Knowledge and interactions of the local community with the herpetofauna in the forest reserve of Quininí (Tibacuy, Cundinamarca)

Background The study of human-nature relationship has made possible to understand the life dynamics of the communities and the biodiversity with which cohabits. Although ethnobiological studies have been rise over the last decade, little is known about human interaction with herpetofauna in South America and in Colombia. In this work, we analyzed the knowledge, perception, and interaction of a local community located in the forest reserve of Quininí (RFPCQ) in Cundinamarca (Colombia), with respect to the herpetofauna that inhabits the area. Methods We performed semi-structured surveys containing 30 questions categorized into three groups: academic knowledge (1), use and cultural beliefs (2) and interaction and perception (3) related to the herpetofauna that occurs in the region. For the obtained data in question groups 1 and 2, an analysis and classification of the answers in percentages were made. For the question group 3, we assigned the answers with a hostility value according to the possible reaction of each individual interviewed in a hypothetical encounter with the herpetofauna, and performed a Multivariate Ordinal Logistic Regression test (MOLR), in order to know if the positive or negative reactions could be predicted by demographic variables. Results The community recognized the presence of amphibians and reptiles that cohabit their space, as well as their potential habitats. In addition, the role of herpetofauna was recognized in the magical/religious traditions for some inhabitants of the region, mainly associated with the fate and cure of chronic diseases. In general, the perception of amphibians and reptiles varied according to the origin and gender of the people, tend to have a more positive perception about reptiles than amphibians in most cases. Conclusions Although there was a general lack of knowledge on the part of the inhabitants of the RFPCQ about the biological and ecological aspects of herpetofauna, the population recognized the basic information about the habitats of these animals within the area of the reserve. There is a wide variety of uses of amphibians and reptiles in traditional medicine. Greater efforts should be made in the transmission and dissemination of knowledge about the ecological functions of herpetofauna.


Data analysis
For the obtained data in question groups 1 and 2, a classification of the answers in percentages was 113 made. For the data concerning to question group 3, answers were assigned with a hostility value 114 according to the possible reaction of the individual interviewed in a hypothetical encounter with the 115 herpetofauna. In this way, interaction with amphibians were classified as negative (hostile) behaviors 116 when trying to kill the animal and trying to scare it; neutral behaviors when observing the animal and 117 staying still or moving away; and positive behaviors when transporting the animal to a nearby body 118 of water. Interaction with reptiles were classified in the same way, except for the behavior to remain 119 still or move away, which was considered positive. 120 Demographic information obtained from the surveys was organized in ordinal categories for each 121 variable. Age was categorized into three groups: (a) young people (14-26 years old), (b) adults (27-122 51 years old) and elder (52-83 years old). In addition, the data obtained in the urban area of Cumaca 123 were considered as "urban", whereas the data obtained in the villages of Albania and La Vuelta were 124 considered as "rural". 125 In order to know if the positive or negative reactions could be predicted by demographic variables, a 126 Multivariate Ordinal Logistic Regression test (MOLR) was made using the polr function of the 127 MASS package in R [41,42]. The response to the interactions with each animal group was defined as In order to compare the samples, proportions differences between the groups were used to assess 137 differences in the answers given the birthplace, education level, and gender; this was done for 138 questions from group 1 (academic knowledge) and 2 (cultural uses and beliefs). The data analysis 139 was done using the software R 3.6.1 [42]. The ubication map of the study area was built with ArcGIS
"Some people look for good luck numbers on the ventral spots of the frogs". "Frogs call the water with their songs".

Rhinella spp.
"For the erysipelas, a living toad is opened and placed on the wound, then the toad is putted in the sunlight to dry along with the disease".
"Big toads use poison to kill, two dogs died for it".

Snakes (general)
"You can use the venom as an antibiotic". "People use the body fat as a treatment of vascular diseases and the fading of scars".
"Snakes causes skin diseases such as sores, rashes, allergies, inflammations, and even skin necrosis".
"The snake is rubbed into the varicose vein and let go to take the disease away". "When you kill a snake, you have to hang up the parts away from each other or they join again".

Boa constrictor
"The skin is used to make belts". "You can make an ointment and use it for fading scars" Crotalus durissus "The ground skin, tail, blood and venom are encapsulated and used to cure cancer and influenza".
"The rattle serves as an amulet, but if you remove the skin of the snake it is unlucky".
"Using the venom, you can make antibiotics and samples to cure diseases". "The rattle is a good luck charm".

Hemidactylus sp.
"It transmits leprosy and causes burns and skin irritation". associated with luck and use in traditional medicine. 88.5% of the population surveyed perceive 183 reptiles as dangerous animals and 27.8% associate them with the transmission of diseases such as 184 leprosy, burns and other skin problems.

185
Interaction and perception 186 The correlation analysis showed that the categories of the occupation presents collinearity with age 187 and level of education, which is why this variable was not considered in the statistical analysis to 188 avoid bias in the model. It was found that the behavior of the data was consistent with the assumption 189 of proportional odds for the variables of origin (rural/urban), gender and age. However, the 190 educational level variable did not fit the assumption, so it was discarded from the model.

191
The MOLR analysis showed that there is a statistically significant incidence between the variables of

204
The analysis showed that there is no significant relationship between age and the interaction with 205 amphibians and reptiles. In the same way, there was no significant relationship regarding the 206 birthplace and interaction with reptiles (Table 3).  water pollution as possible current impacts on the amphibian and reptile community in the region.