宮城教育大学 環境教育研究紀要

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Assessing Local People’s Knowledge of the Endangered Cuban Solenodon(Solenodon cubanus) in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, CubaLázaro M. Echenique-Díaz1, Satoshi OHDACHI2, Masaki KITA3, Gerardo Begué-Quiala4,Rafael Borroto Páez5, Jorge L. Delgado Labañino6, Jorgelino Gámez Díez6,Osamu HOSON7 and Chiemi SAITO1

Abstract: Assessing local people’s knowledge of endangered species is important not only for theplanning and implementation of environmental education programs, but also to address communitybased conservation issues and guarantee an effective engagement of local residents in conservation
efforts. A questionnaire-based study conducted in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park assessed local
people’s knowledge of the endangered Cuban Solenodon (Solenodon cubanus). From this it was foundthat although children seem to be better informed than adults with respect to the Cuban Solenodon,
more needs to be done to educate both age groups alike. This study also highlighted local residents’positive disposition to actively participate in the Cuban Solenodon conservation effort.
Keywords: Cuban Solenodon Almiquí, local people, community engagement, conservation, Alejandrode Humboldt National Park

Introduction

valid and very often ignored conservation tool, andThe conservation of endangered species in areas

environmental education aimed at all age groups in thewhere humans also live, requires an understanding ofcommunity.

the species ecology along with its social and politicalcontext, and the willingness and capacity of the local

The Cuban Solenodon (Solenodon cubanus), is ancommunities to preserve the species (Knapp et al. 2013).

Endangered (IUCN, 2013) species only living in Cuba.

Complex conservation contexts and imperfect species

Silva et al. (2007) stressed that, by the end of theknowledge are probably the rule for most species at risk,

20th century, it had vanished from most of its range,

and therefore the engagement of local communities,

remaining only on the northern mountain ranges of

one of the so-called nine steps to halt the biodiversity

eastern Cuba. This species has been, for all its history

crisis (Roman et al. 2009), becomes an imperative. This

since it was discovered in the 19th century, very rareengagement, however, requires trust-building (Knapp(Silva et al. 2007). Nonetheless, it has also captured theet al. 2013), the recognition of local knowledge as aattention of Cuban institutions such as the Ministry of1 Environmental Education Center, Miyagi University of Education, Sendai, Japan. 2 Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University.

Hokkaido, Japan. 3 Department of Chemistry, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. 4 Unidad Presupuestada Parque Nacional Alejandro deHumboldt, CITMA-Guantánamo, Cuba. 5 Sociedad de Zoologia de Cuba, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba. 6 Estación Ecológica La Melba, Unidad
Presupuestada Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt, CITMA-Guantánamo, Cuba. 7 National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan.

－ 89 －Assessing local people's knowledge of the endangered Cuban Solenodon (Solenodon cubanus)

Communication that in several occasions issued stamps

14th and March 28, 2012, in Arrollo Bueno communityand coins with its image (e.g. Cuba-Correos, 1981), and(20˚26'24.81" N , 74˚48'36.77" ) . Re s i d e n t s o f t h i s

the Cuban Institute of Arts and Cinematography (ICAIC)

community (less than 300) are dedicated mostly tothat made a cartoon on the species (Henríquez, 1976).

subsistence agriculture, and to a lesser degree, working

These popularizations of the Cuban Solenodon werein local education, cultural and commercial centers, andimportant efforts to educate children and the general

local establishments in which food is prepared (The Fieldpublic. However, they date back more than 3 decades,

Museum, 2005). Only Cuban members of the expedition

and in recent years, despite the species being more attalked to subjects of the questionnaire in this community.

risk than ever before, not many Cubans can tell how theIn all instances, respondents were assured they would

species looks like, if they know of its existence at all.

remain anonymous. The questionnaire was preparedin Spanish and a brief explanation on how to respond

In 2012, a Cuban-Japanese expedition team, assembled

was given to all subjects. In the case of school children,

to evaluate the status of the Cuban Solenodon, was able

the teacher provided assistance by giving further

to interact with members of one local community locatedexplanations, but always being careful not to affect thenear the conservation zone of Alejandro de Humboldt

subjects’ answer decisions.

National Park, Holguín and Guantánamo provinces, Cuba.
Some residents of this community, including children andRespondents were classified in two age groups, children

adults, were able to observe one Cuban Solenodon alive,and adults. For children, the age range was from 6 to 14.

captured in 2003 and soon released into the wilderness,

For adults, the age range was from 15 to over 50. Thisfor about three days (Gerardo Begue Quiala, personal

age distinction was balanced from the fact that the legalcommunication). This provided the Cuban-Japaneseage for adulthood in Cuba is 16 years of age, and the fact

research team with a unique opportunity to assess thethat there is only elementary school education in Arrollo

local people’s knowledge of the species, evaluate theBueno community. The latter implies that children above

need for environmental education (EE henceforth), andthe age of 13 are likely to be affected by educational

the potential for community involvement in conservation

trends outside this community. Besides, some children

effor ts. In this paper, we repor t the results of abetween the age of 14 and 18 in this community arequestionnaire study sought to tackle these issues andnot currently enrolled in a school program, althoughpurportedly designed to cover different age groups. We

such opportunity is guaranteed free of charge by thethen comment on the implications of our findings in theCuban government. The age structure and number ofcontext of the conservation of the Cuban Solenodon.

respondents to the questionnaire are summarized inTable 1.

