Perception of giant African snail (Achatina fulica) in urban community from Colombia

In Colombia, the control of giant African snail populations (Achatina fulica) has been enforced for the past eight years according to the Environmental, Housing, and Territorial Development Ministry (MAVDT from its initials in Spanish). During this period, the environmental authorities have carried out a series of campaigns for snail eradication and to raise awareness in the general community to involve it in the control of this invasive species. In order to inquire about the perception of the citizens of Cali, Colombia, have of the giant African snail and their role as primary stakeholders in the local control programs, a structured survey was done, and the dependency on the sociodemographic characteristics was established through Fisher’s exact test. 316 people took part in the survey; over 80% of the individuals recognized the giant African snail and their form of control, but over 90% of them did not participate in the control campaigns. The perception of the giant African snail varied noticeably with the respondents’ age and was independent of socio-economic and educational level. In conclusion, it was detected a solid dissociation between people and the actions carried out by the environmental authority. It is recommended to take into account people’s concept of invasive species control in other cities as a fundamental instrument in the construction of a more dynamic and inclusive control model