Citizen's Perceptions on Urban Black Howler Monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in the City of Palenque (Mexico): A Case Study to Aid Policy Decisions
Por:
Franquesa-Soler, Montserrat, Spaan, Denise, Hernandez-Jaramillo, Alma, ANDRESEN, ELLEN
Publicada:
1 abr 2023
Ahead of Print:
1 dic 2022
Resumen:
The outcomes of human-wildlife interactions depend largely on how
animals are perceived by humans. All American primates are forest
specialists, but due to habitat loss they are increasingly using urban
areas. However, relatively little is known about people's perceptions of
urban primates in American cities. Our goals were to (1) determine the
locations used by black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in the city of
Palenque, Mexico; (2) describe the perceptions of citizens about the
monkeys; (3) identify current and potential risks faced by the monkeys;
and (4) describe the opinions and actions of key stakeholders regarding
the management of the urban monkeys. We administered questionnaires to
85 citizens, verified howler monkey locations, and interviewed key
stakeholders. Citizens identified > 40 locations and identified several
risks to the monkeys, including electrocution, road accidents, and dog
attacks. Most people (58%) mentioned that howler monkeys were
food-provisioned; tourism was the most-commonly identified benefit of
the urban monkeys to the community. Key stakeholders reported that the
risks faced by urban monkeys are worrying because of the new railway
project ( ``Tren Maya ``), which is likely to cause urban expansion in
the region. In general, citizens' perceptions of urban howler monkeys in
Palenque are currently positive. These results indicate that
human-howler monkey coexistence in Palenque might be possible if
context-specific policies concentrate on minimizing the risks to both
primates and humans and involve multiple stakeholders in
decision-making. Policy recommendations that arose from our case study
include insulating electricity cables, increasing arboreal connectivity,
and promoting peer-learned positive practices.
Filiaciones:
Franquesa-Soler, Montserrat:
Univ Veracruzana, Ctr Invest Trop, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Univ Popular Autonoma Estado Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Univ Autonoma Mexico, Inst Invest Ecosistemas & Sustentabilidad, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico
Spaan, Denise:
Univ Veracruzana, Inst Neuroetol, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Hernandez-Jaramillo, Alma:
Inst Ecol AC, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Neotrop Primate Conservat, Bogota, Colombia
ANDRESEN, ELLEN:
Univ Autonoma Mexico, Inst Invest Ecosistemas & Sustentabilidad, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico
|