1. Local Residents' Knowledge about Protected Areas: A Case Study in Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary,
India.(Link)
Society & Natural Resources. Vol. 25, Iss. 4.
2012
A substantial body of research explores local residents' perceptions and attitudes toward
protected areas. However, less research focuses explicitly on different aspects of local
residents' knowledge about protected areas. To examine the local residents' knowledge
regarding the existence and regulations of a nearby protected area and some of the
socioeconomic correlates of this knowledge, we surveyed 425 adults living in urban and rural
settings around the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (India).
We found that knowledge of the existence of the protected area was low, especially among
urban dwellers. We also found that socioeconomic characteristics of informants, such as sex,
education, and place of residency, explain variation in awareness of the existence of a
protected area. As information on protected areas only reaches selected groups of the
population, our findings highlight the importance of reinforcing policies that promote public
awareness of protected areas.