sponsored from around the web - michigan state...
TRANSCRIPT
7/17/13 Mapping Attitudes Towards Tigers - Science News - redOrbit
www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112899734/mapping-attitudes-towards-tigers-071713/ 1/3
Last updated on July 17, 2013 at 9:34 EDT Log In and Sign Up with:
SearchHome Video News Images Health Education Topics Blogs Daily Orbit
Space Science Technology Health General SciFi & Gaming Oddities International Business Education Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity
Home » News » Science » Mapping Nepalese Attitudes Towards Endangered Tigers
Mapping Nepalese Attitudes Towards Endangered TigersJuly 17, 2013
0
Image Credit: Thinkstock.com
April Flowers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
A new study from Michigan State University reveals it is much easier to feel positive about the endangered Bengaltiger in your backyard if you live on the good side of town. The study, published in AMBIO, examined what factorsinfluenced people’s attitudes towards the tigers that share their neighborhood in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park,which is home to some 125 adult tigers. The decision to map people’s attitudes represents a novel approach fromthe research team.
“Harmonizing humanwildlife relationships is key to sustainably conserving wildlife such as the endangeredtigers,” said Jianguo “Jack” Liu, MSU’s Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability, director of the Center for SystemsIntegration and Sustainability (CSIS). “People’s attitudes towards tigers shape the fate of tigers.”
A map of attitudes toward tigers – a clear plotting of the haves, the havenots, and how social status shapesdifferent views of wildlife conservation – was created by Neil Carter, PhD student at CSIS who has spent yearsstudying how people and tigers coexist in Nepal.
The researchers surveyed 500 Chitwan residents to find that it’s not so much the contact a person has with a tiger– a scare, an attack, losing livestock. Instead, neighborly feelings towards carnivores, they found, is something of aluxury and depends on the person’s social and economic status.
The study area included 100square miles of forest and settlements on the west side of Chitwan. The people inthis area who report supporting the protection of tigers live in the more prosperous east side. The easternneighborhoods are comparatively urban, with residents who are more economically secure, have more clout withthe local government and have more resources beyond just those the forest provides.
When surveyed by the researchers, the residents of the more prosperous east side were more likely to report
Related ArticlesHumandriven Change Good For Parasites But BadFor Birds In Argentine Forests
Tradeoffs Between Food Security And ClimateChange Mitigation Addressed By New Study
Two Million Die Each Year As Result Of Air Pollution
DOE Offers Dire Warnings Of Climate Change’sImpact On Energy Grid
Climate Change Has Resulted In More Predation OnMosquitoEating Birds
Researchers Solve The Mystery Of The White Tiger
Humans And Tigers Learning To Live Together inChitwan National Park, Nepal
Study Shows That Understanding The Tiger BreedsMore Human Tolerance
No Magic Number For Saving Endangered Species
WWF Says Rare Tigers Need Protection FromLoggers
Related ImagesThe Yellow Sea of China
Waters Of Central China
A yellowlipped sea krait (Laticauda colubrina) onthe shore near Turtle Island
Gobi Desert Dust Storm
Dust Over Mongolia and China
Spring Sea Ice Melt
James Bay Fires
Pine Island Glacier
Volcanic Fertilizer
Related VideosAutism Linked To Pollution
0 Switch 0 0
7/17/13 Mapping Attitudes Towards Tigers - Science News - redOrbit
www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112899734/mapping-attitudes-towards-tigers-071713/ 2/3
Autism Epidemic Linked to Epidemic of VaccineInduced Diabetes
Norwegian Sea Bloom
Teen’s Life Saved By Removing Tumor From HisFace
Karen Nyberg Shows How You Wash Hair in Space
Full Genome Sequencing Of Autistic PatientsReveals Groundbreaking Insights
Researchers Discover Tenth Century BCEInscription Near Temple Mount
Meteor Impact Crater Sits Below Iowa Town Lack Of Vitamin D Causes Bone Aging
Pedophiles Beware Negobot, A ‘Virtual Lolita’ Crazy Ants Invade the South Destroying Electronicsand Household Appliances
Recommended For You
positive attitudes toward tigers. The team found this was because these residents profited directly from the tigers’presence – they work as guides or porters for tourists, for example. They are also more educated, feel that you cancontrol your surroundings and influence the world around you, then you tend to be more positive about what’sin the forest.
