Cognitive and Affective Predictors of Illinois Residents’ Perceived Risks from Gray Wolves

Abstract

Increasing wolf populations are a concern for wildlife managers in the Midwestern U.S. Understanding the psychological mechanisms that contribute to public perceptions of risk will enable development of strategies that seek to mitigate these risks, and suggest where outreach efforts may facilitate acceptance of wolves. We examined the psychological factors that influence Illinois residents’ perceived risks from wolves. We hypothesized that individuals’ perceived risks from wolves were a function of their attitudes toward wolves, negative affect toward wolves, and basic beliefs about wildlife. Data were obtained from a survey of the Illinois public (n?=?784). Negative affect and attitudes toward wolves were direct predictors of perceived risks. Basic beliefs predicted attitudes and negative affect toward wolves. Negative affect predicted attitudes. Basic beliefs had direct and indirect effects on perceived risks.     

The Relationship between Narratives,Wildlife Value Orientations,Attitudes, and Policy Preferences

Overabundance of white-tailed deer is a pervasive problem across the United States. Deer are blamed for increased risk of auto accidents, tick-borne diseases, and overbrowsing of native species. Lethal management techniques, cited as cost-effective and humane, are commonly employed for herd management. However, the approach frequently sparks outrage among various stakeholders who feel killing of animals is unjustified and prefer nonlethal measures. Wildlife managers then face the challenge of communicating with the public to build policy support for lethal management. The Narrative Policy Framework was used to test the effects of differing narratives on public opinion for lethal deer management. Results indicated narratives were influential in shifting attitudes toward and support for a proposed sharpshooting policy even in some cases where respondents were already familiar with the issue and held a previous opinion. This study also supported the utility of the Narrative Policy Framework for examining human dimensions of wildlife issues.     

Conserving Biodiversity in Farm Animals: Do Farmer and Public Biodiversity Knowledge and Awareness Matter?

Increases in biodiversity losses are a growing concern globally. In farm animals, related concerns about losses in genetic diversity have potentially increased with the emergence of breeding technologies that allow for faster genetic change in herds. Farmer and public acceptance of specific breeding practices can be influenced by a number of factors, including concerns about biodiversity and knowledge of biodiversity. The link between these factors and acceptance of new genetic technologies, if it exists, may help explain concerns about genetic technologies. This article examines the effect of attitudes and knowledge about biodiversity on the acceptance of genomic selection in livestock production using farmer and public survey data from Canada. Our results suggest that the link between biodiversity concerns and the acceptance of genomic selection is more robust for the public than for farmers. We also find that biodiversity knowledge and attitudes have opposite effects on acceptance of genomic selection.     

Political ecology of tiger conservation in India: Adverse effects of banning customary practices in a protected area

Protected areas have had significant impacts on local communities primarily through the physical removal of people. In some instances, people continue to live within protected areas due to the inability of the state to evict them. The restrictions on livelihoods placed on people living inside protected areas lead to in situ displacement. We show how conservation enclosures in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve have produced a class of people that the state ‘lets die’ by banning customary practices such as fire use, hunting and harvesting of forest produce. Using longitudinal ethnographic, socio‐economic and ecological data, we demonstrate that conservation policy has alienated indigenous forest dwellers from their agricultural and forest‐land. The outcomes of conservation policy include dispossession through increased crop losses, reduced income from agriculture and forest produce, as well as a forest that is dominated by weeds due to fire suppression. The ban on hunting in particular has increased wildlife densities, which has enabled the state to accumulate revenues through the establishment of wildlife tourism facilities. All in all, centralized protected area governance has changed the relationships among people, forest and the state in a way that has produced adverse effects for both livelihoods and the ecosystem.     

Social and Geographic Contexts of Water Concerns in Utah

Public concerns about water issues are key considerations in responding to changing hydrologic conditions. Literature is mixed on the social profiles associated with resource-related risks. Using data from a household survey, we compare concerns about water shortage, climate change impacts on water supply, poor water quality, and flooding. We assess the combined influence of social and locational factors on each concern and variations across three valleys in northern Utah. Generalized linear mixed modeling is used, given the ordinal nature of most variables. Water shortage was the greatest concern, and female, older, nonwhite, and recreationally active respondents were generally more concerned about water issues than their counterparts. Education, income, and religious identity presented more complicated relationships with water concerns, with significant interaction effects with valley geography. This study has implications for improving public involvement in risk management and engendering support for future water policy and planning strategies to address these risks.     

