When perception and practice diverge: a socioecological study of urban forest wildlife in Patagonia

Although urbanization continues to erode natural barriers between people and wildlife, the socioecological dynamics shaping these interactions remain insufficiently understood, particularly in rapidly expanding South American cities. Therefore, our aim was to assess residents’ knowledge, perceptions, and practices related to urban forest wildlife in Andean Patagonia through semi-structured surveys in Bariloche, the largest city in the region. We conducted 95 in-person household surveys to evaluate species recognition using structured questions, photographs, and audio recordings, comparing perceived presence with ecological records across neighborhoods. Peridomestic practices and perceived threats to wildlife were also examined. Finally, we contrasted in-person responses with online survey data to evaluate how survey mode may influence representations of local realities. Residents tended to recognize charismatic species more readily than common ones and correctly identified habitat loss as the principal threat to wildlife, despite limited knowledge of species-specific habitat requirements. We identified mismatches between perceived threats and everyday peridomestic practices, some of which may negatively impact wildlife. Online surveys were skewed toward respondents with higher educational attainment and women, generating distinct patterns in reported practices and perceptions. Such biases may misguide assessments of the social drivers of biodiversity change and, consequently, inform management decisions based on incomplete social representations. Our findings underscore the need to explicitly integrate socioecological evidence into urban biodiversity governance. Incorporating empirically grounded understanding of residents’ knowledge and practices can strengthen evidence-informed conservation strategies and contribute to maintaining functional peri-urban landscapes in the rapidly transforming cities of South America.