Residents on the more rural and isolated west side, on the other hand, depend more directly on the forest forsustenance. Carter suggests the daily dependence on the forest not only makes them more vulnerable to tigerattacks, but also makes conservation regulations more burdensome and fuels tiger intolerance. The west sideresidents also tended to feel less empowered, with less input into regulations and less recourse when thingsaren’t going well.
“This is important to know from a wildlife conservation standpoint,” Carter said. “There’s reason to expect peopleon the west side to be less compliant with conservation policies, for example, by killing tigers in retaliation toattacks or to harbor poachers.”
The lessons learned in Nepal shed light on what makes or breaks conservation efforts around the globe in areaswhere people live next door to wolves, coyote, bears – animals that inspire fascination and fear. Human buyin isessential for conservation efforts. The team hopes their work will allow conservation managers to create maps ofattitudes toward many other wildlife species.
“It surprised me how powerful the effect of the social, cultural and economic factors had on their attitudes,” Cartersaid. “This is showing us that conservation is not just the wildlife issues. It’s very much about managing peopleand their needs, and knowing where to focus attention.”
Source: April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online
Topics: Environment, Tigers, Asia, Fauna of Asia, Chitwan District, Chitwan National Park, Bengal tiger, Fauna ofIndia
Inspiring Innovative LOL Amazing Geeky Scary
Recommended by
Post a new comment
Tag Team for Tickers! Hybrid Help for AFib
GPM Solar Array Deployment
Tiger Cubs Caught On Candid Camera
Earth from Space: Probing Mesopotamia
Earth from Space: Kazakh Treasure
What Exploded Over Russia?
Hunt Is On To Rid The Everglades Of...
Green Turtle Laying Eggs
Leatherback Turtles Dive For Jellyfish
Related Reference LibraryCorkscrew Clubtail, Paragomphus elpidius
Hylarana Latouchii
Luzon Fanged Frog, Limnonectes...
Bali Tiger
South China Tiger
Amur Tiger (Siberian)
Al Hajar Mountains
Golden Palm Civet, Paradoxurus...
Longtailed Goral, Naemorhedus caudatus
Moluccan Flying Fox, Pteropus...
Lesser Asiatic Yellow Bat,...
Large Indian Civet, Viverra zibetha
Most Recent BlogsBig Story Weather – July 17, 2013
The Danger In Your Litterbox… Duh?
Texting Between The Sheets (And Other Places)
Hiking Part 1: Day Hikes
iWaku Watches You As You Sleep
Technical Advancements: High Speed Imaging
Daily RoundUp For July 16, 2013
Record Setting $30 Million For A Mercedes
A Look At The Crunch Of Shadowrun, Fifth Edition
International Weather Outlook: July 16, 2013
0 1 0 0 0 0
Sponsored From Around the Web
How PennyStocks CreateMillionairesEvery Day
How CruiseShips Fill TheirUnsold Cabins
Rare DiscoveryHelps LowerBlood Pressure
How New iPadsare Selling forUnder $40
How to ExerciseYour Brain toMake It Strong
?
7/17/13 Mapping Attitudes Towards Tigers - Science News - redOrbit
www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112899734/mapping-attitudes-towards-tigers-071713/ 3/3
0 Comments RSS | Subscribe
Breaking NewsSpaceScienceTechnologyHealthCES 2013More...
Streaming VideoYouTube ChannelTop PicksScienceHealthMore...
Images and PhotosImages of the DayImage GalleriesWallpapersMore...
Space ExplorationAstronomyHuman SpaceflightAsk the AstronomerMars Science LaboratoryMore...
Science and ResearchInstrumentsCalculatorAsk the ScientistMore...
TechnologyAsk the ExpertTechnology ReviewsMore...
My HealthHealthMore...
Mobile Widgets Advertising About Us Contact Us Privacy Statement Terms of Service Abuse Reporting Search Topics Feeds Jobs Podcasts Follow us on:
© 20022013 redOrbit.com. All rights reservedAll other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners
Login
Post