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Relationship between rural depopulation and puma-human conflict in the high Andes of Chile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2015

OMAR OHRENS ,
ADRIAN TREVES  and
CRISTIÁN BONACIC
OMAR OHRENS*
Affiliation:
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, 550 North Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA Fauna Australis Wildlife Laboratory, Department of Ecosystem and the Environment, School of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, PO Box 306–22, Macul, Santiago, Chile
ADRIAN TREVES
Affiliation:
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, 550 North Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
CRISTIÁN BONACIC
Affiliation:
Fauna Australis Wildlife Laboratory, Department of Ecosystem and the Environment, School of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, PO Box 306–22, Macul, Santiago, Chile Interdisciplinary Center for Intercultural and Indigenous Studies, Institute of Sociology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, PO Box 306–22, Macul, Santiago, Chile
*
*Correspondence: Omar Ohrens Tel: +1 518 3534835 e-mail: ohrens@wisc.edu
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Summary

Rural depopulation has different effects on biodiversity and ecosystems in many regions of the world. For large carnivores such as pumas (Puma concolor) the effects are uncertain. An analysis of relationships between patterns of rural depopulation and perceptions of the risk posed by pumas among Aymara people in the altiplano region of Chile examined perceived risk, as well as self-reported losses, in relation to livestock husbandry, sociodemographic variables (age, household size, and residency status), and reported self-sufficiency. There was no evidence that rural depopulation elevated perceived risk, or the level of self-reported losses of livestock blamed on pumas. Indeed, many respondents, including older respondents and those with smaller households, reported a decline in perceived risk over the preceding five years. These perceptions of risk were not associated with self-reported losses to pumas in the previous year. An increase in perceived risk was associated with the use of guards for livestock, suggesting livestock owners accommodated their absences from herds by using guards. Absolute numbers of livestock lost increased with the distance from households to where livestock were grazed or gave birth. A cost-effective verification system for puma attacks is recommended, and further human dimensions research is required to identify the owners who complained and the costs and benefits of different wildlife species. Further interventions to prevent either livestock losses or retaliation against pumas can then be targeted more precisely.

Keywords

altiplanoAymaradepredationhazard assessmenthuman dimensionslarge carnivore conservationnon-lethal mitigationPuma concolorrisk perceptionSouth American camelidstraditional livestock practicesurbanization
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , March 2016 , pp. 24 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2015 

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