slow lorises in an agroforest environment. Am J Primatol 2019; 82:e23076. [PMID: 31808189 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Birot
- Little Fireface Project Cipaganti West Java Indonesia
| | - Marco Campera
- Little Fireface Project Cipaganti West Java Indonesia
- Department of Social Sciences Oxford Brookes University Oxford UK
| | - Muhammad Ali Imron
- Department of Forest Resources Conservation Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta Indonesia
| | - K.A.I. Nekaris
- Little Fireface Project Cipaganti West Java Indonesia
- Department of Social Sciences Oxford Brookes University Oxford UK
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Thinley P, Rajaratnam R, Tighe M, Vernes K, Norbu T, Dorji R, Tenzin S. Understanding primate-human interaction: Socioeconomic correlates of local awareness and attitude toward the endangered golden langur Trachypithecus geei (Khajuria, 1956) in Bhutan. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e22995. [PMID: 31187542 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Despite the golden langur's (Trachypithecus geei) endangered and totally protected status, local awareness and attitude toward this species is poorly understood. We investigated local awareness and attitude in Bhutan by interviewing 1,143 households in the districts of Dagana, Sarpang, Trongsa, Tsirang, and Zhemgang, and analyzing data through a conditional inference tree analysis. Most respondents were not aware of the golden langur's nationally protected (53%; n = 604) and globally endangered status (64%; n = 730), but their location of residence (inside/outside a protected area; p < .001) and education level (p < .001) significantly influenced awareness. The majority of respondents (87%; n = 999) liked the golden langur but the attitude was significantly influenced primarily by whether or not they experienced crop damage by golden langurs (p < .001), and subsequently by location of residence (p < .001), local belief (p < .01), gender (p < .05), and personal encounter with a golden langur (p < .001). Socioeconomic variables like age, education level, and annual income did not influence attitude. We recommend environmental education and awareness campaigns outside protected areas, and intensifying existing programs inside protected areas to forge harmonious human-golden langur coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuntsho Thinley
- Department of Forests and Park Services, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment Research, Lamaigoenpa, Bhutan.,Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rajanathan Rajaratnam
- Geography and Planning, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matthew Tighe
- Agronomy & Soil Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Karl Vernes
- Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Tshewang Norbu
- Department of Forests and Park Services, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment Research, Lamaigoenpa, Bhutan
| | - Rinchen Dorji
- RNR Statistics Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Thimphu, Bhutan
| | - Sangay Tenzin
- Department of Forests and Park Services, Sarpang Forest Division, Sarpang, Bhutan
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Waller BM, Kaminski J, Setchell JM. Primate Society of Great Britain Spring Meeting 2018: Cognition and communication. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:140-141. [PMID: 30085387 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bridget M Waller
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Juliane Kaminski
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna M Setchell
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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Mere Roncal C, Bowler M, Gilmore MP. The ethnoprimatology of the Maijuna of the Peruvian Amazon and implications for primate conservation. JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE 2018; 14:19. [PMID: 29514692 PMCID: PMC5842639 DOI: 10.1186/s13002-018-0207-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Amazonia, primates are not only an important food source but they also hold significant cultural and symbolic value for many indigenous groups. We document the relationship between primates and community members of the Maijuna indigenous community of Sucusari in the Peruvian Amazon and describe how ethnoprimatological studies provide a better understanding of the significance of primates in people's lives. Additionally, we explore how ethnoprimatological studies can help inform and enhance primate conservation initiatives. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 residents of the community of Sucusari to assess the classification, cultural significance and traditional uses, beliefs, ceremonies and stories of primates within the Sucusari River basin. RESULTS Primates play an important role in the lives of individuals in the Sucusari community. They are distinguished by their arboreal lifestyle, and among the 11 species reported in the area, seven (Lagothrix lagotricha, Alouatta seniculus, Pithecia monachus, Callicebus spp., Saimiri sciureus, Leontocebus nigricollis) are highly recognized and culturally salient. Primates are used as food, medicine, pets, domestic tools and in the production of handicrafts. They are primarily hunted for local consumption, with larger primates such as L. lagotricha being preferred. Lagothrix lagotricha was also the most commonly reported pet species and the only observed pet primate in the community during surveys. Maijuna traditional beliefs include ancestral dietary taboos for A. seniculus, which are referred to as sorcerer monkeys, but this taboo is no longer fully adhered to. Maijuna traditional stories associated with primates describe the origin of primates found in Sucusari. CONCLUSION Primates are embedded in the intricate sociocultural system of the community of Sucusari. Better understanding the relationship between primates and people can help to focus conservation efforts on primate species of particularly high sociocultural importance as well as ecological value, such as L. lagotricha. We highly recommend the inclusion of ethnoprimatological studies into primate conservation initiatives to accomplish more effective conservation planning, ultimately integrating the goals of biodiversity conservation with the cultural and economic needs of indigenous and local communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Mere Roncal
- Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 USA
| | - Mark Bowler
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027 USA
| | - Michael P Gilmore
- School of Integrative Studies, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 USA
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Stafford CA, Preziosi RF, Sellers WI. A pan-neotropical analysis of hunting preferences. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION 2017; 26:1877-1897. [PMID: 32025107 PMCID: PMC6979659 DOI: 10.1007/s10531-017-1334-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Hunting in the neotropics is a widespread form of resource extraction. However, there is increasing concern that current activities are leading to the decline and extirpation of vulnerable species; particulary ateline primates, large ungulates (such as tapirs and white-lipped peccaries) and large birds such as curassows. Hunting patterns are expected to be a product of two principal influences: the value of return for a given amount of effort invested into hunting, and cultural factors that determine the prestige and usefulness of prey. Previous work has suggested that hunting profiles change in a predictable way over time, becoming more diverse and more dependent on smaller bodied species as preferred, large-bodied prey become scarcer. In this paper, we evaluate the hunting profiles of 78 neotropical communities in Central and South America. We investigate the uniformity of species preferences, whether communities that are geographically closer have similar hunting profiles, and whether the age and size of settlements can be used to predict the type and diversity of species targeted. We found that there was only a weak correlation between the structure of communities' hunting profiles and their geographical proximity. Neither a community's size nor age was a good predictor of the shape and structure of its hunting profile. Our data suggest that either the availability of prey or the cultural influences dictating the value of different species can change rapidly over small distances, and that older and larger settlements do not impact prey species distributions in a predictable way.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. A. Stafford
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - R. F. Preziosi
- School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - W. I. Sellers
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Coexistence between Javan Slow Lorises (Nycticebus javanicus) and Humans in a Dynamic Agroforestry Landscape in West Java, Indonesia. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9960-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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