Breaking Through Disciplinary Barriers: Human–Wildlife Interactions and Multispecies Ethnography

Abstract

One of the main challenges when integrating biological and social perspectives in primatology is overcoming interdisciplinary barriers. Unfamiliarity with subject-specific theory and language, distinct disciplinary-bound approaches to research, and academic boundaries aimed at “preserving the integrity” of subject disciplines can hinder developments in interdisciplinary research. With growing interest in how humans and other primates share landscapes, and recognition of the importance of combining biological and social information to do this effectively, the disparate use of terminology is becoming more evident. To tackle this problem, we dissect the meaning of what the biological sciences term studies in “human–wildlife conflict” or more recently “human–wildlife interactions” and compare it to what anthropology terms “multispecies ethnography.” In the biological sciences, human–wildlife interactions are the actions resulting from people and wild animals sharing landscapes and resources, with outcomes ranging from being beneficial or harmful to one or both species. In the social sciences, human–nonhuman relationships have been explored on a philosophical, analytical, and empirical level. Building on previous work, we advocate viewing landscapes through an interdisciplinary “multispecies lens” in which humans are observed as one of multiple organisms that interact with other species to shape and create environments. To illustrate these interconnections we use the case study of coexistence between people of the Nalu ethnic group and Critically Endangered western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau, to demonstrate how biological and social research approaches can be complementary and can inform conservation initiatives at the human–primate interface. Finally, we discuss how combining perspectives from ethnoprimatology with those from multispecies ethnography can advance the study of ethnoprimatology to aid productive discourse and enhance future interdisciplinary research.

Ethnography, ethnobiology and natural history: narratives on hunting and ecology of mammals among quilombolas from Southeast Brazil

“…This is a phenomenon that has not yet received much attention in research on nonindigenous rural populations in Brazil [106]. Consideration of this kind of phenomenon may have significant implications for the development and effective implementation of management plans and environmental education programs related to this faunistic group [108,109].…”

Primate occurrence across a human-impacted landscape in Guinea-Bissau and neighbouring regions in West Africa: using a systematic literature review to highlight the next conservation steps

“…In these agroforest landscapes, management objectives will need to focus on improving synergies between biodiversity conservation and agricultural development ( Scherr & McNeely, 2008 ). The use of cross-disciplinary research approaches will be crucial for developing realistic, culturally and socially appropriate conservation strategies ( Parathian et al, 2018 ). Finally, to ensure good environmental governance and maximise the public’s compliance with conservation policies (e.g., zoning, new hunting regulations), management strategies will require full local participation ( Andrade & Rhodes, 2012 ), using a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach including governmental agencies, local authorities, farmers and other local groups’ representatives ( Scherr & McNeely, 2008 ).…”

Extensive Overlap in the Selection of Wild Fruits by Chimpanzees and Humans: Implications for the Management of Complex Social-Ecological Systems

“…The régulo is also in charge of making decisions (with the support of the council) over land distribution and land use. Therefore any person wishing to clear a patch of forest to build a house or cultivate an agricultural area must first be granted permission (Frazão-Moreira, 2016;Parathian et al, 2018). The Balanta have been migrating to this region since the 1950s and are traditionally rice paddy farmers, but more recently farm cashew (Frazão-Moreira, 2009).…”

“…Up to now, detailed examination of the co-utilization of wild plant resources by sympatric humans and primates has received limited attention, and approaches vary for several reasons. Firstly, obtaining data on plant selection by both humans and primates mostly requires different methodological approaches (Sugiyama and Koman, 1992;Koné et al, 2008: Parathian et al, 2018. However, for habituated primates, resource selection can be quantified through direct behavioral observations, with similar participatory observational methods possible for people if few resources are targeted by specific user groups.…”