Sarawak is known as the “Land of Hornbills”, having the Rhinoceros Hornbill as the state emblem and with hornbills also being closely associated with important cultural symbols and beliefs among various local communities. However, up to date there is limited understanding on the perception, awareness, and beliefs of local communities towards hornbills. This paper aims to describe the aforementioned factors in western Sarawak, in hope of acquiring the socio-cultural information needed to fill the gap, and to clarify misconceptions towards hornbill conservation efforts in Sarawak. Data collection was accomplished using Open Data Kit (ODK). A total of 500 respondents were approached in five administrative divisions in western Sarawak, namely Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, and Betong. The questionnaire was carefully formulated to control acquiescence bias that might arise. Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) modelling was conducted to evaluate the strongest demographic predictor variables influencing the answers and word clouds were used to visualise hornbill species by the local community. Sarawakians acknowledge the importance of hornbills as a cultural symbol (95%) despite hornbills being used for food, medicine, and decoration. Whilst this study describes the perceptions of hornbills in local communities, a comprehensive assessment throughout Sarawak is recommended for better understanding of hornbill importance in other communities. Such socio-cultural information is vital to ensure the success of conservation efforts and for effective management strategies of hornbills within Sarawak.

砂拉越被誉为“犀鸟之国”，以犀鸟为州徽，犀鸟也与当地各个社区的重要文化符号和信仰紧密相关。然而，迄今为止，人们对当地社区对犀鸟的看法、认识和信仰的了解还很有限。本文旨在描述砂拉越西部的上述因素，希望获得填补这一空白所需的社会文化信息，并澄清对砂拉越犀鸟保护工作的误解。使用开放数据套件 (ODK) 完成数据收集。我们接触了砂拉越西部五个行政区的 500 名受访者，即古晋、三马拉汉、西连、斯里阿曼和勿洞。调查问卷经过精心设计，以控制可能出现的默许偏差。进行增强回归树（BRT）建模来评估影响答案的最强人口预测变量，并使用词云来可视化当地社区的犀鸟物种。尽管犀鸟被用于食品、药品和装饰，但砂拉越人承认犀鸟作为文化象征的重要性（95%）。虽然这项研究描述了当地社区对犀鸟的看法，但建议在整个砂拉越进行全面评估，以便更好地了解犀鸟在其他社区的重要性。这些社会文化信息对于确保砂拉越犀鸟保护工作的成功和有效的管理策略至关重要。进行增强回归树（BRT）建模来评估影响答案的最强人口预测变量，并使用词云来可视化当地社区的犀鸟物种。尽管犀鸟被用于食品、药品和装饰，但砂拉越人承认犀鸟作为文化象征的重要性（95％）。虽然这项研究描述了当地社区对犀鸟的看法，但建议在整个砂拉越进行全面评估，以便更好地了解犀鸟在其他社区的重要性。这些社会文化信息对于确保砂拉越犀鸟保护工作的成功和有效的管理策略至关重要。进行增强回归树（BRT）建模来评估影响答案的最强人口预测变量，并使用词云来可视化当地社区的犀鸟物种。尽管犀鸟被用于食品、药品和装饰，但砂拉越人承认犀鸟作为文化象征的重要性（95%）。虽然这项研究描述了当地社区对犀鸟的看法，但建议在整个砂拉越进行全面评估，以便更好地了解犀鸟在其他社区的重要性。这些社会文化信息对于确保砂拉越犀鸟保护工作的成功和有效的管理策略至关重要。