Rural children's representations of cavity-nesting birds and their habitat on farms: a socio-ecological study in the Atlantic Forest

E. BIANCA BONAPARTE; J. T. IBARRA; ANN LIEFLANDER; MARCOS SOSA; KRISTINA L. COCKLE

Congreso; II Ornithological Congress of the Americas; 2024

The conservation of cavity-nesting birds faces increasing threats from intense changes in landuse and on-going forest loss, but few studies have considered landowners´ attitudes related toland-management decisions. Assessing attitude formation in childhood is crucial becauseenvironmental behaviors are shaped during these formative years. We investigated children’sknowledge and attitudes toward cavity-nesting birds and their habitats in agroecosystems ofthe Atlantic Forest of Argentina. At 19 rural primary schools, we employed freelists anddraw-and-explain methods, which facilitated a familiar and relaxed experience for 236children to share their perspectives. We compared the data from schools with field data frombird lists, 164 nest trees and 328 available trees in the same area, utilizing a 4-year datasetfrom well-conserved forests and agroecosystems (family farms). The children mentioneddiverse bird species, with many identified as cavity nesters and mostly native to the studyarea. Despite mentioning diverse cavity-nesting taxa, children under-represented criticalhabitat resources for those species in their drawings (i.e., native forest patches, trees, cavities,and nests). This underrepresentation of key native habitat features may indicate an "extinctionof experience" phenomenon, meaning the gradual loss of opportunities for children to learnfirsthand about interactions between native species and their habitat. We encouragecommunities to foster meaningful experiences for children to interact with native cavitynesters in rural areas, to enrich situated knowledge, nurture lasting positive attitudes, andultimately encourage management behaviors that help conserve habitat for birds.