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Low-intensity environmental education can enhance perceptions of culturally taboo wildlife

View ORCID ProfileSamual T. Williams, View ORCID ProfileKathryn S. Williams, View ORCID ProfileNatasha Constant, View ORCID ProfileLourens H. Swanepoel, View ORCID ProfilePeter J. Taylor, View ORCID ProfileSteven R. Belmain, View ORCID ProfileSteven W. Evans
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/757724
Samual T. Williams
1Department of Zoology, School of Mathematical & Natural Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
2Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
3Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education (IGDORE)
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  • For correspondence: samual.t.williams@gmail.com lourens.swanepoel.univen@gmail.com
Kathryn S. Williams
2Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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Natasha Constant
4South African Research Chair on Biodiversity Value & Change, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
5Sustainable Places Research Institute, Cardiff University, United Kingdom
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Lourens H. Swanepoel
1Department of Zoology, School of Mathematical & Natural Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
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  • For correspondence: samual.t.williams@gmail.com lourens.swanepoel.univen@gmail.com
Peter J. Taylor
4South African Research Chair on Biodiversity Value & Change, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
6School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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Steven R. Belmain
7Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, United Kingdom
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Steven W. Evans
8Southern Cape Conservation Organisation, Oudtshoorn, South Africa
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1. Abstract

Traditional cultural beliefs influence perceptions of animals, and in some cases can result in persecution of wildlife. Stigmas against species associated with witchcraft, for example, can act as a barrier to the uptake of more cost effective, sustainable, and environmentally sound practices such as reducing crop damage by controlling rodent agricultural pests by relying on indigenous predators rather than pesticides. One way of enhancing perceptions of wildlife to increase participation in such ecologically-based rodent management (EBRM) schemes, is the development of environmental education initiatives. Low intensity programmes are cost-effective and can produce positive attitudinal shifts, but their impact has not been assessed for species strongly associated with witchcraft. We set out to test whether a single presentation on the natural history of owls (order Strigiformes) could improve perceptions of these species, and increase willingness to participate in an EBRM scheme that involved the installation of owl boxes to increase owl populations and reduce rodent populations and crop damage in agricultural fields. We used a questionnaire survey to assess perceptions of owls at four schools in two villages in South Africa. Our initial survey sampled perceptions of respondents before listening to the presentation. A follow-up survey conducted three months later sampled the perceptions of respondents that had listened to the presentation as well as perceptions of a control group that did not listen to the presentation. We found that associations between owls and witchcraft was a common theme driving negative perceptions of owls. Respondents that watched the presentation had more positive perceptions of owls than respondents that had not watched the presentation, and they were more likely to be willing to put up owl boxes near their home. Despite this shift, negative perceptions of owls still dominated responses due to cultural associations with the occult. These findings indicate that even low-intensity programmes can be effective at enhancing perceptions of wildlife associated with witchcraft. We suggest that environmental education programmes featuring culturally taboo species should adopt a culturally sensitive and locally tailored approach, focus on the benefits these species provide, and may be more effective when delivered with greater intensity.

Footnotes

  • https://figshare.com/s/711295efc8d5f96b21f3

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted September 16, 2019.
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Low-intensity environmental education can enhance perceptions of culturally taboo wildlife
Samual T. Williams, Kathryn S. Williams, Natasha Constant, Lourens H. Swanepoel, Peter J. Taylor, Steven R. Belmain, Steven W. Evans
bioRxiv 757724; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/757724
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Low-intensity environmental education can enhance perceptions of culturally taboo wildlife
Samual T. Williams, Kathryn S. Williams, Natasha Constant, Lourens H. Swanepoel, Peter J. Taylor, Steven R. Belmain, Steven W. Evans
bioRxiv 757724; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/757724

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