Local knowledge of the Bornean Peacock-pheasant: a reply to Sözer et al. (2000)

Abstract

We thank Sözer et al. (2000) for paying such close attention to our paper and taking the time to express their opinion so extensively. Sözer et al. express the opinion that our questionnaire and treatment of the data were biased. They objected to our request for assistance that accompanied the questionnaire, the use of pictures of unequal size, the wording of most questions, and what they considered a flawed semi-structured interview. Finally, they question the ability of the Kalimantan people to comprehend the interview process and respond accurately. They conclude a long discussion of the semi-structured interview with the comment “the data presented by O'Brien et al. (1999) are not incontrovertible”. The observations of Sözer et al., however, are simply opinions and are not backed by data or supporting arguments. Our opinions differ, and we do not find their arguments compelling. We have not presented our study as incontrovertible, and have in fact discussed the limitations of our survey at length in the manuscript.