Cultural dimensions

Key Papers

 

Agnihotri, S., C. Madegowda, and A. Si. 2021. Tiger becomes termite hill: Soliga/Solega perceptions of wildlife interactions and ecological change. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2.  Download 

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Aiyadurai, A. 2016. 'Tigers are Our Brothers': understanding human-nature relations in the Mishmi Hills, Northeast India. Conservation and Society 14:305-316.  Download

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​Almarcha, F., T. Ferrández, and J. V. López-Bao. 2022. Symbols, wolves and conflicts. Biological Conservation 275:109756.  Download

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Álvares, F., J. Domingues, P. Sierra, and P. Primavera. 2011. Cultural dimension of wolves in the Iberian Peninsula: implications of ethnozoology in conservation biology. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research 24:313-331.  External resource

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Athreya, V., S. Pimpale, A. S. Borkar, N. Surve, S. Chakravarty, M. Ghosalkar, A. Patwardhan, and J. Linnell, D.C. 2018. Monsters or Gods? Narratives of large cat worship in western India. Cat News 67:23-26.  External resource

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Baynes-Rock, M. 2013. Local tolerance of hyena attacks in East Hararge region, Ethiopia. Anthrozoos 26:421-433.  External resource

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Benavides, P., and J. Caviedes. 2021. Unnatural pumas and domestic foxes: relations with protected predators and conspiratorial rumours in southern Chile. Environmental Values.  External resource 

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Bhatia, S., S. M. Redpath, K. Suryawanshi, and C. Mishra. 2017. The relationship between religion and attitudes toward large carnivores in Northern India? Human Dimensions of Wildlife 22:30-42.  External resource

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Bhatia, S., K. Suryawanshi, S. M. Redpath, S. Namgail, and C. Mishra. 2021. Understanding people’s relationship with wildlife in trans-Himalayan folklore. Frontiers in Environmental Science 9.  Download 

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Brackhane S, Fukuda Y, Xavier FME, et al. 2024. Wildlife conservation through traditional values: alarming numbers of crocodile attacks reported from Timor-Leste. Oryx, 58(3):347-350. External resource 

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Brackhane, S., G. Webb, F. M. E. Xavier, J. Trindade, M. Gusmao, and P. Pechacek. 2019. Crocodile management in Timor-Leste: drawing upon traditional ecological knowledge and cultural beliefs. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 24:314-331.  External resource

 

Catapani, M.L., Desbiez, A.L.J., Morsello, C. 2023. Giant anteaters as bad omens: determinants and implications of wildlife superstitions. People and Nature 6(3): 987-1000. External resources

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Chan, K. M. A., A. D. Guerry, P. Balvanera, S. Klain, T. Satterfield, X. Basurto, A. Bostrom, R. Chuenpagdee, R. Gould, B. S. Halpern, N. Hannahs, J. Levine, B. Norton, M. Ruckelshaus, R. Russell, J. Tam, and U. Woodside. 2012. Where are cultural and social in ecosystem services? A framework for constructive engagement. Bioscience 62:744-756.  Download

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D’Lima, C., H. Marsh, M. Hamann, A. Sinha, and R. Arthur. 2014. Positive interactions between Irrawaddy dolphins and artisanal fishers in the Chilika Lagoon of Eastern India are driven by ecology, socioeconomics, and culture. Ambio 43:614-624.  External resource

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Davie, H. S., P. A. Stokowski, L. Ankhbayar, and J. D. Murdoch. 2014. Herders and wolves in post-soviet society: an ethnographic study in Mongolia’s Ikh Nart Nature Reserve. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 19:319-333.  External resource

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Dhee, V. Athreya, J. D. C. Linnell, S. Shivakumar, and S. P. Dhiman. 2019. The leopard that learnt from the cat and other narratives of carnivore–human coexistence in northern India. People and Nature 1:376-386.  Download

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Dheer, A., E. Davidian, M. H. Jacobs, J. Ndorosa, T. M. Straka, and O. P. Höner. 2021. Emotions and cultural importance predict the acceptance of large carnivore management strategies by Maasai pastoralists. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2.  Download

