Unveiling Social Dynamics in People's Perception of Raptors to Guide Effective Conservation Strategies

Abstract

Ethnoscientific approaches offer valuable tools for exploring human–nature relationships, making them useful for developing effective conservation strategies. Raptors, which are birds of prey, face significant conservation threats worldwide, with human persecution being a leading factor in their population decline. Urgent conservation strategies are needed, particularly in regions of high raptor diversity like the tropical Andes. In this study, we employed semistructured questionnaires and logistic models to investigate how demographic factors, economic activity, and traditional knowledge shape people's perceptions of raptors in rural communities of the Ecuadorian Andes. These communities have historically experienced poverty and inequality, and our approach takes into account their local realities to provide conservation recommendations. Our findings reveal that traditional ecological knowledge provides a broad understanding of human–raptor relations, and that raptors are viewed as both providers of ecosystem services and disservices. Additionally, social demographics, such as gender and educational level, can influence people's perception of raptors. Based on these results, we can promote conservation actions from a local to global level. Ethnoecological approaches offer diverse conservation opportunities that can vary based on different local contexts. In addition to conventional measures such as environmental education programs, poultry management, and landscape preservation, it is essential to consider the political ecology of specific sites, particularly in regions of the Global South where poverty and inequality are closely intertwined with social and environmental injustices. As such, policy making to alleviate poverty and inequality in rural communities in Ecuador and other Andean countries; and science decolonization to make conservation more inclusive are crucial for human well-being and successful and lasting conservation actions for raptors and biodiversity.