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.

采用军事化策略与设备开展野生动物保护的实践（亦称军事化保护（militarised conservation）），历来争议极大。在撒哈拉以南非洲（sub-Saharan Africa, SSA），军事化保护的一项极具争议的环节，便是武装护林员在保护与保育区域（protected and conserved areas, PCAs）内向疑似犯罪人员开枪。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接受度，探究接受度是否会因护林员怀疑的具体犯罪类型而异。整体而言，八个公众群体对撒哈拉以南非洲保护与保育区域内护林员向疑似犯罪人员开枪行为的接受度普遍偏低，但居住距离该区域越远的受访者，其接受度普遍高于居住距离较近的受访者。在所有八个群体中，出于自卫与防止偷猎目的的开枪行为，接受度始终居于首位。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议题的认知，提供了全新的比较研究证据。该研究结果可为平衡保护生物多样性、尊重本土价值、在国际语境下合法履职等多重竞争压力的决策者提供参考。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与利益，本研究的发现尤为具有现实意义。