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Dickman, A., P. J. Johnson, F. van Kesteren, and D. W. Macdonald. 2015. The moral basis for conservation: how is it affected by culture? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13:325-331.  External resource

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Dickman, A. J., L. Hazzah, C. Carbone, and S. M. Durant. 2014. Carnivores, culture and 'contagious conflict': multiple factors influence perceived problems with carnivores in Tanzania's Ruaha landscape. Biological Conservation 178:19-27.  External resource​​​

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Engel, M. T., J. J. Vaske, and A. J. Bath. 2021. Seal hunting in Newfoundland from the perspective of local people. Marine Policy 128:104491.  External resource 

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Evans, L. A., and W. M. Adams. 2018. Elephants as actors in the political ecology of human–elephant conflict. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 43:630-645. External resources 

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Gebresenbet, F., B. Baraki, G. Yirga, C. Sillero-Zubiri, and H. Bauer. 2018. A culture of tolerance: coexisting with large carnivores in the Kafa Highlands, Ethiopia. Oryx 52:751-760.  External resource

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Ghosal, S., and D. J. Kjosavik. 2015. Living with leopards: negotiating morality and modernity in western India. Society & Natural Resources 28:1092-1107.  External resource

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Goldman, M. J., J. R. de Pinho, and J. Perry. 2013. Beyond ritual and economics: Maasai lion hunting and conservation politics. Oryx 47:490-500.  External resource

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Gomez, J., N. van Vliet, and N. Canales. 2022. The values of wildlife revisited. Ecology and Society 27.   Download 

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Gupta, A. C. 2013. Elephants, safety nets and agrarian culture: understanding human-wildlife conflict and rural livelihoods around Chobe National Park, Botswana. Journal of Political Ecology 20:238-254.  Download

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Hatch, M. B. A., J. K. Parrish, S. S. Heppell, S. Augustine, L. Campbell, L. M. Divine, J. Donatuto, A. S. Groesbeck, and N. F. Smith. 2023. Boundary spanners: a critical role for enduring collaborations between Indigenous communities and mainstream scientists. Ecology and Society 28.   Download 

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Hazzah, L., A. Bath, S. Dolrenry, A. Dickman, and L. Frank. 2017. From attitudes to actions: predictors of lion killing by Maasai warriors. Plos One 12:e0170796.  Download

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Hazzah, L., S. Dolrenry, L. Naughton, C. T. T. Edwards, O. Mwebi, F. Kearney, and L. Frank. 2014. Efficacy of two lion conservation programs in Maasailand, Kenya. Conservation Biology 28:851-860.  External resource

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Hill, C. M., and A. D. Webber. 2010. Perceptions of nonhuman primates in human-wildlife conflict scenarios. American Journal of Primatology 72:919-924.  External resource

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Hughes, C., B. Frank, N. A. Melnycky, N. T. Yarmey, and J. A. Glikman. 2020. From worship to subjugation: understanding stories about bears to inform conservation efforts. Ursus 2020:1-12, 12.  External resource

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Hughes, C., and S. E. Nielsen. 2018. ‘Bear are only the Lightning Rod’: ongoing acrimony in Alberta’s Grizzly Bear Recovery. Society & Natural Resources:1-19.  External resource

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Infield, M., A. Entwistle, H. Anthem, A. Mugisha, and K. Phillips. 2018. Reflections on cultural values approaches to conservation: lessons from 20 years of implementation. Oryx 52:220-230.  External resource

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Inskip, C., Z. Fahad, R. Tully, T. Roberts, and D. MacMillan. 2014. Understanding carnivore killing behaviour: exploring the motivations for tiger killing in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. Biological Conservation 180:42-50.  External resource

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Inskip, C., M. Ridout, Z. Fahad, R. Tully, A. Barlow, C. G. Barlow, M. A. Islam, T. Roberts, and D. MacMillan. 2013. Human–tiger conflict in context: risks to lives and livelihoods in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Human Ecology 41:169-186.  External resource

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Ishii, H. T., Manabe, T., Ito, K., Fujita, N., Imanishi, A., Hashimoto, D., & Iwasaki, A. (2010). Integrating ecological and cultural values toward conservation and utilization of shrine/temple forests as urban green space in Japanese cities. Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 6(2),307–315. External resource

