325
Pe cep ions and awa eness o in asi e species in he B azilian
Fede al Dis ic : implica ions o con olling he gian A ican
snail (Lissacha ina ulica)
Angie Pa iño-Mon oya1,2 , Gab iel Ma ins1, Thiago Sil es e Nomiyama3, Rosana Tidon1
1 P og ama de Pós-G aduação em Ecologia, Ins i u o de Ciências Biológicas, Uni e sidade de B asília, Campus Da cy Ribei o, Asa No e, B asília, DF 70910-900,
B azil
2 G upo de In es igación en Ecología Animal, Depa amen o de Biología, Uni e sidad del Valle, San iago de Cali, Valle del Cauca, 760032, Colombia
3 Se o de Fauna, Ins i u o de Meio Ambien e e dos Recu sos Híd icos do Dis i o Fede al – B asília Ambien al, SEPN 511, Bloco C, Ed. Bi a , Asa No e, B asília,
DF 70750-521, B azil
Co esponding au ho : Rosana Tidon ([email p o ec ed])
Copy igh : © Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.
This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde
e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion
License (A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional – CC BY 4.0).
Resea ch A icle
Abs ac
The gian A ican snail (Lissacha ina ulica) is among he wo ld’s mos damaging in asi e species,
h ea ening biodi e si y, ag icul u e, and public heal h. E ec i e managemen equi es unde s and-
ing public pe cep ions, awa eness, and engagemen , ye sociodemog aphic d i e s o hese emain un-
de s udied. He e, we e alua e how educa ion, age, and awa eness in luence a i udes owa d L. ulica
and i s managemen in he B azilian Fede al Dis ic . Using s uc u ed ques ionnai es om 613 e-
sponden s, we assessed: (1) sociodemog aphic co ela es o pe cei ed knowledge on in asi e species,
(2) public pe cep ions and a i udes o in asi e species in gene al and speci ically owa ds L. ulica,
and (3) e alua ion o us in go e nmen al communica ion and managemen e o s. Olde and
mo e educa ed indi iduals exhibi ed signi ican ly g ea e awa eness o in asi e species and L. ulica
speci ically. Howe e , while highe awa eness p edic ed mo e nega i e pe cep ions o he snail, i did
no co ela e wi h p oac i e con ol beha io s. Public sa is ac ion wi h go e nmen managemen
e o s was s ongly ied o sel - epo ed knowledge o he snail’s impac s, highligh ing a gap be ween
awa eness and ac ionable esponses. Ou esul s unde sco e he need o a ge ed ou each p og ams
p io i izing younge and less-educa ed demog aphics. We p opose ha gene alized educa ion on bi-
ological in asions can bols e he success o species-speci ic campaigns. These insigh s a e c i ical o
designing inclusi e policies ha enhance communi y pa icipa ion in L. ulica managemen , o e ing
a model o engagemen in egions acing simila in asion challenges.
