Percepción y conocimiento popular sobre el cocodrilo <em>Crocodylus acutus</em> (Reptilia:Crocodylidae) en zonas aledañas al río Tempisque, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v4i2.8Abstract
El cocodrilo americano (Crocodylus acutus) es una especie amenazada por la pérdida de hábitat y la caza ilegal. En el río Tempisque, Costa Rica, sus poblaciones se han recuperado considerablemente pero siguen siendo vulnerables porque su nicho y hábitat se traslapan con las actividades
humanas, lo que genera un conflicto humano-cocodrilo (CHC) que se agrava por conocimientos populares erróneos. Este trabajo evalúa la
percepción y el conocimiento popular sobre los cocodrilos mediante 336 encuestas en 11 pueblos de los cantones Carrillo, Santa Cruz y Cañas
de Guanacaste. Además se analizó la relación entre la percepción de peligrosidad de los cocodrilos según el pueblo de residencia, la edad,
el sexo, el grado académico y la ocupación de los encuestados. La población considera que en sus pueblos existen demasiados cocodrilos,
que son peligrosos y agresivos. En general conocen poco sobre la biología de C. acutus, pero bastante sobre su comportamiento, estado
de conservación y protección estatal. Las personas encuestadas creen necesario regular las poblaciones de cocodrilos, sugieren la eliminación
o el traslado selectivo (las cuales tienen diversas implicaciones) y parecen dispuestos a cooperar en planes de manejo. Se insta a seleccionar pueblos clave para reforzar los programas de educación ambiental con contenidos sobre la biología de la especie, seguridad y prevención de CHC. A futuro, parece necesario establecer un plan de manejo pararegular las poblaciones de cocodrilos en algunos sitios específicos de la cuenca del río Tempisque.
ABSTRACT
Perception and popular culture about the crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) near Tempisque River, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is an endangered species due to habitat loss and illegal hunting. Its population has recovered significantly in the Tempisque River, Costa Rica; nevertheless, they are still vulnerable because their niche and habitat overlap human activities, which causes a human-crocodile conflict worsened by mistaken popular beliefs. We evaluated popular perception and knowledge with 336 surveys in 11 towns of Carrillo, Santa Cruz and Cañas, in Guanacaste. We also tested the relationships among residence, occupation, sex, age and educational grade and perception of danger. The inhabitants believe there is an excess of crocodiles near their towns, and the reptiles are considered dangerous and aggressive. Overall, they know little about the biology of C. acutus,but much about its behavior, conservation status and state protection. To regulate the crocodile population, they consider elimination or relocation necessary (both have different implications). They seem, however, willing to cooperate in management plans. It is important to choose key towns to strengthen existent environmental education programs with contents about the biology of the species, security, and conflict avoidance. In the near future, we recommend the establishment of a management plan to regulate crocodile population in some specific spots within the Tempisque River’s Basin.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Note: This abstract contains an incorrect copyright due to technical issues. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal
All journal contents are freely available through a CC BY 4.0 license.
CC BY 4.0 is a Creative Commons: you can copy, modify, distribute, and perform, even for commercial reasons, without asking permission, if you give appropriate credit.
Contents can be reproduced if the source and copyright are acknowledged according to the Open Access license CC BY 4.0. Self-storage in preprint servers and repositories is allowed for all versions. We encourage authors to publish raw data and data logs in public repositories and to include the links with all drafts so that reviewers and readers can consult them at any time.
The journal is financed by public funds via Universidad Estatal a Distancia and editorial independence and ethical compliance are guaranteed by the Board of Editors, UNED. We do not publish paid ads or receive funds from companies.