Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 1 Yanzhong Road, Guilin, 541006, China.
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541006, China.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2022 Oct 14;18(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s13002-022-00559-z.
The Chinese Hwamei (Garrulax canorus Linnaeus, 1758) is a widely distributed species and has long been kept as a pet, especially by the ethnic communities in Southwest China. According to conservation experts' suggestions, it has been designated as a second-level national key protected species in February, 2021 to protect this bird, indicating that keeping it at home is no longer permitted in China. However, a key factor to ensure effectiveness and success of conservation initiatives is local stakeholders' acceptance and support.
Interviews and focus group discussions were used to document the policy outcomes and the views of 108 local bird-keepers in a county in Guizhou province.
Despite awareness about the illegality of the practice, the bird was still commonly caged both in rural and urban regions. To justify their unwillingness to stop keeping these birds, the interviewees presented many arguments, such as benefits for the community members' health, cultural heritage and contributions to local livelihoods. Fewer than 30% of the bird-keepers believed that the practice of self-keeping has reduced the wild population. Most argued the decline was mainly generated by the harvesting and keepers with monetary interests. They suggested enforcement should target those people and bird markets, as well as the harvesting methods. They also recommended restricting the number of birds allowed to be kept by one keeper, establishing protected areas and a harvesting ban period. The study participants demonstrated considerable local ecological knowledge about approaches for managing the species' use.
Due to the benefits for the people and the bird's large distribution, I argued that a conservation goal to lower the harvesting and keeping rates would be more appropriate than a strict ban on keeping them. Such a policy would be more feasible and culturally acceptable because it is built on keepers' support and suggestions. It is necessary to monitor the effects of bird keeping on the wild population. Overall, this qualitative study demonstrated the advantage of factoring in local voices in conservation decisions.
中国画眉（Garrulax canorus Linnaeus，1758）分布广泛，长期以来一直被当作宠物饲养，尤其是在中国西南部的少数民族社区。根据保护专家的建议，2021 年 2 月，它被指定为国家二级重点保护野生动物，以保护这种鸟类，这表明在中国，在家饲养它已不再被允许。然而，确保保护倡议有效性和成功的一个关键因素是当地利益相关者的接受和支持。
采用访谈和焦点小组讨论的方法，记录了贵州省某县 108 位当地养鸟人的政策结果和意见。
尽管人们意识到这种做法是违法的，但在农村和城市地区，仍然普遍存在笼养这种鸟的情况。为了证明他们不愿意停止饲养这些鸟，受访者提出了许多理由，如对社区成员健康、文化遗产和对当地生计的贡献。不到 30%的养鸟人认为这种自我饲养的做法减少了野生种群。大多数人认为下降主要是由于采猎和有经济利益的饲养者造成的。他们建议执法应针对这些人以及鸟类市场和采猎方法。他们还建议限制一个饲养者允许饲养的鸟类数量，建立保护区和禁止采猎期。研究参与者展示了相当多的关于管理物种利用的本地生态知识。
由于对人民的好处和鸟类的广泛分布，我认为降低采猎和饲养率的保护目标将比严格禁止饲养更合适。这种政策将更加可行和文化上可接受，因为它建立在饲养者的支持和建议之上。有必要监测养鸟对野生种群的影响。总的来说，这项定性研究证明了在保护决策中考虑当地声音的优势。