Dynamics of hunting territories and prey distribution in Amazonian Indigenous Lands

Indigenous Lands in the Brazilian Amazon intend to guarantee indigenous rights and conserve forests, although many do not correspond to peoples' territorial needs and may not effectively preserve wildlife. Most indigenous people rely on game for subsistence, and the spatial distribution of hunts and prey determine hunting sustainability and wildlife conservation. I examined the Kaxinawa hunting territory dynamics through the participatory monitoring and mapping of 10 ILs. The Kaxinawa are central-place foragers whose ideal hunting territories have a circular shape with a radius of 5 km. The geopolitics of the Kaxinawa combined with spatial occupation distort hunting territories to maintain indigenous control while respecting the territories of nearby villages. The fission of large villages leads to reduced hunting territories but increases the overall hunted area, consequently affecting game populations. Kaxinawa hunting did not lead species to extinction. The Kaxinawa hunted 65% of prey within 2.5 km of the villages and the other 30% within 5 km. Although all of the species were hunted close to villages, the prey were smaller, and several sensitive species were rarely hunted. The replacement of such sensitivity for more resilient low-ranked species on hunting bags suggests that these species might be depleted near villages. These findings provide objective standards for titling Indigenous Lands and for improving wildlife management within these lands.     

Card-carrying hunters, rural poverty, and wildlife decline in northern Côte d'Ivoire

This paper examines wildlife decline in northern Côte d'Ivoire with emphasis on the political-economic and cultural dimensions of market hunting. Hunting and the trade in wild animal meat are situated within the economic diversification strategies of impoverished farmers and the flourishing of hunter associations. The role of hunter associations is critical in the rise in the number of hunters and firearms in the case study area of Kakoli. Initiation into the national hunters' association, Binkadi, allows card-carrying members to bear arms without legal repercussions. Higher quality arms and rural poverty motivate many of these recruits to engage in market hunting. Game market surveys for 1981–82 and 1997–99 in Kakoli show tremendous pressure on both vulnerable and robust species alike. Game depletion is conceptualized as the outcome of interacting social and biophysical processes that produce hunting pressure and habitat change. By drawing attention to the political-economic, ecological, and cultural dimensions of wildlife decline, this study implicates a diversity of actors and institutions in the dynamics of game depletion.     

Environmental and Cultural Implications of Visitor Access in the Kimberley Region,Australia

The Kimberley coast in Australia's far north-west is the traditional country and home of a number of Indigenous groups and hosts some of the country's richest cultural heritage, most spectacular rock art, scenery and wildlife, making it an attractive tourism destination. A growing expedition cruise industry provides the main means of visitor access to remote coastal sites and offers excursions to shore-based attractions in what are mostly Aboriginal Reserve lands. In light of concerns about environmental and cultural site impacts resulting from increasing visitor numbers, this study examined biophysical site impacts along access trails to shore-based attractions and used qualitative methods to ascertain cultural impacts. The synthesis of the findings highlights that cultural concerns arising from visitor access without having sought traditional owner consent for such access, combined with a lack of traditional owner involvement in the planning, management or running of visitor activities, overshadow currently low environmental impacts of onshore expedition cruise activities. To overcome the continuing impasse regarding the issue of unsanctioned visitor access, the Kimberley urgently needs a coordinated approach by key stakeholders and the traditional owners which recognises and acknowledges the historical context. Such a process would facilitate tourism activities to become culturally sustainable.     

Forest Beliefs in an Urbanizing World: Views on and Usage of Forest Areas Among Persons with and Without a Migration Biography in Germany and Sweden

Previous studies have shown that environmental values of inhabitants of urban areas differ to some extent from those of people living in rural contexts. In the light of increasing urbanization, it is sometimes argued that these differences are becoming even greater, as people are becoming more and more alienated from nature. In the context of a larger survey study on beliefs about forests and forest management among the general public in Germany and Sweden, the influences of people’s migration biographies on their patterns of forest usage, their environmental concerns about forests, and the expectations and values they ascribe to forests are explored. While previous findings on differences between urban and rural populations are confirmed, we also find variation within these groups depending on their history of moving between the two spatial categories. This study thus adds a dynamic aspect to the discussion on the urban–rural perspective on beliefs about forests.     

Red deer in New Zealand: Game animal,economic resource or environmental pest?

The 150‐year history of red deer in New Zealand reflects changing relations between people and introduced animals and has involved recreational, environmental and commercial hunting. Hunters initially pursued red deer for recreation then for environmental control before the animals were subsumed into society's economic processes. After 1930, they were regarded as environmental pests and hunting was open to all. Commercial hunting started after World War II, when economic value redefined the relationship between red deer and people. Relations between people and red deer continued to evolve as New Zealanders generated progressively more refined understandings of nature and the place of introduced species in this country's diverse environments.     

