جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "خرس قهوه ای" در نشریات گروه "اکولوژی"

Human fear of large carnivores can affect human willingness to share the landscape with these species. Also, fear has the potential to influence decision-making processes and the implementation of management interventions. People who fear of large carnivores show more opposition to protect these carnivores and are more likely to support killing them. This study was conducted to investigate the factors affecting the fear of local communities toward brown bears in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. In order to find out the attitude of the local communities towards the bear, a specialized questionnaire was designed and the sample size was estimated at 332, using Cochran's formula. Social network analysis was used to assess the vulnerability of local communities towards brown bears. Based on the results, inadequate knowledge of local communities about bears leads to fear and behavioral changes, when facing this species. Efforts to reduce the human fear of bears should be focused on communication with local people. In order to reduce the conflict between human and bears, it is recommended to increase knowledge and awareness of local communities about the brown bear behavior along with other management measures.

Wildlife management and conservation is challenged by public perceptions and fear of carnivores in communities living in close proximity to wild habitats, where large carnivores occur. Fear of carnivores influences peoplechr('39')s attitudes towards wild animals, further exacerbating the problems associated with effective conservation and management of wildlife. Here, we aimed to investigate the factors affecting rural attitudes towards brown bears in two protected areas (Southern-Central Alborz protected area and Taleghan prohibited hunting area) in Alborz province. To evaluate the effect of participant and experimental variables, we used a questionnaire survey. Data were collected from 200 randomly chosen residents from 70 villages across both study areas between winter of 2018 and summer of 2019. Binomial Logistic Regression was used to analyze the effect of independent variables on intervieweeschr('39') fear of coexistence with brown bears. Our results revealed that experiences of brown bear attacks on orchards, respondents’ belief of bears’ role in reforestation, gender, respondents’ belief that bears jeopardize people’s safety, and respondents’ concern for coexisting with brown bears play a significant role in shaping human fear towards this species. Development and implementation of educational programs to reduce local people’s fear of large carnivores and improving the sense of public participation in wildlife conservation and management programs, particularly in villages located in or adjacent to protected areas, are highly recommended.

Wildlife is an important biological indicator of viability of ecosystems, therefore, understanding habitat requirements of species is essential for biodiversity conservation. Determining the suitability of habitats for wildlife is important for effective management and conservation of species. The brown bear (Ursus arctos), as the largest carnivorous mammal in Iran, is distributed in most forest and mountain ecosystems and has a high conservation value. In the current study, brown bear habitat suitability modelling, in Kurdistan Province, was performed using maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt). After collecting the presence data and environmental variables, and examining the correlation between the variables, the obtained data were entered into the MaxEnt model. Results showed that temperature seasonality, annual precipitation, topography and vegetation are the most important variables in predicting habitat suitability of the brown bear in Kurdistan province. From the total area of Kurdistan Province, 1, 5 and 11 % were respectively accounted for habitats of high, moderate and low suitability, and 83% of the area was clssifed as unsuitable habitats. Based on the results, Chehel Cheshmeh, Shaho and Kosalan protected areas are suitable habitats for the brown bear. Zagros forests are considered as one of the main habitats of brown bear in Iran, consequently, the conservation of these habitats is essential to protect populations of this valuable carnivorous species.