Key wo ds: Biological in asions, communi y engagemen , en i onmen al educa ion, exo ic spe-
cies, in asi e species managemen , policy implica ions, public pe cep ion, sociodemog aphic ac o s
In oduc ion
Biological in asions, de ined as he in oduc ion and es ablishmen o species be-
yond hei na i e anges, cons i u e a signi ican and escala ing challenge o glob-
al biodi e si y and ecosys em in eg i y (Pyšek e al. 2020). The ising equency
and magni ude o hese in asions a e solely d i en by human ac i i ies, pa icula ly
global ade, anspo a ion, and land-use change, which acili a e he mo emen
o o ganisms ac oss na u al biogeog aphical ba ie s (Seebens e al. 2017). In asi e
Academic edi o : Pe Pyšek
Recei ed:
18 Ap il 2025
Accep ed:
7 Oc obe 2025
Published:
4 No embe 2025
Ci a ion: Pa iño-Mon oya А, Ma ins
G, Nomiyama TS, Tidon R (2025)
Pe cep ions and awa eness o
in asi e species in he B azilian
Fede al Dis ic : implica ions o
con olling he gian A ican snail
(Lissacha ina ulica). NeoBio a 103:
325–337. h ps://doi.o g/10.3897/
neobio a.103.156013
NeoBio a 103: 325–337 (2025)
DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.103.156013
Ad ancing esea ch on alien species and biological in asions
A pee - e iewed open-access jou nal
NeoBio a
326
NeoBio a 103: 325–337 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.103.156013
Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.: Pe cep ions and awa eness o he gian A ican snail in B azil
species can p o oundly impac na i e ecosys ems by educing biodi e si y, al e ing
habi a s uc u e, and d i ing local ex inc ions (Vilà e al. 2011). The economic
consequences a e also se e e, wi h subs an ial losses epo ed in ag icul u e, o es y,
and ishe ies, and global cos s es ima ed o each billions o dolla s annually (Di-
agne e al. 2021). Fu he mo e, in asi e species can pose h ea s o human heal h by
se ing as ec o s o diseases o elici ing alle gic eac ions (Pyšek and Richa dson
2010). Gi en hese wide- anging ecological, economic, and social impac s, unde -
s anding he p ocesses unde lying biological in asions and he public’s pe cep ions
o hese issues is c ucial o o mula e e ec i e managemen and policy esponses.
U ban en i onmen s ace pa icula suscep ibili y o biological in asions due o
habi a dis u bance, high p opagule p essu e, and esou ce a ailabili y (Gae ne e
al. 2017). Al hough in eg a ed managemen app oaches - combining mechanical,
chemical, and biological con ols ha e been de eloped o mi iga e hese in asions
(Kenis e al. 2017, Sobuj and Byun 2023), hei success hinges on communi y
engagemen (Ca e e al. 2021). Unde s anding public pe cep ions o in asi e
species is he e o e c i ical, as i di ec ly in o ms managemen s a egies and pol-
icy design. Speci ically, assessing how demog aphic g oups pe cei e in asi e spe-
cies h ea s, hei willingness o oppose o pa icipa e in con ol e o s, and hei
awa eness o managemen p o ocols can help align scien i ic ecommenda ions
wi h on- he-g ound implemen a ion.
Public awa eness and pe cep ions o in asi e species a e shaped by a complex
in e play o psychological, ecological, and sociocul u al ac o s (Shackle on e al.
2019a; Ca e e al. 2021). Awa eness deno es he ecogni ion and unde s anding
o he p esence and impac s o in asi e species, o en assessed by he abili y o iden-
i y hem and a icula e hei e ec s (Eiswe h e al. 2011; Jubase e al. 2021). Pe -
cep ion e e s o how people eac o in asi e species, encompassing hei a i udes,
judgmen s, and beha io al in en ions (Kapi za e al. 2019; Shackle on e al. 2019a).
B oade sociocul u al and ins i u ional con ex s, such as local en i onmen al poli-
cies, u he modula e hese pe cep ions (Ga cía-Llo en e e al. 2008; Kapi za e al.
2019; Shackle on e al. 2019b). Di e gen iews among s akeholde s can lead o
socie al con lic s (Shackle on e al. 2019c; Ca e e al. 2021), which may ul ima e-
ly unde mine in asi e species managemen and con ol e o s (Sha p e al. 2011).
The gian A ican snail (Lissacha ina ulica), anked among he wo ld’s 100
wo s in asi e species (Lowe e al. 2000), exempli ies hese challenges. Na i e o
Eas A ica, i has been in en ionally o acciden ally in oduced ac oss opical
and sub opical egions globally, causing signi ican ag icul u al damage (Rau and
Ghose 1984; Kan and Dia a 2016) and posing public heal h isks (Al es-Ba bosa
e al. 2020, Aguile a and O iz 2019). Con ol measu es in Neo opical egions
include manual collec ion and chemical agen s (e.g., calcium oxide, me aldehyde
bai s) (Thiengo e al. 2007; MAVDT 2011; Ramdwa e al. 2018), as well as
plan -de i ed al e na i es (Roda e al. 2018 2019). Howe e , L. ulica h i es in
u ban a eas– esiden ial ga dens, acan lo s, and backya ds (Albuque que e al.
