Research looks at importance of women's attitudes toward tigers in Nepal

Date: September 8, 2016

Source: Boise State University

The lion may be "king of the forest," but tigers are bigger, smarter, deadlier and can be found across an impressive range that includes India, Southeast Asia and Russia. And like lions, tiger populations are dwindling.

New research by Boise State's Neil Carter published in the journal Biological Conservation titled "Gendered perceptions of tigers in Chitwan National Park, Nepal," looks at how human perceptions of tigers affect how willing human communities are to coexist with these large predators, and particularly at how women's attitudes toward tigers differ from men's.

"Recently the field of wildlife conservation has focused on human dimensions, but has been lagging other disciplines in terms of understanding gendered differences in attitudes and behaviors," he said. "We know that women and men behave differently, and behaviors have conservation relevance. We wanted to find out what is driving that difference to help us understand ways to develop better conservation interventions."

The research was motivated by three basic challenges:

1. Because they spend more time in the forest gathering resources, women are at a greater risk then men of a tiger encounter. 2. Women tend to have more fears in general and more fear of wildlife in particular. 3. Compared to men, women tend to have less information and knowledge about conservation and wildlife.

Carter and his co-author Teri Allendorf of University of Wisconsin-Madison identified a number of ways that men and women view tigers differently and how these differences might affect tiger populations in Nepal. Identifying ways to address these challenges is vital because women have so much influence inside and outside of their families.

"Women have a lot of influence on a household as well as on each other," Carter said, noting their traditional role as nurturers as well as their more social natures. "They control what information their children access and this strongly impacts human behavior."

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For the first time in Afghanistan women wildlife rangers are employed

November 2013: In a landmark event for Afghanistan four women have been hired as park rangers in the country’s Band-e-Amir National Park.

The employment of these four women represent a significant milestone for Afghanistan’s law enforcement and women’s employment. Less than one percent of Afghanistan National Police are female, according to NATO, while The World Bank estimates that only 16 percent of Afghan women are employed in the formal economy.

“The new park rangers powerfully demonstrate that Afghan women can successfully step into professional positions where they are actively engaged in protecting Afghanistan’s wildlife and wild places,” said Anne G. Williams, Wildlife Conservation Society's Afghanistan Livelihoods and Gender Advisor.

WCS Afghanistan Country Program Director Richard Paley said: “The four new women rangers will make a great contribution to the effective management of Band-e-Amir. In helping to safeguard Afghanistan’s wildlife and natural wonders, these new employees, along with their male colleagues, can serve as role models for other equally qualified and conservation-minded men and women.”

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Bears Not Attracted to Menstruating Women

Despite campfire fears dating back to at least 1967, black bears and grizzly bears are not attracted to the odors of menstruation, according to a recent Yellowstone National Park report.

Polar bears may be interested in the smell of menstrual blood, the report found, but bears that roam in North America are not. Food is a much more important temptation for bears, according to the findings.

The idea that bears might preferentially attack menstruating women is not new. In 1967, a night of infamous grizzly bear attacks in Glacier National Park in Montana left two women dead. One woman was having her period, and the other was carrying tampons.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/22688-myth-bears-attack-menstruating-women.html

Cat Parasite Linked to Suicide Attempts in Humans

Women infected with the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii are more likely to attempt suicide than non-infected women, new research finds. The reason for this connection, however, remains mysterious.

T. gondii is a protozoa that prefers to infect cats, but can make its home in any warm-blooded animal. Humans can pick up the parasite from contact with cat feces, or by eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables. Once ingested, T. gondii can make a home for itself inside the brain and muscle tissues, protected inside cysts that are resistant to attacks by the host's immune system.

Some studies have linked infection by this parasite with a variety of mental health and brain problems, including schizophrenia, neurosis and brain cancer. But scientists aren't clear on whether the parasite contributes to these problems or is a mere side effect. Someone with schizophrenia, for example, might struggle to keep up good hygiene, meaning the mental disorder could increase the risk for infection.

Read more:  http://www.livescience.com/21345-t-gondii-parasite-suicide-attempts.html

Women who have just finished ovulating 'are best at spotting snakes'

Women who have just finished ovulating are better at detecting snakes than at other times of their menstrual cycle, according to an unusual study that sheds light on inbuilt reflexes for survival.

Nobuo Masataka of Japan's Kyoto University tested 60 healthy women of child-bearing age at
three different phases of their cycle.

They were simultaneously shown nine pictures, one of which was a snake among flowers while the others were only of flowers.

The volunteers were tested on how quickly they spotted the serpent.

The fastest women were those who were in the so-called luteal phase of their menstrual cycle, or the stage that immediately follows ovulation.

The study strengthens theories that we have a "fear reflex," or an innate response to threat signals such as potentially poisonous snakes, Masataka believes.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9132222/Women-who-have-just-finished-ovulating-are-best-at-spotting-snakes.html

Women bear the brunt of climate change

Women, particularly those living in the mountainous regions in developing countries, face disproportionately high risks to their livelihoods and health from global warming, says a U.N. report on Climate Change.



The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report titled ‘Women at the Frontline of Climate Change: Gender Risks and Hopes' says investing in low-carbon and efficient green technologies, water harvesting and fuel wood alternatives can strengthen climate change adaptation and improve women's livelihoods.


The report was released at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa, according to a press release issued by the ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) headquartered in Kathmandu.
Impacts of climate change, such as droughts, floods and mud slips are affecting a growing number of people worldwide, according to the report.
“From 1999-2008, floods affected almost one billion people in Asia, 28 million in the Americas, 22 million in Africa and four million in Europe.”
In parts of Asia and Africa, where the majority of the agricultural workforce are women, such disasters have a major impact on their income, food security and health.
“Women often play a stronger role than men in the management of ecosystem services and food security. Hence, sustainable adaptation must focus on gender and the role of women if it is to become successful,” said U.N. Under Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
“Women's voices, responsibilities and knowledge on the environment and the challenges they face will need to be made a central part of governments' adaptive responses to a rapidly changing climate,” he added.

The reports also highlights how organised human trafficking, especially that of women, is emerging as a potentially serious risk associated with climate-related disasters; as floods or landslips disrupt social safety nets.


http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2695894.ece