| Principal Investigator: | Dr Freya St. John |
|---|---|
| Project dates: | 2012 – 2014 |
| Collaborators: | Prof Kurtis Pei, Institute of Wildlife Conservation, National Pingtung University of Science & Technology, Taiwan |
Once common and distributed across the whole of Taiwan at low elevations (<1500m), the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is now listed as endangered under the Wildlife Conservation Act of Taiwan. Leopard cat numbers are declining largely as a result of habitat fragmentation and degradation associated with a growing human population. Usually preying on rodents and small birds the increasing presence of human homesteads within the leopard cat’s range presents increasing opportunities for leopard cats to kill domestic chickens. In retaliation for their loss, it is understood that some local residents are illegally persecuting leopard cats. To date it is unknown how serious a threat this illegal killing poses to the leopard cat population of Taiwan.
Human-wildlife conflict is a prominent example of a sensitive topic which is difficult to study directly, particularly when the species being persecuted are legally protected. To address the inherent difficulties of collecting sensitive data directly from respondents, this study will use specialised methods for asking sensitive questions in order to estimate the proportion of residents within western Taiwan illegally killing leopard cats. Further, to improve our understanding of peoples’ decision making in respect of illegal activities, motivations for compliance including knowledge of rules, duty to comply and social norms towards protected species will be explored. Critically, the analysis will quantitatively explore how different motivations for compliance relate to peoples’ actual behaviour.