2008)–making communi y pa icipa ion essen ial o e ec i e managemen . Pub-
lic pe cep ion o he species hus plays a pi o al ole in shaping con ol ou comes.
Regional case s udies highligh how sociocul u al con ex s in luence L. ulica
managemen . In Cuba, whe e he snail was in oduced o eligious pu poses, com-
muni ies ecognize disease isks bu s uggle wi h con ol compliance (Vázquez
e al. 2017; Meijides-Mejías e al. 2018). In Colombia, whe e he mollusc was
p esumably in oduced o economic easons, a sys ema ic collec ion amewo k
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Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.: Pe cep ions and awa eness o he gian A ican snail in B azil
was es ablished a ew yea s a e i s in oduc ion. Howe e , conce ns ega ding
pa asi ic con amina ion associa ed wi h handling he snails ha e impeded e ec i e
managemen ini ia i es, as indi iduals a e o en eluc an o pa icipa e in manual
collec ion due o ea s o in ec ion (Pa iño-Mon oya e al. 2019). In B azil, whe e
he species has been es ablished o o e 30 yea s (Colley and Fishe 2009; An-
d eazzi e al. 2017), pe cep ions emain p edominan ly nega i e (Colley and Fishe
2009). Such a iabili y complica es managemen e o s ac oss in aded egions.
In his s udy, we explo ed he cha ac e is ics, pe cep ions, and awa eness o es-
iden s in B azil Fede al Dis ic o suppo L. ulica managemen . Speci ically, we
(1) examined whe he sociodemog aphic ac o s co ela e wi h pe cep ions and
sel - epo ed knowledge o in asi e species in gene al and speci ically owa ds L.
ulica, (2) in es iga ed how pe cep ions and awa eness o in asi e species ela e
o hose o L. ulica and a i udes owa d i s con ol; and (3) e alua ed how hese
ac o s in luence public us in go e nmen al communica ion and managemen
e o s. By add essing hese ques ions, we aim o guide policy de elopmen , mi i-
ga e public esis ance, and os e collabo a i e s a egies o L. ulica con ol.
Me hods
The B azilian Fede al Dis ic , encompassing he capi al ci y B asília, is a unique
adminis a i e en i y wi h a dis inc demog aphic p o ile. Wi h an es ima ed pop-
ula ion nea ing 3 million in 2024, he Fede al Dis ic is one o B azil’s mos u -
banized a eas and holds he highes Human De elopmen Index (HDI) in B azil.
Acco ding o he B azilian Ins i u e o Geog aphy and S a is ics, he popula ion
comp ises 48% men and 52% women. Age dis ibu ion is as ollows: 26% younge
han 20 yea s, 33% be ween 20 and 39 yea s, 28% be ween 40 and 59 yea s, 11%
be ween 60 and 79 yea s, and 2% aged 80 yea s o olde . Educa ional a ainmen
is ela i ely high: 26% o he popula ion ha e comple ed o a e cu en ly pu suing
basic educa ion, 37% comple ed seconda y educa ion bu no highe educa ion,
and 33% hold a uni e si y deg ee. This socio-economic p o ile is shaped by i s ole
as he na ion’s poli ical and adminis a i e cen e , which a ac s a highly skilled
wo k o ce and sus ains a obus se ice sec o .
Sampling
We de eloped a s uc u ed ques ionnai e based on he amewo k o Pa iño-Mon-
oya e al. (2019), comp ising h ee sec ions (Table 1). The i s ga he ed da a
on esidence loca ion, gende , age, and educa ion le el. The second sec ion ex-
plo ed gene al pe cep ions and awa eness o in asi e species, hei impac s, con ol
measu es, and epo ing p o ocols. The hi d sec ion explo ed expe iences wi h L.
ulica, i s con ol, and pe cep ions o i s impac s. The ques ionnai e was linguis-
ically and cul u ally adap ed o he B azilian Fede al Dis ic by he En i on-
men al Agency (Ins i u o B asília Ambien al–IBRAM). I included bina y (Yes/
No) and Like -scale esponses (1–10) and was hos ed online (Google Fo ms) ia
he IBRAM websi e (h ps://www.ib am.d .go .b ) om May o Sep embe 2019.
