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Jaguar hunting in Amazonian extractive reserves: acceptance and prevalence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2019

Elildo AR Carvalho Jr Open the ORCID record for Elildo AR Carvalho Jr [Opens in a new window]
Elildo AR Carvalho Jr*
Affiliation:
Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros – CENAP/ICMBio, Estrada Municipal Hisaichi Takebayashi 8600, Atibaia, SP, 12952-011, Brazil and Faculty of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway
*
Author for correspondence: Elildo AR Carvalho Jr, Email: elildojr@gmail.com
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Summary

Hunting is a major threat to the endangered jaguar in Brazil. Effective interventions for jaguar conservation demand a better understanding of the prevalence and motivations for hunting. In this study, I investigate the prevalence of jaguar hunting and the potential factors driving the acceptance of this behaviour among residents of two extractive reserves in the eastern Brazilian Amazonia. Between September and October 2013, I surveyed 134 households to assess people’s acceptance of jaguar hunting and potential predictors of acceptance using multiple-item rating scales. To estimate the prevalence of jaguar hunting, I used direct questioning and the randomized response technique. Acceptance of jaguar hunting was neutral to slightly positive on average, being related negatively to educational level and to people’s perceptions of risk of suffering sanctions for hunting a jaguar and related positively to perception of jaguars as a threat to humans. The prevalence rates of jaguar hunting among surveyed households were 9% and 23% according to direct questioning and the randomized response technique, respectively. The results suggest that investments in education and law enforcement may help decrease local support for jaguar hunting in the study area.

Keywords

Amazoniahuman–wildlife conflicthuntingjaguarMarajó IslandPanthera onca

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