Local knowledge, perceptions and the cultural significance of the Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan

Bhutan has an extensive protected area network and people living inside are integral partners with the conservation landscape. Despite this, little is known on local people's traditional knowledge, cultural beliefs, and perceptions on wildlife. We investigated drivers of local knowledge, threats and cultural significance of the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) through semi-structured questionnaire surveys (N= 664 participants) on local residents in Jigme Dorji and Phrumsengla National Parks. A conditional inference tree analysis explained that knowledge of the red panda and encounters with the species varied by demography, occupation and locality. Although the majority of respondents were not knowledgeable of the species, residents living within the elevational range of red pandas exhibited greater knowledge. Civil servants, farmers, foresters, park staff, and teachers also had significantly greater knowledge of red pandas than monks, road workers, and students. Informally educated older (≥41 years) respondents placed higher cultural significance on the red panda relative to much younger respondents. Although past studies in Jigme Dorji National Park have identified habitat destruction and fragmentation due to linear infrastructural development – such as the construction of new power transmission lines – as significant anthropogenic threats to the red panda, respondents listed only non-timber forest products collection, forest fires, timber and firewood harvesting, climate change, livestock grazing, and kills by domestic dogs as some of the most prevailing threats to the red panda in our study area. Recognizing and incorporating the intrinsic value of wildlife within the protected area–people framework and utilizing traditional cultural perceptions of threatened species like the red panda, can be a valuable tool in strengthening public support for species conservation. This study further advocates an urgent need for educational programs to promote ecological and cultural values of the red panda in schools and the wider public.