To ensu e sociodemog aphic ep esen a ion, we supplemen ed online esponses
wi h in-pe son in e iews using p in ed ques ionnai es ac oss di e se egions o
he Fede al Dis ic . Du ing he in-pe son in e iews, pa icipan s we e i s asked
whe he hey we e in e es ed in aking pa in ou s udy on in asi e species. Those
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Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.: Pe cep ions and awa eness o he gian A ican snail in B azil
who ag eed ecei ed a p in ed ques ionnai e and comple ed i on-si e, wi hou any
in e ac ion wi h o obse a ion by he in e iewe , excep when he in e iewed
pe son was unable o ead. The minimum sample size was calcula ed based on he
popula ion o he Fede al Dis ic in 2019, using a 95% con idence le el and a 5%
ma gin o e o , ollowing he me hodology desc ibed in Mon e de Sena (2005).
Due o suppo om he Ins i u o B asília Ambien al (IBRAM) and he Uni-
e si y o B asília (UnB), i is possible ha online esponden s we e mo e likely
o ha e highe educa ion le els and a g ea e in e es in en i onmen al issues. To
mi iga e his po en ial bias, we encou aged seconda y sha ing o he online su ey
h ough social ne wo ks (i.e., iends o iends) and conduc ed in-pe son su eys
a loca ions whe e people om all egions o he Fede al Dis ic con e ge (e.g.,
he main bus s a ion). Addi ionally, we con inuously moni o ed he geog aphic
dis ibu ion o esponses o p e en o e ep esen a ion om any pa icula egion.
Whene e an adminis a i e egion eached a numbe o esponses disp opo ion-
a e o i s popula ion size, we paused da a collec ion in ha a ea and in ensi ied
e o s in unde ep esen ed egions o ensu e balanced sampling.
Da a analysis
Ini ially, we conduc ed a comp ehensi e analysis o all ques ionnai e esponses us-
ing desc ip i e s a is ics. To examine how sociodemog aphic ac o s ela e o pe -
cep ions and awa eness o in asi e species and L. ulica, we employed pe mu a ion
Fishe ’s exac es s, g ouping nume ical esponses (1–10) in o low (1–3), medium
(4–7), and high (8–10), and di iding age in o 11–37 and 38–83 yea s, acco ding
o he mean age. This app oach allowed us o e alua e equency de ia ions in
pe cep ions and awa eness o in asi e species, L. ulica, as well as he inclina ion
o con ol i . We hen used mul iple co espondence analysis (MCA) wi h he Fac-
oMineR (Le e al. 2008) and ac oex a (Kassamba a and Mund 2020) packages
Table 1. Ques ionnai e applied o esiden s o he Fede al Dis ic , B azil (May–Sep embe 2019).
1. Sociodemog aphic In o ma ion
Region o esidence, Gende , Age, and Educa ion
2. In asi e species
(A) Ha e you hea d o in asi e species? (yes/no)
(B) Do you belie e ha in asi e species can ha e nega i e e ec s? (yes/no)
(C) Ha e you e e no iced a possible in asi e species in you home? (yes/no)
(D) Do you know wha o do i you ind an in asi e species in you home? (yes/no)
(E) Do you know o which au ho i y o epo on he occu ence o in asi e species? (yes/no)
3. Gian A ican Snail L. ulica
(F) How much do you know abou he Gian A ican Snail? (1–10)
(G) Ha e you hea d abou pa asi es in he Gian A ican Snail? (yes/no)
(H) Ha e you pe sonally seen a Gian A ican Snail? (yes/no)
(I) Ha e you pe sonally collec ed a Gian A ican Snail? (yes/no)
(J) How ha m ul is he Gian A ican Snail o he en i onmen ? (1–10)
(K) How ha m ul is he Gian A ican Snail o public and animal heal h? (1–10)
(L) Do you know con ol measu es o he Gian A ican Snail? (yes/no)
(M) How good is he go e nmen au ho i y in p o iding in o ma ion abou he Gian A ican Snail and con olling i ? (1–10)
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Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.: Pe cep ions and awa eness o he gian A ican snail in B azil
o assess how pe cep ions and awa eness o in asi e species (Sec ion 2) ela e o
hose o L. ulica and a i udes owa d i s con ol (Sec ion 3). Las ly, we employed
a nega i e binomial gene alized linea model (GLM) o es how hese pe cep ions
in luence public e alua ion o go e nmen al communica ion and con ol e o s
ega ding L. ulica; he signi icance o model e ms was assessed wi h he Analysis
o De iance (Type II Wald chisqua e es ), and model alidi y was e alua ed using
a Kolmogo o -Smi no goodness-o - i es , an o e dispe sion es , and an ou lie
es , all wi h he DHARMa package (Ha ig 2018). All analyses we e conduc ed in
R .3.6.3 (R Co e Team 2020).
