Human-Wildlife Conflict and Environmental Education: Evaluating a Community Program to Protect the Andean Bear in Ecuador

Abstract

Environmental education is a widespread, yet relatively unexamined strategy to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. We evaluated knowledge, attitudes and behavioral intentions toward bear conservation after five years of environmental education in a Quichua community. Conflicts with livestock predation created mixed attitudes and behaviors toward bear conservation. Some program objectives were achieved, such as 88% of participants reported satisfaction with environmental knowledge gained. Behavioral intentions to decrease bear conflicts increased, and multiple regression analysis revealed support for the project was associated with program participation. Focus group meetings with teachers, local policy makers and para-biologists provided a context for recommendations to improve program success and revealed new issues for better bear management.

Keywords:

• attitude
• carnivore
• cattle predation
• community conservation
• evaluation
• risk perception
• Tremarctos ornatus

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank the University of Florida Program for Studies in Tropical Conservation, and the Compton Foundation for research funding. The authors also thank J. Alavalapati, G. Israel, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions for this manuscript. They are grateful to the community of Oyacachi and the Andean Bear Conservation Project–EcoCiencia for their collaboration.