Impacts of Wildlife on Agriculture: A Spatial-Based Analysis and Economic Assessment for Reducing Damage

Over the last few years, the impacts of wildlife on agriculture have constantly been growing, in particular in areas close to woodland and in hunting ban zones (“refuge effect”). Public administrations have difficulty in meeting the growing requests for crop damage compensation. The development of appropriate measures to control this trend—starting from the understanding of the dynamics concerned—is crucial. The aim of this study was, therefore, to analyze damage at regional scale and define common local actions. In particular, the study involved different steps that define a spatial-based classification of risk levels, integrating statistical methods (principal component analysis and receiver operating characteristic) with multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) in a geographic information system (GIS). It turns out that, in the study area, the very high-risk zones affect 8.83% of used agricultural areas; about 97% of them concentrated in the first 400 m from the most suitable habitats. A selected cluster of 11 test areas within these zones allowed us to assess the cost-effectiveness of integrated prevention and control actions (IPCA) with respect to the compensation of the damage. The analysis shows cost of IPCA to be nearly twice the actual cost incurred by the public administration to compensate partially the damage. The comparison with the estimated damage shows the overall economic convenience of the proposed investment with significant differences depending on the areas. Thus, we suggest reaching an “agro-ecological” balance starting from actions on specific areas; if they produce the desired effects, they could be progressively extended to other areas with gradual investments (adaptive management).

     

美国科罗拉多河高速水流实验对下游水生生态系统的影响及启示

科罗拉多河的适应性管理处于世界领先水平。美国为研究格伦峡谷大坝对下游水生生态系统的影响而进行了3次高速水流实验,取得了显著的生态效益,也积累了许多宝贵经验。分析显示,利益相关方参与是该实验成功的体制保障,跟踪监测与评估是实验成功的技术保障,闸坝适应性调度是河流保护与管理的有效手段。该实验的实施过程和效果对我国闸坝调度有许多有益的启示。例如,对下游水生生物和湿地生态系统的保护应作为闸坝调度的目标之一,应加强闸坝适应性调度的实验和研究,促进利益相关方参与河流保护与管理。     

The Symbolic Wolf: A Construal Level Theory Analysis of the Perceptions of Wolves in the United States

Charismatic wildlife can be difficult to manage due to the controversies they generate among stakeholders, which may be rooted in their symbolic meaning. Using construal-level theory, we coded the images of gray wolves mentioned by respondents to a national survey (n?=?621) and an issue public survey (n?=?447) as symbolic (abstract) or corporeal (concrete). We analyzed the relationship between these representations of wolves and several perceptions that may perpetuate social conflict. Most people thought of wolves abstractly, and abstract thoughts were associated with positive feelings toward wolves and agreement with existence beliefs regarding wolves. Concrete representations were associated with identifying as a gun or property rights advocate, hunter, or farmer/rancher. Given these disparate views of wolves, engaging stakeholders through collaborative processes designed to foster a shared understanding of this species, while addressing the concerns of those groups, could be useful in reducing conflict concerning wolf management.     

The Limits of Economic Benefits: Adding Social Affordances to the Analysis of Trophy Hunting of the Khwe and Ju/’hoansi in Namibian Community-Based Natural Resource Management

In the global neoliberal ecological discourse, trophy hunting proponents often articulate the economic benefits it creates for local communities, especially through jobs and meat. Trophy hunting revenues are also crucial to support the overall operational costs of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). The aim of this paper is to show that this rather simplified dominant discourse, based only on “benefits”, sells short the local realities of the Khwe and Ju/’hoansi Bushmen (San) in the Bwabwata National Park and the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Namibia, respectively. Building on Gibson, I use the concept of “social affordances” as an addition to economic benefits. This leads me to argue for an expansion of the debate beyond the limits of economic benefits to the human domain, to better understand the multiple experiences, perceptions, power relations and meanings (for good and ill) of local actors on trophy hunting and its main players.     

Acceptability of Management Actions and the Potential for Conflict Following Human-Black Bear Encounters

Despite low numbers for the past century, black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in Alabama appear to be growing. There are often strong emotional reaction and public disagreement toward how wildlife management agencies respond to human-bear encounters. We used data from a mail in survey (n?=?564) distributed to residents of two distinct regions of Alabama to examine the acceptance of five common black bear management strategies in response to specific human-bear encounter scenarios. We applied the second generation Potential for Conflict Index (PCI2) to estimate the potential for social conflict which may arise due to dissenting opinions toward bear management strategies. Potential for conflict varied according to severity and frequency of the bear encounter and severity of management actions and was greater in rural areas. We recommend managers create standardized bear management protocols and a human-bear encounter classification system to maintain consistency and limit negative public reaction to management techniques.     