Resul s
Ou su ey included 613 esponden s om all egions o he Fede al Dis ic ,
wi h 423 pa icipa ing online and 190 in pe son (Suppl. ma e ial 1: able S1).
The sample showed a balanced gende dis ibu ion (42% men, 57% women, 1%
no s a ed) and encompassed a b oad ange o educa ion le els, albei wi h a sligh
o e ep esen a ion o highly educa ed indi iduals: 28% had basic educa ion com-
ple ed o in p og ess, 32% we e unde g adua es, and 40% held g adua e deg ees.
The mean age was 38.9 yea s (SD = 16.1; ange: 11–83). O e all, his dis ibu ion
was b oadly consis en wi h he sociodemog aphic p o ile o he Fede al Dis ic .
Mos pa icipan s had hea d o in asi e species (79%), belie e ha hey can
ha e nega i e e ec s (88%), and epo ed obse ing in asi e species in hei homes
(53%). None heless, he majo i y we e unawa e o app op ia e ac ions o ake i an
in asi e species is ound (75%) o which agency o con ac o assis ance (80%).
Rega ding L. ulica, 51% o esponden s epo ed low amilia i y (sco es 1–3 ou
o 10), ye 41% and 48% a ed i s en i onmen al and heal h impac s as high
(sco es 8–10), espec i ely. Al hough 58% had encoun e ed he snail and 32% had
collec ed i , only 16% unde s ood con ol me hods. Public dissa is ac ion wi h
managemen was e iden : 59% a ed go e nmen al in o ma ion as inadequa e
(sco es 1–3), and 75% deemed con ol e o s insu icien .
Ou analysis e ealed signi ican associa ions be ween sociodemog aphic a i-
ables and esponses om bo h su ey sec ions. Educa ion le el showed he s on-
ges e ec (Fishe ’s exac es , P < 0.001), wi h highe educa ion co ela ing wi h:
(1) g ea e awa eness o in asi e species gene ally, (2) be e pe cei ed knowledge
o L. ulica speci ically, and (3) inc eased unde s anding o con ol measu es. Age
also signi ican ly in luenced esponses (P < 0.002), as olde esponden s - pa icu-
la ly hose wi h highe educa ion - we e mo e likely o pe cei e in asi e species as
a se ious h ea and ecognize he need o snail con ol. While gende di e ences
we e less p onounced, men demons a ed sligh ly g ea e awa eness o epo ing
au ho i ies o in asi e species (P = 0.008). No ably, e alua ions o go e nmen al
pe o mance in L. ulica managemen showed no signi ican associa ion wi h any
sociodemog aphic ac o (P > 0.05).
Mul iple co espondence analysis e ealed wo dis inc dimensions o public
esponses (Fig. 1). The p ima y dimension, accoun ing o 32% o he a iance,
demons a ed a s ong associa ion be ween gene al pe cei ed knowledge o in a-
si e species and speci ic sel - epo ed amilia i y wi h L. ulica and i s impac s.
