Data_rangers shooting at people_sibanda et al.xls

Using military-type strategies and equipment to conserve wildlife, also known as militarised conservation, is highly contested. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), one acutely controversial aspect of militarised conservation is when armed rangers shoot at suspected criminals inside protected and conserved areas (PCAs). We quantified perceptions among members of eight international publics on the acceptability of this particularly contentious aspect of militarised conservation, testing whether acceptability depended on the specific crime rangers suspect people of committing. Overall, the acceptability of rangers shooting at suspected criminals inside PCAs in SSA was low across all eight publics, but acceptability was generally higher among participants living further away from PCAs in SSA than those living closer to PCAs in SSA. Shooting in self-defence and to prevent poaching were consistently most acceptable across all eight publics. Our findings provide new comparative evidence on international public perceptions of a highly sensitive aspect of PCA management in SSA. This evidence may be useful to decision-makers balancing competing pressures to protect biodiversity, respect local values, and operate with legitimacy in an international context. Our findings are especially relevant in light of international aspirations to simultaneously increase PCAs while respecting the rights and interests of people living in high-biodiversity areas.

采用军事化策略与装备开展野生动物保育的做法，即军事化保护（militarised conservation），一直备受争议。在撒哈拉以南非洲（sub-Saharan Africa, SSA），军事化保护极具争议的方面之一是，武装护林员在保护与保育区域（protected and conserved areas, PCAs）内向疑似犯罪者开枪。本研究量化了八个国际公众群体对军事化保护这一极具争议性环节的认知，并探究可接受度是否取决于护林员所怀疑的具体犯罪类型。总体而言，八个公众群体对撒哈拉以南非洲保护与保育区域内武装护林员枪击疑似犯罪者行为的可接受度普遍偏低，但居住距离该区域较远的受访者，其可接受度普遍高于居住距离较近的受访者。在所有八个公众群体中，出于自卫以及防范盗猎目的的枪击行为始终是最易被接受的类型。本研究的发现为国际公众对撒哈拉以南非洲保护与保育区域管理中这一高度敏感环节的认知提供了全新的比较研究证据。该证据可为在国际语境下兼顾生物多样性保护、尊重本土价值与合法合规运营的决策者提供参考。鉴于国际社会同时希望扩大保护与保育区域规模，同时尊重高生物多样性区域居民的权益，本研究发现尤为具有现实意义。