Materials and Methods
Alejandro de Humboldt National Park is located in theThe questionnaire consisted of two types of questions.

eastern Cuban provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo.

For YES or NO questions, the subjects had to choose

Details on the park’s biodiversity values have been

either YES or NO, and for multiple-choice questions, thehighlighted elsewhere (The Field Museum, 2005), known

subjects could select as many answer choices as they

to be one of the hotspots for biodiversity in the Caribbeanwanted.

region (Mittermeier, 1999; Myers et al., 2000).
The questionnaire
The questionnaire was carried out between March

The questionnaire was designed to be answered by－ 90 －宮城教育大学 環境教育研究紀要

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people of very different backgrounds and school levels.

In addition, subjects were presented with 4 sketches ofMany residents of the Arrollo Bueno community left

animals (a cat, a Cuban Solenodon, a bat, and a snake),school during Junior High School, and others, despite

and were asked to select the one resembling a Solenodon.

having a basic education, are not familiar with theThe disparity in shape among these animals was used tobiological or conservation jargon. Therefore, a simple

test whether subjects have actually seen a Solenodon.

language was used. In this regard, instead of using theinternationally known name of the Cuban Solendon, theA total of 29 individuals participated in our survey (Table

name Almiquí was used as it is the name by which most1), but our sample was strongly biased towards children

Cuban know the species.

from age 6 to 11. This was due to the help of the local
school where nearly 35 children attend. On the contrary,

The total 8 YES or No and 3 multiple-choice questions

a lesser number of adult participants may be the result

were aimed at: 1- assessing the local people’s generalof the questionnaire being conducted during theirknowledge of the Cuban Solenodon, and 2- assessing

busy hours, and the reluctance of some residents to be

their disposition to participate in conservation efforts,interviewed.

even if this may imply that trees, a very importantresource for the community, cannot be cut down.

Our analysis included quantitative counts of participants’

Questions aimed at 1 were:answers. In cases where there were conflicting answers- Yes or No questions:in the questionnaire, for instance, when both YES andHave you ever heard of the Almiquí?

NO were selected for a single question, they were not

Have you seen one alive?

counted. Statistical analysis was not performed because

Have you seen one in books?

of the non-random nature of our sample (not all ages

Do you know if it is edible?

ranges were equally sampled), and a small sample size.

Did you know it is endemic to this region of Cuba?

Therefore, apparent discrepancies highlighted in thetables are not based in any statistical parameter. They

- Multiple-choice questions:are presented only to direct the readers‘ attention to

Do you know where the Almiquí lives?

potentially informative results in our analysis.

Do you know what the Almiquí eats?

Results and Discussion

Do you know the enemies of the Almiquí?

Tables 2 and 3 summarize the number of answers toQuestions aimed at 2 were:

the questionnaire by subjects of both age groups. Not- Yes or No questions:surprisingly, all subjects knew about the species in

Is it important to protect it?

question. However, it is interesting to see that more

Would you protect it even if trees cannot be cut?

children age 6 to 11 reported to have seen the Cuban

Would you like to help?

Solenodon alive than adults did, even though older
people are more likely to have encountered a Solenodon

In the multiple-choice questions, items includedin the past. In fact, it is unlikely that this result reflects

disparate elements unlikely to be part of a Solenodon

the truth mainly because the individual Solenodon that

diet, its habitat, or its enemies. This items were included

was brought to the community in 2003 was there for only

so as to control for random answers, but also to test

a few days and at the time, these children would havesubjects’ knowledge of the species.

been either very small, or had not born yet. It is possible－ 91 －

Assessing local people's knowledge of the endangered Cuban Solenodon (Solenodon cubanus)that children may have interpreted the question in theOur results suggest that although adults may have morewrong way. For instance, if they saw a picture of a live

chances to have seen a Cuban Solenodon alive, children

Solenodon, they may have considered that they saw one

seem more aware and apparently educated about thealive. Whatever the case, we reject the idea of a fraud

species. They also indicate that not all individuals arein the procedure. Instead, this result points towards

being equally informed about the Cuban Solenodon evena potential flaw in our questionnaire that needs to bethough this is a small community in which outreachaddressed in future surveys.

activities can be easy to implement.