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Karanth, K. K., and S. Kudalkar. 2017. History, location, and species matter: insights for human–wildlife conflict mitigation from India. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 22:331-346.  External resource

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Kellert, S. R., M. Black, C. R. Rush, and A. J. Bath. 1996. Human culture and large carnivore conservation in North America. Conservation Biology 10:977-990.  External resource

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Kiik, L. 2019. Conservationland: toward the anthropology of professionals in global nature conservation. Critique of Anthropology 39:391-419.  External resource

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Kirksey, S. E., and S. Helmreich. 2010. The emergence of multispecies ethnography. Cultural Anthropology 25:545-576.  External resource

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Knight, J. 1999. Monkeys on the move: the natural symbolism of people-macaque conflict in Japan. The Journal of Asian Studies 58:622-647.  External resource

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Kpera, G. N., N. Aarts, R. C. Tossou, G. A. Mensah, A. Saidou, D. K. Kossou, A. B. Sinsin, and A. J. van der Zijpp. 2014. A pond with crocodiles never dries up': a frame analysis of human-crocodile relationships in agro-pastoral dams in Northern Benin. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 12:316-333.  External resource

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Kshettry, A., N. Bhave, P. Das, and V. Athreya. 2021. Mahakal blessed my crop: community dynamics and religious beliefs influence efficacy of a wildlife compensation program. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2.  Download

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Kumar, N., Y. V. Jhala, Q. Qureshi, A. G. Gosler, and F. Sergio. 2019. Human-attacks by an urban raptor are tied to human subsidies and religious practices. Scientific Reports 9:2545.  External resource​

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Lestel, D., F. Brunois, and F. Gaunet. 2006. Etho-ethnology and ethno-ethology. Social Science Information 45:155-177. External resources

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Locke, P. 2013. Explorations in ethnoelephantology. Environment and Society 4:79-97.  External resource

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Manfredo, M. J., and A.A. Dayer. 2004. Concepts for exploring the social aspects of human–wildlife conflict in a global context. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 9:1-20.  External resource

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Matema, S., and J. A. Andersson. 2015. Why are lions killing us? Human–wildlife conflict and social discontent in Mbire District, northern Zimbabwe. The Journal of Modern African Studies 53:93-120. External resource

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McKay, J. E., F. A. V. St. John, A. Harihar, D. Martyr, N. Leader-Williams, B. Milliyanawati, I. Agustin, Y. Anggriawan, Karlina, E. Kartika, F. Mangunjaya, M. J. Struebig, and M. Linkie. 2018. Tolerating tigers: gaining local and spiritual perspectives on human-tiger interactions in Sumatra through rural community interviews. Plos One 13:e0201447.  Download

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Miller, K.M., Berg, G., Indigenous Knowledge Keepers of Churchill, Lickers, M., McIvor, N., and Henri, D.A. 2025. Coexistence between people and polar bears supports indigenous knowledge mobilization in wildlife management and research. Communications Earth and Environment 6(74). External resources

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Mohammadi, A., A. Alambeigi, J. V. López-Bao, and M. Kaboli. 2021. Fear of wolves in relation to attacks on people and livestock in western Iran. Anthrozoos:1-17.  External resource

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Moures-Nouri, F., M.-R. Hemami, A. Rezvani, and B. Ghasemi. 2023. The influence of superstitions and emotions on villagers’ attitudes towards striped hyena in southwestern Iran. Plos One 18:e0285546.   Download 

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Musah, Y., D. K. Attuquayefio, A. N. A. Pobee, and L. H. Holbech. 2021. Ophidiophobia, myth generation, and human perceptions: implications for snake conservation in a typical savanna community of northern Ghana. Human Dimensions of Wildlife:1-22.  External resource 

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Nair, R., Dhee, O. Patil, N. Surve, A. Andheria, J. D. C. Linnell, and V. Athreya. 2021. Sharing spaces and entanglements with big cats: the Warli and their Waghoba in Maharashtra, India. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2.  Download

