Human Perspectives and Conservation of Grizzly Bears in Banff National Park, Canada

• Published in: Conservation Biology
• Main Authors: CHAMBERLAIN, EMILY C., RUTHERFORD, MURRAY B., GIBEAU, MICHAEL L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2012
• Subjects: Ursus arctos
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01856.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1523-1739.2012.01856.x; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01856.x/fullpdf

Abstract: Some conservation initiatives provoke intense conflict among stakeholders. The need for action, the nature of the conservation measures, and the effects of these measures on human interests may be disputed. Tools are needed to depolarize such situations, foster understanding of the perspectives of people involved, and find common ground. We used Q methodology to explore stakeholders’ perspectives on conservation and management of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) in Banff National Park and the Bow River watershed of Alberta, Canada. Twenty‐nine stakeholders participated in the study, including local residents, scientists, agency employees, and representatives of nongovernmental conservation organizations and other interest groups. Participants rank ordered a set of statements to express their opinions on the problems of grizzly bear management (I–IV) and a second set of statements on possible solutions to the problems (A–C). Factor analysis revealed that participants held 4 distinct views of the problems: individuals associated with factor I emphasized deficiencies in goals and plans; those associated with factor II believed that problems had been exaggerated; those associated with factor III blamed institutional flaws such as disjointed management and inadequate resources; and individuals associated with factor IV blamed politicized decision making. There were 3 distinct views about the best solutions to the problems: individuals associated with factor A called for increased conservation efforts; those associated with factor B wanted reforms in decision‐making processes; and individuals associated with factor C supported active landscape management. We connected people's definitions of the problem with their preferred solutions to form 5 overall problem narratives espoused by groups in the study: the problem is deficient goals and plans, the solution is to prioritize conservation efforts (planning‐oriented conservation advocates); the problem is flawed institutions, the solution is to prioritize ...