Regarding the question of selecting the animal sketch,

Concerning the subjects’ disposition to contribute to the15 children chose correctly, while the other 3 chose

conservation of the Cuban Solenodon, both age groups

the sketch of a cat. On the contrary, all adults chosemanifested a 100 % interest. This is a very important

correctly the sketch. As for the question related to theissue given that local people’s knowledge of the area

access to educational materials depicting the Cubanand its natural resources is an important asset in any

Solenodon (Table 2), an equal number of children andendangered species conservation program. Partnership

adults seem to have seen the species in books. However,

implies scientists’ recognition that science alone cancompared to the 3 adults who reported to never havenot provide solutions to complex conservation problems

seen a Solenodon in books, twice the number of children(Knapp et al. 2013), where socioeconomic issues arereported to never have seen one. This suggests thatlikely to affect the outcome (Roman et al., 2005).

more EE materials depicting the Cuban Solenodon
should be made accessible to children of this and other

Fortunately, in all communities of Alejandro de Humboldt

communities in and around Alejandro de Humboltd

National Park, there is a local environmental education

National Park. Similarly, while all children reported toprogram that includes participation in its implementation.

know that the Cuban Solenodon was a regional endemic,

Residents recognize Alejandro de Humboldt National

nearly half the adults didn’t know this fact, suggesting

Park as a protected area, and as a result, there isthat EE materials aiming at adults are also in need. This

motivation to participate in the environmental educationis also evident from the result suggesting that children

program’s activities (The Field Museum, 2005).

are better informed about where the Solenodon lives

Nevertheless, a previous study suggested that local(Table 3).

people’slevel of interaction with elements of thelocal fauna is relatively low, and that awareness-raising
Regarding the feeding habits and enemies of the Cuban

environmental education programs are needed (The Field

Solenodon, both age groups appear to have a basicMuseum, 2005).

knowledge of the species ecology. However, they don’tconsider“man”as a Solenodon enemy, even though it is

The Cuban Solenodon is considered one of the world

widely accepted that habitat loss is one of the main reasons

most endangered animal species. It ranks 8 among theof the species disappearance from former distributional

100 most endangered mammals (Isaac et al., 2007).

areas. This hints to a disconnection between the impact

However, despite the existence of relatively well-that the community and its local residents can have onorganized infrastructure in many areas of Alejandro dethe survival of the Cuban Solenodon and their perception

Humboldt National Park, the enrollment of communitiesof their own role in conservation.

in conservation efforts is still very poor. Therefore,
it is imperative to educate the local residents on the－ 92 －宮城教育大学 環境教育研究紀要

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importance of participating in endangered species

and J. E. M. Baillie (2007). Mammals on the Edge:

conservation, and the role that they play in either

C o n s e r v a t i o n P r i o r i t i e s B a s e d o n T h re a t a n d

accelerating the extinction process or contributing to thePhylogeny. PLoS ONE 2(3): e296. doi:10.1371/journal.

recovery one. It is only by incorporating local community

pone.0000296.

residents in all Cuban Solenodon conservation efforts

Knapp, C.N., J. Cochran, F.S. Chapin, G. Cofinas, and N.

that we can make a transition from a reactive position toSayre (2013). Putting local knowledge and context toa proactive one, and thus positively affect the outcome ofwork for Gunnison sage-grouse conservation. Human-these efforts.

Wildlife Interactions 7 (2):195-213.
Henríquez, H. (1976). El Tímido Almiquí. ICAIC. https://Acknowledgments

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9_2r7aUVZQ.

Many thanks to Lainet García Rivera, Antonio Cádiz

Mitter meier, R.A., N. Myers, P R. Gil, and C.G.

Díaz, Emanuel Mora Macías, and José Alberto Alvarez

Mittermeier (1999). Hotspots: Earth's Biologically

Lemus for constructive comments on the questionnaire

Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions

design. This study was partially funded by JSPS via(Cemex, Conservation International and Agrupación

Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (21681028), andSierra Madre, Monterrey, México).

by the Naito Foundation to M.K. Other funding cameMyers, N., R.A. Mittermeier, C.G. Mittermeier, dafrom private contributions of the authors. LogisticFonseca G.B., and Kent G. (2000). Biodiversity

support was provided by the Faculty of Biology, Havana

hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature (403): 853-

University, the direction of Alejandro de Humboldt

858.

National Park at CITMA-Guantanamo, by the Sector La
Melba of Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, and theCenter for Environmental Management and Control, The
Environment Agency, Cuba.

IUCN (2013). The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/20320/0.
Roman, J., P. Ehrlich, J. Pringlex, and J. Avise (2009).
Facing Extinction: Nine Steps to Save Biodiversity.
Solutions 1 (1): 50-61.

Bibliography

The Field Museum (2005). Rapid Biological Inventories,

Cuba-Correos (1981). http://us.fotolia.com/id/55866327.

Volume 14: Cuba: Parque Nacional “Alejandro deIsaac, N. J. B., S. T. Turvey, B. Collen, C. Waterman,Humboldt”. 368 pp.

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