Exploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area

Local communities in rural areas are dependent on hunting for their livelihoods and rely on their knowledge to understand wildlife ecology. Their knowledge and perceptions may be vital for forming effective and sustainable management plans related to wildlife conservation. We aimed to examine percep...

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Autores principales:	Jerry Owusu Afriyie, Michael Opare Asare, Pavla Hejcmanová
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	bushmeat conservation strategies human–wildlife conflict illegal hunting law enforcement protected area management Plant ecology QK900-989
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/bc39266d533d4beaa8f9600cd94b0261
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:bc39266d533d4beaa8f9600cd94b02612021-11-25T17:37:26ZExploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area10.3390/f121114541999-4907https://doaj.org/article/bc39266d533d4beaa8f9600cd94b02612021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/11/1454https://doaj.org/toc/1999-4907Local communities in rural areas are dependent on hunting for their livelihoods and rely on their knowledge to understand wildlife ecology. Their knowledge and perceptions may be vital for forming effective and sustainable management plans related to wildlife conservation. We aimed to examine perceptions of local people living inside (<i>n</i> = 153 households) and outside (<i>n</i> = 178 households) the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve (KSNR, Ghana) regarding bushmeat prevalence and long-term trends in illegal hunting, and to explore people’s knowledge about hunting tools, species, and reasons to hunt illegally. Perceptions of bushmeat sightings and illegal hunting trends were influenced by living inside or outside the protected area, gender, and residence time. Residents living inside the reserve perceived bushmeat and hunting as frequently present in their environment mainly due to frequent sightings of bushmeat and other wildlife products, while people living adjacent to the KSNR were more knowledgeable about the decrease in illegal hunting trends, probably because of awareness about penalties and biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, the perceptions of most residents about the decrease in hunting over time were validated by long-term KSNR law enforcement data. The perception in local communities that snares were the commonest form of hunting equipment used was also consistent with the ranger-based monitoring data. The need for money, bushmeat, unemployment, and retaliatory killings were the main drivers for illegal hunting. Our findings indicated that local people’s knowledge can have a valid relevance in protected area management and may assist in developing effective conservation strategies and in overall improvement of local socio-ecological systems.Jerry Owusu AfriyieMichael Opare AsarePavla HejcmanováMDPI AGarticlebushmeatconservation strategieshuman–wildlife conflictillegal huntinglaw enforcementprotected area managementPlant ecologyQK900-989ENForests, Vol 12, Iss 1454, p 1454 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	bushmeat conservation strategies human–wildlife conflict illegal hunting law enforcement protected area management Plant ecology QK900-989
spellingShingle	bushmeat conservation strategies human–wildlife conflict illegal hunting law enforcement protected area management Plant ecology QK900-989 Jerry Owusu Afriyie Michael Opare Asare Pavla Hejcmanová Exploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area
description	Local communities in rural areas are dependent on hunting for their livelihoods and rely on their knowledge to understand wildlife ecology. Their knowledge and perceptions may be vital for forming effective and sustainable management plans related to wildlife conservation. We aimed to examine perceptions of local people living inside (<i>n</i> = 153 households) and outside (<i>n</i> = 178 households) the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve (KSNR, Ghana) regarding bushmeat prevalence and long-term trends in illegal hunting, and to explore people’s knowledge about hunting tools, species, and reasons to hunt illegally. Perceptions of bushmeat sightings and illegal hunting trends were influenced by living inside or outside the protected area, gender, and residence time. Residents living inside the reserve perceived bushmeat and hunting as frequently present in their environment mainly due to frequent sightings of bushmeat and other wildlife products, while people living adjacent to the KSNR were more knowledgeable about the decrease in illegal hunting trends, probably because of awareness about penalties and biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, the perceptions of most residents about the decrease in hunting over time were validated by long-term KSNR law enforcement data. The perception in local communities that snares were the commonest form of hunting equipment used was also consistent with the ranger-based monitoring data. The need for money, bushmeat, unemployment, and retaliatory killings were the main drivers for illegal hunting. Our findings indicated that local people’s knowledge can have a valid relevance in protected area management and may assist in developing effective conservation strategies and in overall improvement of local socio-ecological systems.
format	article
author	Jerry Owusu Afriyie Michael Opare Asare Pavla Hejcmanová
author_facet	Jerry Owusu Afriyie Michael Opare Asare Pavla Hejcmanová
author_sort	Jerry Owusu Afriyie
title	Exploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area
title_short	Exploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area
title_full	Exploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area
title_fullStr	Exploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area
title_full_unstemmed	Exploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area
title_sort	exploring the knowledge and perceptions of local communities on illegal hunting: long-term trends in a west african protected area
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/bc39266d533d4beaa8f9600cd94b0261
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Exploring the Knowledge and Perceptions of Local Communities on Illegal Hunting: Long-Term Trends in a West African Protected Area

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