Rural children know cavity-nesting birds of the Atlantic Forest but may underappreciate their critical habitat

Abstract

Cavity-nesting birds are a diverse and charismatic community, with a common need for tree cavities that makes them vulnerable to land management by humans. However, little research has formally integrated human social aspects into management recommendations for the conservation of cavity-nesting birds. In agroecosystems, people's management decisions modify and define the habitat availability for native cavity-nesting species. These behaviors during adulthood are related to people's worldviews and are shaped, in part, by childhood experiences. On-going forest loss may reduce opportunities for children to interact with and learn from cavity-nesting birds and their habitats. We used a social-ecological framework to assess rural children's knowledge and representations of native cavity-nesting birds and their habitats in agroecosystems of the threatened Atlantic Forest of Argentina. We employed “freelists” and “draw-and-explain” strategies with 235 children from 19 rural schools, and then compared results with a 4-yr dataset of trees (n = 328) and tree-cavity nests (n = 164) in the same study area. Children listed a high diversity (93 taxa) of native cavity-nesting birds, especially parrots (Psittacidae), toucans (Ramphastidae), and woodpeckers (Picidae), which they mostly recognized as cavity-nesters. However, children drew agricultural landscapes with few of the habitat features that these birds require (e.g., tree cavities, native forest). Exotic trees were overrepresented in drawings (40% of mentions) compared to our field dataset of nests (10%) and trees on farms (15%). Although children mentioned and depicted a high diversity of native cavity-nesting birds, our results may reveal a problematic extinction of experience regarding how these birds interact with their habitat. To strengthen children's contextualized knowledge and promote their long-term commitment to the conservation of cavity-nesting species, we recommend fostering meaningful experiences for children to interact with native cavity-nesting birds and recognize their habitat needs.