Conservation Research Group, St. Albert's College, Cochin, Kerala, 682018, India.
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Cochin, 682506, India.
Ambio. 2017 Oct;46(6):695-705. doi: 10.1007/s13280-017-0908-8. Epub 2017 Feb 23.
In the Western Ghats of India, amphibians are culled at cardamom plantations since they are perceived to consume cardamom. To better understand the relationship between amphibians and cardamom, a study was undertaken at these plantations, which harbor numerous threatened and range-restricted amphibians. We undertook questionnaire surveys with 298 respondents at 148 plantations across southern India. Time-activity budget and diet analysis surveys were undertaken to determine whether amphibians really consumed cardamom. The conception that amphibians eat cardamom was found to be widespread especially among small-sized plantations, leading to negative perceptions and a lack of interest in amphibian conservation. The plantation community perceives a substantial economic loss due to amphibians, even though this is non-existent as revealed by our field surveys. These perceptions would lead to a continued intolerance of amphibian presence in plantations. A suitable outreach initiative re-affirming facts and spreading awareness on the positive role of amphibians would need to be conducted to negate this age-old myth.
在印度的西高止山脉，由于人们认为两栖动物会食用小豆蔻，因此在小豆蔻种植园中会对其进行捕杀。为了更好地了解两栖动物和小豆蔻之间的关系，在这些种植园中进行了一项研究，这些种植园中有大量受到威胁和分布范围有限的两栖动物。我们在印度南部的 148 个种植园中对 298 名受访者进行了问卷调查。我们还进行了时间活动预算和饮食分析调查，以确定两栖动物是否真的食用小豆蔻。研究发现，人们普遍认为两栖动物吃小豆蔻，尤其是在小型种植园中，这导致了人们对两栖动物保护缺乏兴趣和负面看法。种植园社区认为由于两栖动物的存在，他们遭受了巨大的经济损失，但正如我们的实地调查所揭示的那样，这种损失实际上并不存在。这些看法将导致人们继续容忍种植园中两栖动物的存在。需要开展一项适当的宣传活动，重申事实，并提高人们对两栖动物积极作用的认识，以消除这种由来已久的误解。
