Institute of Ecology and Botany, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary.
GINOP Sustainable Ecosystems Group, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Tihany, Hungary.
PLoS One. 2020 May 21;15(5):e0233506. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233506. eCollection 2020.
Conflicts caused by reintroduced native species are increasing; however, there is a knowledge gap concerning ecological knowledge and perception of local community members regarding the impact of these species on local ecosystem services and livelihoods. We studied local knowledge about beavers and the perception of their impact on ecosystem services and local livelihoods, and the perception of their general harmfulness and usefulness in Hungary and Romania in three ecologically distinct, diverse rural landscapes. Structured interviews were carried out with 45 knowledgeable and 45 randomly selected local informants. We found that locals were knowledgeable about legal status, biology and behavior of beavers and their diverse impact on nature and ecosystem services. Perceptions included mostly negative impacts on provisioning services, while both negative and positive impacts on regulating and cultural services were perceived, including some contradictory impacts of the species. In spite of the actual and anticipated potential future harms caused by beavers, most people appreciated its precise building mastery and 'cute' nature. We argue that communication between nature conservationists and locals should reflect this complexity of perceptions, while reciprocal learning could help to moderate local conflicts and develop adaptive management strategies.
引入的本地物种引发的冲突正在增加；然而，对于这些物种对当地生态系统服务和生计的影响，当地社区成员的生态知识和认知存在知识差距。我们在匈牙利和罗马尼亚的三个具有不同生态特征的多样化农村景观中，研究了有关海狸的本地知识以及对其对生态系统服务和当地生计的影响的认知，以及对其普遍危害性和有用性的认知。我们对 45 名知识渊博的当地人和 45 名随机选择的当地信息提供者进行了结构化访谈。我们发现当地人对海狸的法律地位、生物学和行为以及它们对自然和生态系统服务的多种影响有所了解。人们的看法主要包括对供应服务的负面影响，而对调节和文化服务的看法则包括正面和负面影响，包括该物种的一些矛盾影响。尽管海狸实际造成的和预期的未来潜在危害，大多数人还是赞赏它精准的建筑技艺和“可爱”的天性。我们认为，自然保护主义者和当地人之间的沟通应该反映出这种认知的复杂性，而相互学习可以帮助缓和当地冲突并制定适应性管理策略。
