The Federal District is a highly urbanized administrative area centered on Brasília, with an estimated population approaching 3 million in 2024. Researchers used a structured questionnaire based on a framework developed for an earlier study in Colombia. The instrument was linguistically and culturally adapted for the Federal District by the Environmental Agency, Instituto Brasília Ambiental, or IBRAM. Questions covered sociodemographic characteristics, general awareness of invasive species, direct experiences with L. fulica, perceived environmental and health effects, familiarity with control measures and assessments of government information and control efforts. Binary responses and Likert-style scales were used, including 1–10 ratings for perceived knowledge, harm and government performance.

Recruitment combined an online questionnaire hosted through the IBRAM website with in-person distribution of printed forms. Online participation provided 423 responses, while 190 people completed the survey in person. The researchers said support from IBRAM and the University of Brasília may have attracted online respondents with higher education or stronger environmental interests. To improve geographic representation, they circulated the online survey through social networks, approached people at locations such as the main bus station and monitored the distribution of responses by region. Sampling temporarily paused where one administrative region was disproportionately represented.

General recognition of invasive species was widespread but did not translate into procedural knowledge. Seventy-nine percent of respondents had heard of invasive species, 88% believed they could have negative effects and 53% said they had noticed a possible invasive species in their home. By contrast, most lacked the next stage of practical information: 75% did not know what action to take if they found an invasive species at home, and 80% did not know which authority to contact. The survey therefore distinguished recognition of a general ecological problem from knowledge of reporting routes and response procedures, rather than treating the two as interchangeable.

Responses about the giant African snail showed a similar divide between exposure, perceived danger and operational knowledge. Fifty-one percent rated their knowledge of L. fulica as low, assigning scores from 1 to 3 on the 10-point scale, while 41% rated its environmental effects as high and 48% rated its effects on public and animal health as high. Fifty-eight percent reported personally seeing the snail and 32% said they had collected one, but only 16% said they knew any control methods. The study also documented low evaluations of official action: 59% rated government information on L. fulica as inadequate, with scores from 1 to 3, and 75% considered control efforts insufficient.

Education was the sociodemographic variable most strongly associated with awareness and knowledge of control. Permutation Fisher’s exact tests returned P < 0.001 for education. Respondents with higher educational attainment were more likely to know about invasive species generally, report greater familiarity with L. fulica and understand control measures. Age was also significantly associated with responses at P < 0.002. Older participants, especially those with more education, were more likely to consider invasive species a serious threat and to recognize the need to control the snail. Men showed slightly greater awareness of the authority to which invasive-species occurrences should be reported than women, at P = 0.008, while other gender differences were less pronounced. Evaluations of government performance in snail management were not significantly associated with any sociodemographic factor at P > 0.05.

Multiple correspondence analysis identified two dimensions that structured responses across the questionnaire. The first explained 32% of the variance and linked general knowledge of invasive species with self-reported familiarity with L. fulica, awareness of parasites, personal encounters and judgments about environmental and health effects. The second explained 14% and was dominated by procedural items: knowing what to do after finding an invasive species, whom to contact and which measures can control L. fulica. This configuration separated factual awareness and risk judgments from management-related knowledge within the survey responses. It did not establish a causal sequence, nor did it test whether one kind of knowledge produced another.

A negative binomial generalized linear model examined how self-reported knowledge and perceived impacts related to ratings of government action. Greater self-reported knowledge of L. fulica was associated with more favorable government-performance ratings, with χ² = 29.90, one degree of freedom and P < 0.001. That association varied with awareness of environmental harm. Among respondents scoring environmental impact awareness from 6 to 10, greater knowledge of the snail corresponded with more positive government ratings. Environmental and health awareness also interacted significantly, with χ² = 8.39, one degree of freedom and P = 0.004. Respondents aware of neither impact gave the lowest ratings, those aware of either impact gave the highest ratings, and those aware of both gave intermediate ratings. The model therefore identified statistical relationships within the sample rather than showing that knowledge caused favorable assessments.

Several limitations constrain how the findings should be interpreted. The survey measured respondents’ confidence in their knowledge rather than testing their answers, so self-reported familiarity may exceed factual understanding. The authors noted that research from Paraná found that half of its respondents could not correctly identify L. fulica. Collection during the dry season may also have affected responses because the snails typically aestivate underground and are less visible then. Although in-person recruitment and geographic monitoring helped broaden the sample, people with higher education may still have been overrepresented. The cross-sectional design identified associations among education, age, knowledge and attitudes; it did not establish causal effects, observe actual control behavior or evaluate whether any management intervention reduced snail populations.

The results point to a communication problem in which broad concern and recognition of ecological risk coexist with limited knowledge of procedures. Younger and less-educated respondents were identified as important groups for expanded outreach, while the high proportion lacking knowledge of control methods indicates a wider practical gap. The authors advocate education that combines ecological understanding with actionable information, greater clarity about institutional responsibilities, more transparent communication of government efforts and incorporation of community feedback into management. They also call for stakeholders to co-produce useful knowledge and for incentives and tangible benefits to support participation. The survey did not test the effectiveness of those measures or demonstrate improved control of L. fulica, but it quantified where residents’ general awareness, practical knowledge and confidence in official action diverged.

Subject of Research: Public awareness, perceptions and control knowledge regarding the giant African snail in Brazil’s Federal District

Article Title: Perceptions and awareness of invasive species in the Brazilian Federal District: implications for controlling the giant African snail ( Lissachatina fulica )

Article References: Patiño-Montoya, A., Marins, G., Nomiyama, T. S., & Tidon, R. (2025). Perceptions and awareness of invasive species in the Brazilian Federal District: implications for controlling the giant African snail (Lissachatina fulica). NeoBiota, 103, 325-337. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.103.156013

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.103.156013

Keywords: giant African snail, Lissachatina fulica, invasive species, Brazil, Federal District, public awareness, knowledge-action gap, government communication, snail control, cross-sectional survey, Perceptions, awareness