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Attitudes and knowledge of shade-coffee farmers towards vertebrates and their ecological functions. Lopez-del-Toro, Paulina, Andresen, Ellen, Barraza, Laura and Estrada, Alejandro 2009, Attitudes and knowledge of shade-coffee farmers towards vertebrates and their ecological functions., Tropical conservation science, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 299-318. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads barraza-attitudesand-2009.pdf Published version application/pdf 387.91KB 27 Title Attitudes and knowledge of shade-coffee farmers towards vertebrates and their ecological functions. Author(s) Lopez-del-Toro, Paulina Andresen, Ellen Barraza, Laura Estrada, Alejandro Journal name Tropical conservation science Volume number 2 Issue number 3 Start page 299 End page 318 Publisher Mongabay.com Place of publication United States Publication date 2009-08 ISSN 1940-0829 Keyword(s) agroecosystem animal conservation ecosystem services environmental education perceptions Summary The purpose of this study was to assess farmers’ attitudes, as well as perceptions and knowledge that shape those attitudes, toward the ecological role of vertebrates inhabiting shaded-coffee farms. We also aimed to determine whether differences existed among two groups of farmers: one that had attended environmental education workshops, and one that had not. We conducted 36 oral interviews of farmers in the region of Cuetzalan, Mexico. All farmers were members of an important regional cooperative, Tosepan Titataniske. In general, farmers’ attitudes towards birds were positive. Snakes were perceived as useful but dangerous animals. Attitudes towards nonflying mammals were mostly indifferent. Bats were poorly understood and badly perceived. Seed dispersal was perceived as an important ecological function performed by animals. Pollination was also perceived as important, but to a lesser degree. Knowledge about ecological functions was high for seed dispersal, and low for pollination. We found a positive correlation between attendance of educational workshops and the presence of “environmentally-friendly” attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge. However, a cause-effect relationship could not be clearly established. We suggest that environmental education programs include the objective of increasing the knowledge of people about the ecological functions played by different groups of animals that live in agroecosystems. Particular efforts should be directed toward improving the way in which certain non-charismatic groups of animals, such as bats, are perceived. Notes Open access paper Language eng Field of Research 050102 Ecosystem Function 050203 Environmental Education and Extension Socio Economic Objective 970105 Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences HERDC Research category C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Copyright notice ©2009, The Authors Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30025616 Document type: Journal Article Collections: School of Education Open Access Collection Related Links Link Description Connect to published version Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in DRO. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact drosupport@deakin.edu.au. Versions Version Filter Type Thu, 25 Mar 2010, 14:15:01 EST Thu, 22 Apr 2010, 14:10:42 EST Thu, 22 Apr 2010, 14:11:19 EST Mon, 26 Apr 2010, 19:09:22 EST Wed, 09 Oct 2013, 14:24:10 EST Wed, 09 Oct 2013, 14:25:22 EST Mon, 14 Oct 2013, 10:31:51 EST Mon, 14 Oct 2013, 10:38:51 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 1 times in TR Web of Science Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 377 Abstract Views, 27 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Thu, 25 Mar 2010, 14:15:01 EST

Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in DRO. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact drosupport@deakin.edu.au.