"Weaving" Different Knowledge Systems through Studying Salience of Wild Animals in a Dryland Area of Argentina

CLAUDIA CAMPOS; CAROLINA MORENO; CAPPA, FLAVIO MARTÍN; ONTIVEROS TERESA YAMILA; MONICA CONA; LAURA TORRES; MONICA CONA; LAURA TORRES

JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY

SOC ETHNOBIOLOGY

Año: 2021

0278-0771

The current biodiversity conservation framework explores "nature-people" relationships,recognizing culture´s central role. This study aimed to combine local knowledge with scientificecological data to better understand the relationships between wild animals and local people. Weworked in a village (Los Baldecitos) located in the area of influence of lschigualasto Provincial Park(San Juan, Argentina). We conducted 20 free listing interviews and 12 semi-structured and openones. We analyzed how the overall sa lience of different species (established through free listingand cognitive salience index) can be explained by ecological (measured through species occupancymodels) and cultural (expressed in interviews) aspects of sal ience. The cognitive salience index and estimated animal occupancy showed a positive correlation, although it was not statistically significant (Spearman´s Rho = 0.48, P = 0.095, N = 17). This could mean that cultural aspects (fauna! uses, perception related to attitudes and to nature conservation) were relevant in explaining overallsa lience. Ten species had the highest and most statistically sign ificant salience and were recorded by camera traps. Some of them share spaces with people (village, water points, corrals, and domestic animal areas), and others were less likely to share habitats where people are present. Wild species have cultural value related to uses and acceptance due to material (tangible benefits, ecological functions) and non-material (affectionate, emotional, aesthetic, presence in oral expression) values. Two carnivores elicited negative reactions because of their predatory damage to domestic animals. This study demonstrates methods to interweave local and scientific knowledge to understand peoplenature relationships in context.