Top-down local management, perceived contribution to people, and actual detriments influence a rampant human‒top predator conflict in the Neotropics

•Neotropical governments and their environmental agencies have generally poor governance.•Poor governance can be influencing human-top predator conflicts in the Neotropics.•Forty percent of interviewees disapproved the current top-down local management.•Disapproval of top-down local management influenced human tolerance independently.•Neotropics need a better balance between bottom-up and top-down governance.