Bridging Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Quantitative Analysis for Community-Based Conservation of the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in Arunachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is a Critically Endangered species threatened by habitat loss, hunting, and illegal wildlife trade. Despite its conservation importance, information on Indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) and community perceptions remains limited in Arunachal Pradesh, India. This study assessed local ecological knowledge, ecological literacy, economic value recognition, legal awareness, and conservation attitudes toward the Chinese pangolin using structured questionnaires administered to 45 respondents between September 2022 and February 2023. Descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank correlation, and Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) were used to analyze the data. Most respondents correctly identified the pangolin as a mammal (77.8%) and recognized its characteristic morphology (82.2%). Ecological and economic importance was acknowledged by 88.9% of respondents, while 75.6% supported pangolin conservation. A significant positive correlation was observed between ecological literacy and legal awareness (rs = 0.373, p = 0.012). NMDS produced a reliable two-dimensional ordination (Kruskal Stress = 0.09), revealing distinct perception patterns primarily associated with ecological literacy and legal awareness. The findings demonstrate that Indigenous ecological knowledge provides valuable information on the ecology, perceived threats, and conservation of the Chinese pangolin. Integrating community knowledge with scientific approaches can strengthen biodiversity monitoring and support effective, community-based conservation strategies for this threatened species in the Eastern Himalayas.