Opinions, attitudes and perceptions of local people towards the conservation of Nigeria‐Cameroon chimpanzees in Mpem‐Djim National Park, central Cameroon
DOKPE
- Fotsing, Ernest D. B. ORCID University of Fribourg
- Kamkeng, Meigang M. F. University of Yaounde, Cameroon
- Zinner, Dietmar German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- 2024
Published in:
- People and Nature. - Chichester, UK : Wiley. - 2024, vol. 6, no. 2, p. 865-881
attitude
chimpanzee conservation
generalized linear mixed models
local ecological knowledge
opinion and perception
English
1. Local ecological knowledge (LEK), tied to specific cultures, is crucial for sustain-ability in conservation initiatives. Therefore, including holders of this knowledgein management decisions is essential. Collecting protected area-specific data onlocal people's attitudes, opinions and perceptions towards wildlife, especially forhighly threatened species like great apes, is therefore crucial for effective con-servation. This study emphasizes the importance of LEK as an interdisciplinaryapproach, highlighting its essential role in informing conservation decisions andunderstanding human–environment interactions.
2. To fill the information gap on the LEK on the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee incentral Cameroon, we used questionnaires to assess the LEK of respondents spe-cifically their perceptions, opinions and attitudes towards the population trendof chimpanzees, as well as their opinion about the current management systemsof Mpem and Djim National Park. We collect data from 240 respondents in 15villages in the neighbourhood of the park. Using generalized linear mixed models,we were also able to assess socioeconomic and demographic factors that cor-relate with the opinions, attitudes and perceptions of the respondents towardschimpanzee conservation.
3. About 87% of the respondents exhibited good knowledge about chimpanzeesand 59% reported taboos related to chimpanzees. About 94% were aware of lawsthat prohibit the hunting of chimpanzees, while 87% agreed that it is a good initia-tive to conserve chimpanzees, and 42% reported that their population increased.Almost half (52%) of the respondents said they were satisfied with the currentpark management system. Age, gender, education level, number of children in thehousehold and time spent in the community were predictors that influenced theattitude, opinion and perception of the respondents while occupation and thegeographic distance between the village and the park did not.
4. Our findings suggest that raising awareness of human–chimpanzee coexistencethrough adult education programmes should target specific demographic groups, such as those with larger families, limited education, older age, individuals withlower LEK or native. These findings brought insights to guide future studies andshould be taken into account when discussing regional management.
2. To fill the information gap on the LEK on the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee incentral Cameroon, we used questionnaires to assess the LEK of respondents spe-cifically their perceptions, opinions and attitudes towards the population trendof chimpanzees, as well as their opinion about the current management systemsof Mpem and Djim National Park. We collect data from 240 respondents in 15villages in the neighbourhood of the park. Using generalized linear mixed models,we were also able to assess socioeconomic and demographic factors that cor-relate with the opinions, attitudes and perceptions of the respondents towardschimpanzee conservation.
3. About 87% of the respondents exhibited good knowledge about chimpanzeesand 59% reported taboos related to chimpanzees. About 94% were aware of lawsthat prohibit the hunting of chimpanzees, while 87% agreed that it is a good initia-tive to conserve chimpanzees, and 42% reported that their population increased.Almost half (52%) of the respondents said they were satisfied with the currentpark management system. Age, gender, education level, number of children in thehousehold and time spent in the community were predictors that influenced theattitude, opinion and perception of the respondents while occupation and thegeographic distance between the village and the park did not.
4. Our findings suggest that raising awareness of human–chimpanzee coexistencethrough adult education programmes should target specific demographic groups, such as those with larger families, limited education, older age, individuals withlower LEK or native. These findings brought insights to guide future studies andshould be taken into account when discussing regional management.
- Faculty
- Faculté des sciences et de médecine
- Department
- Département de Biologie
- Language
-
- English
- Classification
- Zoology
- License
- CC BY
- Open access status
- gold
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1002/pan3.10621
- ISSN 2575-8314
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/329504
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