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Nayak, M., and P. K. Swain. 2021. Perceptions through artwork: children’s understanding of elephants and human-elephant interactions in Balasore, India. Human Dimensions of Wildlife:1-10.  External resource 

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Parathian, H. E., M. R. McLennan, C. M. Hill, A. Frazão-Moreira, and K. J. Hockings. 2018. Breaking through disciplinary barriers: human–wildlife interactions and multispecies ethnography. International Journal of Primatology. External resources

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Pooley, S. 2016. A cultural herpetology of nile crocodiles in Africa. Conservation and Society 14:391  Download​​

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Pooley, S. 2022. The challenge of compassion in predator conservation. Frontiers in Psychology 13.  Download 

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Riley, E. P. 2010. The importance of human-macaque folklore for conservation in Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Oryx 44:235-240. External resources

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Riley, E. P. 2018. The maturation of ethnoprimatology: theoretical and methodological pluralism. International Journal of Primatology, 39:705-729. External resources

 

Riley, E. P., and N. E. C. Priston. 2010. Macaques in farms and folklore: exploring the human-nonhuman primate interface in Sulawesi, Indonesia. American Journal of Primatology 72:848-854.  External resource

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Rust, N. A., J. Tzanopoulos, T. Humle, and D. C. MacMillan. 2016. Why has human–carnivore conflict not been resolved in Namibia? Society & Natural Resources 29:1079-1094.  Download

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Saraswat, R., A. Sinha, and S. Radhakrishna. 2015. A god becomes a pest? Human-rhesus macaque interactions in Himachal Pradesh, northern India. European Journal of Wildlife Research 61:435-443.  External resource

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Saunders, L., & Jukes, S. 2025. Learning to Live with Dungalaba: Embracing Indigenous Knowledge Practises for Respectful Coexistence with Saltwater Crocodiles in the Northern Territory. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 1–14. External resources 

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Setchell, J. M., E. Fairet, K. Shutt, S. Waters, and S. Bell. 2017. Biosocial conservation: integrating biological and ethnographic methods to study human–primate interactions. International Journal of Primatology 38:401-426.  Download

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Sevillano-Triguero, V., F. Talayero, J. V. López-Bao, and S. Estrella-Aguirre. 2022. The social stereotypes of wolves and brown bears. Human Dimensions of Wildlife:1-16.  External resource 

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Sousa, J., A. Ainslie, and C. M. Hill. 2017. Sorcery and nature conservation. Environmental Conservation:1-6.  External resource

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Sousa, J., C. M. Hill, and A. Ainslie. 2017. Chimpanzees, sorcery and contestation in a protected area in Guinea-Bissau. Social Anthropology 25:364-379.  External resource

 

Teampanpong, J., Thungsen, M., Saisamorn, A. and Duengkae, P. 2024. Understanding human dimensions of Siamese Crocodile reintroduction in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand. Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity 8(4): 193-219.  External resources

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Thekaekara, T., S. A. Bhagwat, and T. F. Thornton. 2021. Coexistence and culture: understanding human diversity and tolerance in human-elephant interactions. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2.  Download

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van der Ploeg, J., M. van Weerd, and G. A. Persoon. 2011. A cultural history of crocodiles in the Philippines: towards a new peace pact? Environment and History 17:229-264.  External resource

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Van der Ploeg, J., R. R. Araño, and M. van Weerd. 2011. What local people think about crocodiles: challenging environmental policy narratives in the Philippines. The Journal of Environment & Development 20:303-328.  External resource 

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van Dooren, T. 2023. Worlds of meaning at the edge of extinction: conservation behaviour and the environmental humanities. Humanities 12:122.   Download 

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Vikas, M., V. Athreya, and S. Limaye. 2022. Changing a leopard's spots or how people spot leopards? Managing human – leopard interactions in urban India. World Development Perspectives:100431.  External resource 

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Walker, B. L. 2013. Animals and the Intimacy of History. History and Theory 52:45-67. External resources

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Waylen, K. A., A. Fischer, P. J. K. McGowan, S. J. Thirgood, and E. J. Milner-Gulland. 2010. Effect of local cultural context on the success of community-based conservation interventions. Conservation Biology 24:1119-1129.  External resource