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Journal of Environmental Law and Policy is an international, interdisciplinary journal that facilitates an understanding of environmental governance, policy and law issues not only by drawing upon and contributing to the environmental social sciences, but also linking the ecosystem health, natural resources, and social sciences. The aim of the journal is to promote communication among academia, government, business and industry, civil society groups, citizens’ action groups, and non-governmental organizations who are instrumental in the solving of environmental problems and grassroots level issues.
Jaguar and Puma in Brazilian Semi-Arid Region – scapegoats for weak governance?
Cláudia Sofia Guerreiro Martins*
Institute for the Conservation of Neotropical Carnivores, Atibaia, SP, Brazil; Center for Ecology & Environmental Monitoring, Federal University of São Francisco Valley, Petrolina, PE, Brazil.
Email: csgmartins@gmail.com | ORCID: 0000-0003-3528-0877
Francine Schulz
Institute for the Conservation of Neotropical Carnivores, Atibaia, SP, Brazil.
Email: francine.schulz@gmail.com | ORCID: 0000-0001-6652-7305
Carolina Franco Esteves
Institute for the Conservation of Neotropical Carnivores, Atibaia, SP, Brazil.
Email: carolfesteves@gmail.com | ORCID: 0000-0003-4564-4101
Silvio Marchini
University of São Paulo, Forestry Science Department, Wildlife Ecology, Management and Conservation Laboratory, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Email: silvio.marchini@usp.br | ORCID: 0000-0002-8184-1631
* Corresponding Author
Journal of Environmental Law and Policy (2021) 01(02), 80-102. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp01.02.04
Accepted: 17 August 2021
No. of Abstract Views:
Published: 31 August 2021
No. of Paper Downloads:
Exclusively Brazilian, the Caatinga is a seasonally dry tropical forest where the endangered jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor) co-occur with the lowest regional Human Development Indexes. New land uses challenge traditional livelihoods and add threats to species historically poached in retaliation for livestock depredation. Chronicle biodiversity conflicts became acute after a reported increase in depredation allegedly because of those changes and conflicts among stakeholders. Using the framework of human dimensions of wildlife management, pioneer research on the vulnerabilities of rural communities to jaguar-and-puma conflicts was led in ‘Boqueirão da Onça’, within and surrounding that polygon of protected areas. The aim was to identify, describe, understand, and predict human behaviour, and link the outcomes with the IUCN natural resources governance concept. Negative attitudes arose from 72% and 35.2% participants towards the proximity of jaguar and proximity of puma, respectively. When asked about institutions working for wildlife protection, and institutions working for people facing problems caused by carnivores, 64.9% and 88.8%, respectively, were unaware of them. Regarding beliefs about co-occurrence with jaguars or pumas, 80.9% and 82.9%, respectively, mentioned more problems than benefits, with 74.5% believing in the increase of both species’ populations due to the creation of protected areas. This scenario may ease jaguar and puma to become scapegoats for human-wildlife and broader social conflicts, unless values such as justice and transparency are pursued.
Keywords: Biodiversity conflicts; Human dimensions; Protected areas; Governance
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Cláudia S G Martins, Francine Schulz, Carolina F Esteves and Silvio Marchini, ‘Jaguar and Puma in Brazilian Semi-Arid Region – scapegoats for weak governance?’ (2021) 01(02) Journal of Environmental Law & Policy 80-102. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp01.02.04
Martins, C.S.G., Schulz, F., Esteves, C.F. and Marchini, S. (2021). Jaguar and Puma in Brazilian Semi-Arid Region – scapegoats for weak governance? Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 01(02): 80-102. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp01.02.04
Martins, C.S.G., Schulz, F., Esteves, C.F., & Marchini, S. (2021). Jaguar and Puma in Brazilian Semi-Arid Region – scapegoats for weak governance? Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 01(02), 80-102. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp01.02.04
Martins C.S.G., Schulz F., Esteves C.F., Marchini S. Jaguar and Puma in Brazilian Semi-Arid Region – scapegoats for weak governance? Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 2021, 01 (02), 80-102. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp01.02.04
Martins, Cláudia Sofia Guerreiro, Schulz, Francine, Esteves, Carolina Franco, Marchini, Silvio. 2021. “Jaguar and Puma in Brazilian Semi-Arid Region – scapegoats for weak governance?” Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 01 no.02: 80-102. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp01.02.04
Martins, Cláudia Sofia Guerreiro, Francine Schulz, Carolina Franco Esteves and Silvio Marchini. 2021. “Jaguar and Puma in Brazilian Semi-Arid Region – scapegoats for weak governance?” Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 01 (02): 80-102. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp01.02.04
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