This dimension encompassed ac ual awa eness (i ems A, F, G, H), sel - epo ed
knowledge and isk judgmen s (i ems B, J, K). The seconda y dimension (14%)
isola ed p ocedu al knowledge ela ed o managemen ac ions (i ems D, E, L),
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Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.: Pe cep ions and awa eness o he gian A ican snail in B azil
indica ing ha appa en knowledge o wha o do, whom o con ac , and how
o con ol in asi e species cons i u ed an independen componen , dis inc om
gene al species knowledge and impac assessmen s.
Sel - epo ed knowledge abou L. ulica signi ican ly in luenced e alua ions o
go e nmen managemen ac ions (χ2 = 29.90, d = 1, P < 0.001; Fig. 2A). This
ela ionship was mode a ed by en i onmen al impac awa eness, wi h a signi ican
in e ac ion e ec (χ2 = 7.00, d = 1, P = 0.008; Fig. 2B). Speci ically, espon-
Figu e 1. Mul iple co espondence analysis (MCA) o public awa eness and pe cep ions ega ding in asi e species ( iangles) and Lissacha i-
na ulica (ci cles) in B azil’s Fede al Dis ic . Dim.1 (x-axis, 32% a iance) shows a posi i i y g adien (“No” [le ] o “Yes” [ igh ] esponses),
while Dim.2 (y-axis, 14% a iance) shows ha con ol- ela ed i ems (D, E, L) di e ge om he emaining pe cep ions and a i udes. Colo s
e lec each answe ’s con ibu ion o o al a iance (wa me hues = highe con ibu ion). Le e s e e o ques ionnai e i ems (Table 1).
Figu e 2. Public e alua ions o go e nmen managemen ac ions o Lissacha ina ulica in ela ion o: A. Sel - epo ed knowledge;
B. In e ac ions be ween sel - epo ed knowledge and en i onmen al impac pe cep ion; C. In e ac ions be ween en i onmen al and
heal h impac pe cep ions. Th ee cons an alues o en i onmen al impac pe cep ion we e se o illus a e he in e ac ions among
a iables: low (blue line wi h #1), medium (g een line wi h #6), and high (yellow line wi h #10).
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Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.: Pe cep ions and awa eness o he gian A ican snail in B azil
den s epo ing medium o high en i onmen al impac awa eness (sco es 6-10)
demons a ed a posi i e associa ion be ween L. ulica pe cei ed knowledge and
go e nmen pe o mance a ings. We also ound a signi ican in e ac ion be ween
en i onmen al and heal h impac awa eness on go e nmen e alua ions (χ2 = 8.39,
d = 1, P = 0.004; Fig. 2C). The pa e n e ealed h ee dis inc esponse le els:
(1) lowes a ings om esponden s unawa e o bo h impac s, (2) highes a ings
om hose awa e o ei he en i onmen al o heal h impac s, and (3) in e media e
a ings om indi iduals awa e o bo h impac ypes (Fig. 2C).
Discussion
Educa ion and age in luence pe cep ions and awa eness o in asi e
species and Lissacha ina ulica
Ou s udy con i ms ha highe educa ion le els co ela e wi h g ea e awa eness
o in asi e species, including L. ulica (gian A ican snail). This aligns wi h p io
esea ch indica ing ha o mal educa ion enhances en i onmen al li e acy and in-
o med decision-making (Eiswe h e al. 2011; Co dei o e al. 2020; Melo e al.
2021). Age also played a signi ican ole, wi h olde indi iduals exp essing s onge
conce n abou in asi e species and he snail, mi o ing indings om Colombia
(Pa iño-Mon oya e al. 2019) and s udies on in asi e plan s (Po gie e e al. 2019).
These esul s sugges ha bo h educa ion and age a e c i ical p edic o s o public
engagemen in in asi e species managemen , ein o cing he need o a ge ed en-
i onmen al educa ion ac oss di e en demog aphic g oups.
