Knowledge, Beliefs, and Experience Regarding Slow Lorises in Southern Thailand: Coexistence in a Developed Landscape

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Deforestation is increasingly forcing primates into proximity with people. It is vitally important, especially for globally threatened species, that we understand how species navigate human-dominated environments and if these interactions incur threats to their populations. Local knowledge is a valuable source of information on underrepresented and cryptic species, and studies relating to nocturnal species are limited in Thailand, including those of the Endangered slow lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis and N. coucang). Here, we analyze data regarding the knowledge, beliefs, and experiences of local people from Khao Lak, in southern Thailand, an area that is composed of rural and urban areas. We conducted 36 interviews using photo cards to determine (1) where and how often people see slow lorises, (2) what they see them doing, and (3) what they know about them. We analyzed meaningful common words and how they clustered together. We identified 11 key concepts that define the local beliefs about slow lorises. We found that people believed that slow lorises ate fruit, were not aggressive, but were “bad omens”; they also reported that there used to be more lorises, but the interviewees did not specify how recently. We also determined that slow lorises were often seen in rural and urban areas and we posit that the people of Khao Lak live in passive coexistence with lorises with minimal conflict and exploitation. Lastly, we determined that electrocutions and road accidents are the principal threats to slow lorises in Khao Lak. We discuss how local knowledge can be a vital first step in developing conservation action plans for the species. ABSTRACT: Natural landscapes are being converted for agriculture and other human uses across Asia and this development presents potential threats for specialist species of primates, like the Endangered slow lorises of Thailand (Nycticebus bengalensis and N. coucang). It is crucial to understand the interface between humans and slow lorises in order to conserve these primates. Local ecological knowledge provides valuable information about these cryptic nocturnal species. We conducted 36 semi-structured interviews in Khao Lak, in southern Thailand, asking (1) where slow lorises were seen, (2) what they were doing, (3) how often people see slow lorises, and (4) what people knew about them. We converted the interviews to free lists and determined the importance of key words. Our results show that the informants saw lorises frequently in six general locations: forests/trees (58%), electric wires (47%), towns/villages (36%), plantations (33%), homesteads (28%), and roads (17%). The most prominent places were forests/trees, wires, and plantations. Eleven key concepts defined local beliefs, with the most prominent being that lorises are awake at night (69%), eat fruit (42%), are not aggressive (25%), are bad omens (25%), and there used to be more of them (25%). Due to a minimal presence of persecution or exploitation of slow lorises by humans in the study area and general tolerance in the face of competition for the same resources and spaces, we suggest that, despite extensive persecution for the illegal photo prop trade in nearby Phuket, the people of Khao Lak seem to live in a state of passive coexistence with slow lorises. However, we did find some evidence that the pet and photo prop trade are still present in the area. It is crucial that coexistence be struck within the context of deforestation and urbanization so that conservation initiatives can take place within the community to further improve the lives of humans and the status of lorises.