围栏引起的有蹄类动物死亡及其对未来祁连山国家公园管理的启示

围栏是牧区畜牧业的重要组成部分。但是,这些围栏也给野生动物带来了很多负面影响,会制约它们的活动范围,妨碍其种群扩散甚至会直接导致死亡。甘肃盐池湾国家级自然保护区未来将成为祁连山国家公园的重要组成部分,本文对该区内围栏的现状及其所产生的影响进行了评估。我们通过70份调查问卷,了解了当地牧民对围栏的看法、围栏对野生有蹄类动物的威胁以及观察到的被围栏缠绕的野生动物的数量。我们发现,如果当地居民发现用于管理牲畜的围栏会伤害到野生动物,他们更可能意识到围栏带来的负面影响,那些认为围栏对野生动物有害的人更有可能支持拆除围栏。然而,对于需要雇用他人来照看家畜的牧民,支持围栏拆除的可能性较小。最佳模型只解释了部分数据差异,这表明虽然对围栏威胁的认识很重要,但其他因素可能也会影响牧民对围栏拆除的支持度。因此,为了能在新的国家公园内成功开展围栏拆除工作,有必要强化社区服务和社区合作,以减少围栏拆除对牲畜管理的影响。调查发现,当地牧民在围栏上发现过死亡的藏野驴、盘羊和藏原羚,其中发现藏野驴的次数明显多于其他两个物种。这一结果表明,前述三个物种可能更容易被围栏缠绕,未来需要加强相关研究,这将有助于推动围栏拆除计划的实施。     

FARMING THE FOREST EDGE: VULNERABLE PLACES AND PEOPLE AROUND KIBALE NATIONAL PARK,UGANDA

ABSTRACT. Subsistence farmers near Kibale National Park, Uganda, fear and resent many wildlife species. In this article I compare records of crop damage by wildlife and livestock with local complaints about the worst animals and the most vulnerable crops. I discuss the concordance and discrepancies in complaints versus actual damage in light of physical parameters of risk and of social factors that shape perceptions and vulnerabilities. Crop losses were greatest at the edge of the forest, where immigrants are disproportionately represented. State proprietorship of wildlife amplifies local vulnerability and constrains traditional coping strategies, such as hunting.     

Identifying Common Decision Problem Elements for the Management of Emerging Fungal Diseases of Wildlife

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) of wildlife have characteristics that make them difficult to manage, leading to reactive and often ineffective management strategies. Currently, two fungal pathogens, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), are causing declines in novel host species. To improve the application of management strategies addressing the risk of these pathogens to North American wildlife, we queried wildlife managers about their concerns regarding managing populations of bats and amphibians potentially impacted by Pd and Bsal. Using these responses, we identified aspects of each decision problem that were shared across pathogens, regions and agencies – and found similarities in decision-problem elements for disease management. Reframing management problems as decisions can enable managers to identify similarities across EIDs, i.e. uncertainties within management actions, and improve reactive responses if proactive management is not possible. Such an approach recognizes context-specific constraints and identifies relevant uncertainties that must be reduced in developing a response.     

中国非消费型野生动物旅游若干问题研究

野生动物旅游在旅游业市场所占比例较小,但是野生动物旅游不仅市场潜力大,对生态环境和野生动物的影响也大。该文讨论非消费型野生动物观光游、体验游的发展状况及存在的问题,指出提高游客体验和控制旅游的环境影响是野生动物旅游产品可持续性的关键,而缺乏对人与动物行为互动的科学理解是导致野生动物旅游问题的主要原因。总结非消费型野生动物旅游开发和管理的基本经验,呼吁加强对非消费型野生动物旅游资源、旅游产品开发和管理措施的研究,促进非消费型野生动物旅游的可持续发展。     

Facilitating Public Involvement in Strategic Planning for Wildland Fire Management∗

Wildland fire creates a complex relationship between federal agencies and public stakeholders. Questions surrounding the public's role in federal wildland fire management point to broader questions about the relationships among scientists, policymakers, federal agencies, and the public. In this article we report on a project to provide information about the key components of federal policies that govern wildland fire management. The goal is to enhance the decision support capabilities of a geographic information system (GIS)-based fire risk model and the capacity of users to interpret the outputs of the model from a fire policy perspective. We conclude by making recommendations for how this and other such tools might be refined to improve and expand policy interactions among government land and resource management agencies, scientists, and the public.