Community perspectives of flagship species: can conservation motivators mitigate human-wildlife conflict?

• Published in: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
• Main Authors: Xu, Wanyun, Xu, Lingxia, Cao, Yuqi, Zheng, Jiaoyang, Wang, Yaling, Cheng, Kun, Lee, Chun-Hung, Dai, Huxuan, Mei, Sonamtso, Zong, Cheng
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Frontiers Media SA 2024
• Subjects: Ecology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Ursus arctos
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1265694; https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2024.1265694/full

Public perception of endangered species is crucial for successful management of community-based conservation and sustainability of national parks. By the method of choice experiment, our study evaluated conservation preferences and willingness to donate money for flagship and non-flagship species using a choice experiment with 409 residents living near the Lanstang river source of Sanjiangyuan National Park, China. We found that flagship species such as the Snow leopard ( Pristine plateau ) and White-lipped deer ( Przewalskium albirostris ) generated more conservation funds than non-flagship species. However, not all flagship species were accepted. Respondents disliked Tibetan brown bears ( Ursus arctos pruinosus ) due to direct human-wildlife conflicts such as bodily injury and property damage. Heterogeneity of preference was influenced by household income, religious beliefs, ethnicity, culture, and conservation awareness. Results can be used to establish a local community-participative framework by combining conservation motivations that alleviate human-wildlife conflict.