Carnivore occurrence: do interview-based surveys produce unreliable results?

CARUSO N.; LUENGOS VIDAL E.; GUERISOLI M.; LUCHERINI M.

ORYX

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2017 vol. 51 p. 240 - 245

0030-6053

Interviews with local people have been widely used by biologists because they are particularly suitable and cost-efficiently to approach certain topics in wildlife ecology and conservation. However, doubts still exist on the validity and quality of information gathered through them, especially in the case of studies targeting cryptic or elusive species, such as carnivores. In this paper we assessed the reliability of interviews (n=155) to detect the presence of three species of carnivores with different characteristics, by comparing interviews results with those obtained through camera trapping surveys (52 sites) in central Argentina. The degree of concordance between methods was low for the Geoffroy?s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) and especially the puma (Puma concolor). However, Geoffroy?s cats were detected more frequently by camera traps than interviews, whereas the opposite was true for pumas. For the Pampas fox (Pseudalopex gymnocercus), a less elusive species, we observed a high degree of concordance and a similar probability of occurrence between methods. Our results indicate that data obtained by interviewing local inhabitants must be used with caution because locals provided information of presence that may be inaccurate and biased.