Summary
This qualitative survey of 42 fishermen at Lake Nasser, Egypt, reveals nuanced local attitudes towards Nile crocodile coexistence, moving beyond simplistic conflict narratives. Whilst fishermen reported significant livelihood impacts including gear damage and reduced catches, many simultaneously recognised crocodiles' ecological value and supported their protection. The research identifies three distinct attitude groups and shows that fishing experience and encounter frequency shape perceptions, with support for crocodile protection emerging as the strongest predictor of coexistence-oriented attitudes, suggesting participatory and context-sensitive conservation approaches are essential.
Regional applicability
This study is geographically specific to Lake Nasser, Egypt, and its findings on human-wildlife conflict management in freshwater fisheries systems may have limited direct applicability to United Kingdom conditions, where large crocodilian species do not occur naturally. However, the methodological approach to understanding local stakeholder perceptions and the importance of participatory governance in resolving resource conflicts could inform UK policy on freshwater fisheries management and human-wildlife coexistence in other contexts.
Key measures
Perceived threats (gear damage, reduced catches, livelihood risk); perceived economic benefits; conservation/coexistence values; fishing experience; frequency of crocodile encounters; cluster membership based on attitudinal domains
Outcomes reported
The study assessed fishermen's perceptions of crocodiles across three attitudinal domains (perceived threats, economic benefits, and conservation values) using structured questionnaires with 42 respondents. Cluster analysis identified three distinct attitude groups: conflict-oriented, moderate, and coexistence-oriented fishermen, with fishing experience and frequency of crocodile encounters influencing perceptions.
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