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Urban and rural perceptions of protected areas: a case study in Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2010

MARGARITA TRIGUERO-MAS ,
MARC OLOMÍ-SOLÀ ,
NAVEEN JHA ,
FRANCISCO ZORONDO-RODRÍGUEZ  and
VICTORIA REYES-GARCÍA
MARGARITA TRIGUERO-MAS
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellatera, Barcelona, Spain
MARC OLOMÍ-SOLÀ
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellatera, Barcelona, Spain
NAVEEN JHA
Affiliation:
Desphande Foundation, BVB Engineering College, 580031 Hubli, Karnataka, India
FRANCISCO ZORONDO-RODRÍGUEZ
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellatera, Barcelona, Spain
VICTORIA REYES-GARCÍA*
Affiliation:
ICREA and Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellatera, Barcelona, Spain
*
*Correspondence: Dr Victoria Reyes-García Tel: + 34 93 581 4218 Fax: + 34 93 581 3331 e-mail: victoria.reyes@uab.cat
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Summary

Researchers, governments and conservation organizations recognize that the long-term integrity of protected areas (PAs) in low-income nations depends upon the support of indigenous and rural communities that live within or around them. Thus, understanding the determinants of residents’ attitudes towards PAs might provide guidance in the design, implementation and evaluation of this strategic form of biodiversity conservation. This paper (1) compares urban and rural residents’ perceptions of the impact of a PA and (2) analyses the association between the perception of economic, social and environmental impacts, and overall attitude towards the PA. Information was collected among urban and rural residents living in the vicinity of the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats (Karnataka, India). Local residents’ attitudes towards the PA were mainly positive, especially among urban residents. Multivariate analysis showed a positive association between the perception of economic benefits and individual attitudes towards the PA. There was no statistically significant association between attitudes towards the PA and perception of social and environmental impacts. Future research should address whether positive attitudes translate into more sustainable behaviours.

Keywords

economic impactenvironmental impactIndialocal perceptionssocial impactWestern Ghatswildlife sanctuary
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 36 , Issue 3 , September 2009 , pp. 208 - 217
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2010

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