Historical and Cultural Perceptions of Indigenous Communities Regarding Carnivores in Oaxaca: A Mesoamerican Biodiversity Hotspot |nBiodiversity Management and Domestication in the Neotropics

https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-3-031-64203-6_54-1

Historical and Cultural Perceptions of Indigenous Communities Regarding Carnivores in Oaxaca: A Mesoamerican Biodiversity Hotspot. Guerrero-M8ontes de Oca EF, Sarmiento J, Botello F, Sánchez-Cordero V. InBiodiversity Management and Domestication in the Neotropics 2025 Oct

Abstract

Conflicts between humans and wildlife threaten the conservation of large carnivores. The historical and cultural components involving Indigenous communities and large carnivores in Oaxaca, a Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot in Mexico, were analyzed, using a three-step approach, as follows: (1) the archeological evidence of human–carnivore interactions during the Pleistocene was reviewed, including animal domestication processes and Indigenous worldviews from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; (2) the dominant conceptions of wildlife in the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the fifteenth century was explored, focusing on perceptions of carnivores in the “New World”; and (3) the contemporary human–carnivore interactions in Oaxaca were analyzed, identifying factors that cause conflicts or foster proactive attitudes toward biodiversity conservation. Our findings highlight the importance of historical and cultural perceptions of carnivores by Indigenous people as a baseline for potential human–wildlife interactions. We suggest that current perceptions reflect two opposing views: a utilitarian perspective inherited from the colonial period and a nature–based approach from the pre-colonial era that emphasizes conservation. To promote proactive attitudes toward social and wildlife conservation, it is crucial to strengthen the natural and historical-based worldview of Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, as this can lead to positive outcomes for both community welfare and biodiversity conservation.