Evaluating strategies to favor community participation in the conservation of Andean cats and their habitat

LUCHERINI MAURO; REPPUCCI J.I.; TELLAECHE C.; LUENGOS VIDAL E.; MERINO M.J.

Durban

Congreso; IV International Wildlife Management Congress; 2012

The Wildlife Society

Community participation is a fundamental component of wildlife conservation strategies worldwide. Many tools have been employed to increase the engagement of communities in conservation programs but their results are rarely assessed. Using a case study approach from the High Andes of northwestern Argentina, we evaluate the community participation strategies adopted to support the conservation of the Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita), one of the most endangered felids in Latin America. Initially, we created a network of local Environmental Education Officers and Wildlife Monitors, providing basic training and a small stipend. Despite follow-up and networking opportunities, the majority of the local villagers we trained left the program, because they moved away or found more remunerative jobs. Subsequently, based on local people?s interest in the topic and in cooperation with an important native women association, we focused on building community capacity to start eco-tourism activities. We offered a course on the potential and environmental implications of tourism to 60 adults from 3 localities, as well as a stakeholder workshop to coordinate different community-based eco-tourism initiatives and create a network to improve communication and cooperation. In spite of our initial success, the network´s sustainability appears unlikely without continued incentives from our team. This may be due to a complex set of socio-political factors, which have created a culture of dependency on external or government support. There is evidence that the large environmental education component of our project, summed to the community engagement activities described above increased local awareness of Andean cat conservation issues, but that this awareness has produced only a minor increase in the direct commitment of communities in conservation-friendly initiatives. This illustrates the importance of evaluating community participation strategies in order to understand how they can be refined to maximize their conservation effectiveness.