Interweaving Scientific and Local Ecological Knowledge Through Studying the Salience of Wild Mammals in Two Protected Areas in the Monte Ecoregion of Argentina

CAMPOS, CLAUDIA M.; MORENO, M. CAROLINA; ONTIVEROS, YAMILA; ALBANESE, M. SOLEDAD; CUEVAS, M. FERNANDA; TORRES, LAURA; CONA, MÓNICA; CAPPA, FLAVIO

Neotropical Mammals Hierarchical Analysis of Occupancy and Abundance

Springer Nature

Año: 2023; p. 291 - 315

To increase conservation effectiveness in protected areas (PA) and restorebiological and cultural diversity, it becomes essential to integrate different knowl-edge systems. A useful conceptual tool to combine local and scientific ecologicalknowledge is the multidimensional concept of cognitive salience of wildlife. Westudied the cognitive salience of wild mammals for people living around two PA inthe Monte ecoregion of Argentina: the Ischigualasto Provincial Park (IPP) and theÑacuñán Biosphere Reserve (ÑBR). We analyzed how the cognitive salience ofspecies (established through a freelisting and salience index) can be explained byecological (measured through species occupancy models) and cultural (expressed asmaterial cultural value index under the framework of nature contributions to people)aspects of salience. The cognitive salience of species had a positive correlation withthe latent occupancy of mammals but was statistically significant only in the IPP. Inthe ÑBR, we did not find a strong link between salience index and latent occupancy,not even for those species occupying habitats close to people, such as Lycalopexgymnocercus, associated with sites outside the reserve, and Sus scrofa, preferringhabitats near roads. Nevertheless, in both protected areas, the material cultural valuesrelated to the present and past use of mammals as food, medicine, ornaments, and forskin trade were relevant to explain the salience of mammals to local people.