No ably, ou indings indica e ha a g ea e p opo ion o pa icipan s a ibu ed
nega i e impac s o in asi e species (88%) han hose who epo ed p io amilia i-
y wi h he e m “in asi e species” i sel (79%). This disc epancy sugges s ha , e en
in he absence o explici concep ual unde s anding, esponden s may in e de i-
men al consequences om he seman ic conno a ion o he wo d “in asi e,” which
inhe en ly e okes no ions o ha m, h ea , o dis up ion. The nega i e alence as-
socia ed wi h his e minology has been widely documen ed in he li e a u e, wi h
s udies demons a ing ha he language employed in in asion biology, o en cha -
ac e ized by mili a is ic o ala mis me apho s, can shape public pe cep ions and
a i udes owa d hese o ganisms (Jano sky and La son 2019). Thus, he aming
o in asi e species in bo h scien i ic and popula discou se may con ibu e o he
in ui i e associa ion be ween un amilia species and nega i e ecological o socie al
ou comes, independen o esponden s’ o mal knowledge o di ec expe ience.
Pe cep ion and awa eness o in asi e species a e linked o
pe cep ion and awa eness o Lissacha ina ulica bu no o con ol
Mul i a ia e analysis e ealed ha indi iduals who unde s and in asi e species as a
concep a e mo e likely o ecognize L. ulica as a h ea . Howe e , awa eness alone
does no gua an ee con ol beha io s, likely due o compe ing pe sonal alues,
emo ional esponses, o di ec expe iences (e.g., p ope y damage). As Shackle on
e al. (2019a) obse ed, p ac ical conce ns (e.g., ga den des uc ion) o en d i e ac-
ion mo e han ecological awa eness. Thus, e ec i e managemen s a egies should
combine gene al en i onmen al educa ion wi h beha io ally a ge ed in e en-
ions, add essing bo h ecological, pe sonal, and economic mo i a ions o con ol.
332
NeoBio a 103: 325–337 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.103.156013
Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.: Pe cep ions and awa eness o he gian A ican snail in B azil
Al hough public awa eness o in asi e species is o en high, his knowledge sel-
dom ansla es in o e ec i e managemen ac ions, esul ing in a pe sis en knowl-
edge–ac ion gap obse ed no only in in asion biology bu also in clima e change
and o he en i onmen al challenges (Esle e al. 2010; Golebie e al. 2025). Theo ies
such as he alue–ac ion gap and he limi a ions o he in o ma ion-de ici mod-
el sugges ha knowledge alone is insu icien ; psychological, social, and s uc u al
ba ie s, including lack o sel -e icacy, unclea ins i u ional esponsibili ies, and low
pe cei ed bene i s, o en p e en ac ion (Kollmuss and Agyeman 2002; Lau en e al.
2016). In he case o L. ulica, he p oblem is no a lack o scien i ic in o ma ion.
La in Ame ica, especially B azil, has gene a ed subs an ial esea ch o e he pas wo
decades (Thiengo e al. 2007; Vogle e al. 2013; Pa iño-Mon oya e al. 2019; Ma ins
e al. 2023; Sil a e al. 2024). Ins ead, much o his knowledge is agmen ed and
no o ien ed owa d p ac ical managemen , complica ing i s in e p e a ion and ap-
plica ion by s akeholde s (Cooke e al. 2021). To o e come his gap, we ad oca e o
a pa adigm shi owa d co-p oducing ac ionable knowledge wi h s akeholde s and
c ea ing eal incen i es, so ha indi iduals ecognize angible bene i s and imp o ed
quali y o li e when engaging in in asi e species managemen (Cooke e al. 2021).
Sel - epo ed knowledge abou Lissacha ina ulica in luences
e alua ion o go e nmen ac ions
Responden s wi h g ea e sel - epo ed knowledge o L. ulica ended o a e go -
e nmen ac ions mo e a o ably, suppo ing s udies ha link en i onmen al li e a-
cy o policy suppo (Ma qua -Pya 2018; Wang e al. 2023). In e es ingly, hose
awa e o only one aspec o he snail’s impac (ei he ecological o heal h- ela ed)
ga e highe app o al a ings han hose ecognizing bo h h ea s. This sugge s ha
pe cei ing mul iple h ea s may os e mo e c i ical assessmen s o go e nmen
pe o mance. Fu u e esea ch should explo e his pa adox o op imize public
awa eness campaigns and policy communica ion.
