Farmers have poor understanding of role of wildlife in protecting crops
mongabay.comAugust 10, 2009
The researchers — including Paulina López-del-Toro, Ellen Andresen, and Alejandro Estrada of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Laura Barraza of Australia's Deakin University, found that birds are perceived as useful and agreeable animals, snakes are seen as dangerous but useful, bats are considered of no use and even damaging, while many non-flying mammals are perceived with indifference. The lack of recognition of the importance of bats and non-flying mammals in the maintaining of a healthy environment was of concern to the researchers, who recommend that environmental education programs include specific information on the importance of wildlife for the environment.
López-del-Toro, P., Andresen, E., Barraza, L. and Estrada, A. 2009. Attitudes and knowledge of shade coffee farmers towards vertebrates and their ecological functions. Tropical Conservation Science Vol.2 (3):299-318
