Integrating socio-ecological information to address human-top predator conflict: the case of an endangered eagle in the eastern Andes of Colombia

ZULUAGA, SANTIAGO; VARGAS, F. H.; GRANDE, J. M.

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation

Elsevier

Año: 2021

2530-0644

Fragmentation of the world?s most intact forest landscapes will likely increase theseverity of Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC). The way these threats affect toppredators involves a series of complex ecological and social relationships, which arenot completely understood, and thus require socio-ecological studies. The aim of thisstudy is to examine the socio-ecological factors that affect the tolerance of localinhabitants towards the endangered Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori) inrural villages of the eastern Andes of Colombia. We conducted 172 interviews in 20rural villages and estimated the proportion of forest cover (i.e. amount of remainingnative forest), human density, the yearly losses of domestic fowl by the Black-andchestnutEagle, and socio-demographic parameters (i.e. economic activity, domesticfowl ownership, age, education, gender). The likelihood of villagers being toleranttoward the Black-and-chestnut Eagle decreased when the forest cover, human densityand yearly losses of domestic fowl were higher. The integration of socio-ecologicalinformation allowed us to identify key areas with increasing HWC. Our findings were inconsonance with the most recent evidence indicating that declines of top predatorpopulations, as well other vertebrate biodiversity, can be severely affected by theexacerbation of HWC on the border of intact native habitat and deforested areas.