Perception and Attitudes of Local Communities Towards Wild Elephant-related Problems and Conservation in Xishuangbanna,Southwestern China  

作　　者：HE Qingcheng WU Zhaolu ZHOU Wai DONG Rui 

机构地区：[1]Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China [2]Bureau of Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, Jinghong 666100, China

出　　处：《Chinese Geographical Science》2011年第5期629-636,共8页中国地理科学（英文版）

基　　金：Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30870431)

摘　　要：The problem of wild elephants, or human-elephant conflict (HEC), influences the daily life of local communities and hinders the conservation of wild elephants.The perception and attitudes of local communities who inhabited the frontiers between human activities and wild elephant movement are important to the mitigation of the HEC and conservation of wild elephants. To analyze the perception and attitudes of local communities, the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) was used in the investigation of 423 interviewees from 22 villages in Xishuangbanna from July 2009 to February 2010. The results indicated that local communities had their views on the elephant-related problems. In field survey, we found that 66.5% of interviewees were willing to support, participate in, and assist in the conservation of wild elephants;33.5% of interviewees were opposed or indifferent to such conservation, because their livelihoods and even their lives were endangered by wild elephants. These views and attitudes were influenced by local communities′perception of HEC, education level, gender and self-interest. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the diverse views among local communities and balance profits and costs in addressing HEC.The problem of wild elephants, or human-elephant conflict （HEC）, influences the daily life of local communities and hinders the conservation of wild elephants. The perception and attitudes of local communities who inhabited the frontiers between human activities and wild elephant movement are important to the mitigation of the HEC and conservation of wild elephants. To analyze the perception and attitudes of local communities, the Participatory Rural Appraisal （PRA） was used in the investigation of 423 interviewees from 22 villages in Xishuangbanna from July 2009 to February 2010. The results indicated that local communities had their views on the elephant-related problems. In field survey, we found that 66.5% of interviewees were willing to support, participate in, and assist in the conservation of wild elephants; 33.5% of interviewees were opposed or indifferent to such conservation, because their livelihoods and even their lives were endangered by wild elephants. These views and attitudes were influenced by local communities＇ perception of HEC, education level, gender and self-interest. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the diverse views among local communities and balance profits and costs in addressing HEC.

关 键 词：human-elephant conflict （HEC） local community participatory rural appraisal （PRA） XISHUANGBANNA 

分 类 号：Q959.845[生物学—动物学] TU998.1[建筑科学—市政工程]