DO FARMERS CONSIDER BIRD SCAVENGERS AS A PROBLEM? EVALUATION OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF DIFFERENT RURAL COMMUNITIES

BALLEJO, F; MOLARES, S; LAMBERTUCCI SERGIO A

Puerto Iguazú

Congreso; Ornithological Congress of the Americas; 2017

RAO. FOA, CBO

The conflict between humans and potential predators of livestock exists since thedomestication of livestock. The negative perception of some livestock producers aboutcarnivorous mammals (for example pumas) is well known. However, studies on humanperception about scavenger birds are scarce. Our aim is to take an ethnozoologicalapproach on the knowledge and attitudes of Patagonian rural worker (indigenous andcriollos farmers), to identify possible conflicts between bird scavengers (obligate andfacultative) and agricultural production in northwestern Patagonia. Semi-structuredinterviews were conducted with people in three focus groups: the mapuche community,the criollo community ( 500 cattle). Almost all of theinterviewees indicated at least one species as harmful to livestock. Southern Caracara(Caracara plancus) and Black-chested buzzard eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus) werethe most common scavenger birds pointed out by criollo and mapuche communities.However, the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) an obligate scavenger bird was alsoconsidered harmful in mapuche communities. On the other hand, the cattle ranchesindicate as harmful C. plancus and the obligate scavenger bird, Black Vulture (Coragypsatratus). The three groups of people responded to the problem by eliminating the birds,as about half of the interviewees expressed this strategy as the most appropriate toreduce the predation damage perceived. We present a preliminary analysis of theperception of these social groups to be able to contrast it empirically in the field withpossible predation, which can then be used to develop strategies to reduce conflict.