Unprecedented biodiversity loss and habitat degradation due to human activities has been widely acknowledged across the world, especially in the tropics. India, akin to many other countries, uses a network of Protected Areas (PA) to conserve its unique biodiversity. While PAs have been invaluable in this regard, they often tend to focus on charismatic species and also affect the lives and livelihoods of local communities. Recently, the Government of Tamil Nadu demarcated the Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary (KSLS) to conserve and protect the slender loris, a hitherto neglected small, nocturnal primate species, endemic to south India and Sri Lanka. Several media outlets reported that there were concerns amongst the local communities regarding how their lives and livelihoods were going to be affected due to the formation of the sanctuary. In this study, I wanted to investigate these claims and understand how local communities perceived the slender loris and how, if at all, their lives were altered by the demarcation of KSLS. Additionally, since there were reports of hunting of lorises from the region, I wanted to examine whether this practice was still prevalent in the region and the underlying motivations.

My study reveals that there is an overall positive attitude towards the slender loris. Though hunting is still prevalent in the region, it is carried out yearly due to cultural reasons and is not specifically directed towards slender lorises. Also, my study shows that most of the people living near the fringes of the sanctuary are not dependent on the forest anymore. More importantly, I found that most of the people are not even aware that there is a PA in their vicinity. While the formation of a sanctuary for a seemingly uncharismatic species is a positive step, I suggest that demarcation of PAs in the future be done in collaboration with local communities who can actively engage in biodiversity conservation as primary stakeholders.