Evaluation of ecological awareness and superstition on Hermann’s tortoise in Eastern and Southern Serbia

Marko Nikolić, Dimitrija Savić-Zdravković, Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailović

Abstract


Folk beliefs, religion and mythology, created through various cultural influences in Serbia, shaped today’s attitudes toward wildlife. In this study we evaluated different levels of ecological awareness and superstition extent related to Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) through a systematized face-to-face questionnaire. The study was conducted in two protected and two unprotected areas of southern and eastern Serbia. The results confirmed the presence of myths and superstitions amongst locals and exisitng conflict between the humans and T. hermanni. These results also showed the lack of knowledge about national regulations related to protection of nature and T. hermanni, even in protected areas, with statistically signifficant differences among localities. To reduce this human/wildlife conflict, future conservation measures would have to take into account the views of the local population.

Keywords


Testudo hermanni; Serbia; ethnozoology; survey; questionnaire; protected areas; human-wildlife conflict

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References


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