We acknowledge ha ou s udy has ce ain limi a ions. Fi s , ou su ey mea-
su ed esponden s’ sel - epo ed con idence in hei knowledge wi hou di ec ly
e i ying i s accu acy. This limi a ion is illus a ed by indings om he s a e o
Pa aná, whe e hal o he esponden s ailed o co ec ly iden i y L. ulica (Simião
and Fische 2004). Second, he su ey was conduc ed du ing he d y season, when
snails a e ypically aes i a ing unde g ound and hus less isible, which may ha e
a ec ed pa icipan s’ in e es and engagemen . Thi d, he e is a po en ial bias o-
wa d esponden s wi h highe educa ional a ainmen , possibly accoun ing o he
ele a ed con idence le els obse ed. Despi e hese cons ain s, ou esul s yield im-
po an insigh s in o public pe cep ions and beha io s ega ding in asi e species,
which a e aluable o in o ming managemen s a egies and guiding he de elop-
men o e ec i e public policies.
Conclusions
Ou indings highligh key demog aphic and cogni i e ac o s in luencing pub-
lic pe cep ion, awa eness, and managemen o L. ulica in B azil’s Fede al Dis-
ic . Olde and mo e educa ed indi iduals exhibi ed g ea e awa eness, unde -
sco ing he need o expanded ou each o younge and less-educa ed g oups o
333
NeoBio a 103: 325–337 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/neobio a.103.156013
Angie Pa iño-Mon oya e al.: Pe cep ions and awa eness o he gian A ican snail in B azil
ensu e b oad socie al engagemen . While awa eness o in asi e species co ela es
wi h ecogni ion o L. ulica as a h ea , knowledge alone is insu icien o d i e
con ol beha io s.
To imp o e in asi e species managemen , we ecommend in eg a ed educa ion
campaigns ha combine ecological li e acy, de ined as he ecological knowledge
necessa y o a pe son’s decision-making, wi h p ac ical con ol me hods o b idge
he gap be ween awa eness and ac ion. Addi ionally, enhancing policy anspa en-
cy and e alua ion by clea ly communica ing go e nmen e o s and inco po a ing
communi y eedback will s eng hen public us and adap i e managemen . By
aligning scien i ic knowledge, public educa ion, and policy ac ions, i is possible o
enhance in asi e species con ol while os e ing long- e m communi y pa icipa-
ion in ecological s ewa dship.
Acknowledgemen s
We hank he Uni e sidade de B asília (UnB) and he Ins i u o B asília Ambien al
o logis ical suppo , and all pa icipan s o esponding o he ques ionnai e.
Addi ional in o ma ion
Con lic o in e es
The au ho s ha e decla ed ha no compe ing in e es s exis .
E hical s a emen
No e hical s a emen was epo ed.
Use o AI
No use o AI was epo ed.
Funding
This wo k was suppo ed by he Coo denação de Ape eiçoamen o de Pessoal de Ní el Supe io
(CAPES, g an 001).
Au ho con ibu ions
Pa iño-Mon oya A. Concep ualiza ion, Da a cu a ion, Fo mal analysis, Me hodology, W i ing –
o iginal d a , W i ing – e iew and edi ing. Ma ins G. Da a cu a ion, Fo mal analysis, Me hodol-
ogy, W i ing – e iew and edi ing. Nomiyama TS. Concep ualiza ion, Da a cu a ion, In es iga ion,
W i ing – e iew and edi ing. Rosana Tidon. Concep ualiza ion, Funding acquisi ion, In es iga ion,
Supe ision, W i ing – o iginal d a , W i ing – e iew and edi ing.
Au ho ORCIDs
Angie Pa iño-Mon oya h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-3309-2346
Gab iel Ma ins h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-3610-4832
Thiago Sil es e Nomiyama h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0007-2684-0779
Rosana Tidon h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-6837-9972
Da a a ailabili y
All o he da a ha suppo he indings o his s udy a e a ailable in he main ex o Supplemen a y
In o ma ion.
