Farmer Perceptions of the Ecosystem Services Provided by Scavengers: What, Who, and to Whom

Morales-Reyes, Zebensui; Martín‐López, Berta; Moleón, Marcos; Mateo-Tomás, Patricia; Botella, Francisco; Margalida, Antoni; Donázar, Jose ́ A.; Blanco, Guillermo; Pérez, Irene; Sánchez-Zapata, Jose ́ A. (2018). Farmer Perceptions of the Ecosystem Services Provided by Scavengers: What, Who, and to Whom. Conservation letters, 11(2), e12392. Wiley 10.1111/conl.12392

[img]
Preview
Text
Morales-Reyes_ConLet2018.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY).

Download (672kB) | Preview

A socioecological approach to biodiversity conservation has recently been en- couraged. We examined farmer perceptions of ecosystem services provided by scavenging vertebrates in Spain through face-to-face surveys with farmers in seven large extensive livestock systems. Scavenging services (i.e., carrion con- sumption) was the most perceived benefit whereas the role of some scavengers as predators was the most recognized damage. The most beneficial scavengers perceived were vultures. Overall, we detected a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” paradox as the same species and species within the same guild can be du- ally perceived as beneficial or harmful. Our findings provide evidence that traditional extensive farming linked to experience-based and local ecological knowledge drives positive perceptions of scavengers and their consideration as ecosystem services providers. Research on social perceptions can contribute to the conservation of scavengers by raising awareness about the ecosystem services provided by this functional group.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IEE)
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IEE) > Conservation Biology

UniBE Contributor:

Margalida, Antoni

Subjects:

500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology
500 Science > 590 Animals (Zoology)

ISSN:

1755-263X

Publisher:

Wiley

Language:

English

Submitter:

Olivier Roth

Date Deposited:

05 Jun 2019 12:27

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:26

Publisher DOI:

10.1111/conl.12392

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.126965

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/126965

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback