Wildlife and cultural landscape management from a local knowledge approach: a review

Abstract

We explore the motivations behind studies investigating local knowledge about wildlife and cultural landscape management, which often promote the conservation of wildlife. We recognize cultural landscapes globally where the case studies occur, linking these environments to human activities. Additionally, we identified the dynamics of human-wildlife relationships, culminating in the synthesis and evaluation of academic insights to propose comprehensive management strategies. The research topic reviewed is most prevalent in tropical forest landscapes. Wildlife hunting practices and bushmeat dynamics were the most commonly mentioned cultural customs related to wildlife, highlighting the importance of policies concerning public health issues, particularly those involving human-wildlife conflict and zoonoses transmission. We identified and extracted what we called key scientific intentions (KSI) from each study. KSIs are principal dimensions for managing cultural landscapes, guiding the evaluation of management strategies, and addressing epistemological and methodological gaps in human-wildlife coexistence dynamics.