Factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in Japan
Japanese wolves (Canis lupus hodophilax) became extinct in the early 1900s. Because the country is experiencing growth in populations of ungulates, the potential of reintroducing wolves to promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems has been discussed by various Japanese and international research...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:2728007b29ba4977a0d94ab651b090fb 2023-05-15T15:50:51+02:00 Factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in Japan Ryo Sakurai Hiroshi Tsunoda Hiroto Enari William F. Siemer Takuro Uehara Richard C. Stedman 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01036 https://doaj.org/article/2728007b29ba4977a0d94ab651b090fb EN eng Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420301153 https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894 2351-9894 doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01036 https://doaj.org/article/2728007b29ba4977a0d94ab651b090fb Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 22, Iss , Pp - (2020) Attitudes Japan Reintroduction Undergraduate students Wolves Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01036 2022-12-31T08:39:01Z Japanese wolves (Canis lupus hodophilax) became extinct in the early 1900s. Because the country is experiencing growth in populations of ungulates, the potential of reintroducing wolves to promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems has been discussed by various Japanese and international researchers. However, limited research exists regarding public attitudes toward the reintroduction of wolves, which is indispensable to the success of such projects. We conducted a survey of 360 undergraduate students at a university in Japan and found that while most respondents believed that government officials and local residents should be responsible for the decision-making, a majority felt that this responsibility should not rest with the general citizens. Multiple regression analysis revealed that respondents disagreed with the reintroduction of exotic species generally, while those who thought wolves are necessary to a healthy ecosystem were supportive. Text mining analysis revealed that those who disagreed with the reintroduction were thinking about “people” while those who agreed emphasized the need to control an increasing deer population and to prevent related damage. In contrast to previous research, our survey revealed that it is not people’s propensity for wolves (i.e., whether they like or hate wolves), but their understanding of the ecological impact of reintroduced wolves, that influences their support. In summary, our findings suggest that public attitudes toward the reintroduction of wolves may become more favorable if people were informed of the scientific findings that Japanese and continental wolves are the same species and that their presence will positively impact the ecosystem. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Global Ecology and Conservation 22 e01036 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Attitudes Japan Reintroduction Undergraduate students Wolves Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
Attitudes Japan Reintroduction Undergraduate students Wolves Ecology QH540-549.5 Ryo Sakurai Hiroshi Tsunoda Hiroto Enari William F. Siemer Takuro Uehara Richard C. Stedman Factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in Japan |
topic_facet |
Attitudes Japan Reintroduction Undergraduate students Wolves Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Japanese wolves (Canis lupus hodophilax) became extinct in the early 1900s. Because the country is experiencing growth in populations of ungulates, the potential of reintroducing wolves to promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems has been discussed by various Japanese and international researchers. However, limited research exists regarding public attitudes toward the reintroduction of wolves, which is indispensable to the success of such projects. We conducted a survey of 360 undergraduate students at a university in Japan and found that while most respondents believed that government officials and local residents should be responsible for the decision-making, a majority felt that this responsibility should not rest with the general citizens. Multiple regression analysis revealed that respondents disagreed with the reintroduction of exotic species generally, while those who thought wolves are necessary to a healthy ecosystem were supportive. Text mining analysis revealed that those who disagreed with the reintroduction were thinking about “people” while those who agreed emphasized the need to control an increasing deer population and to prevent related damage. In contrast to previous research, our survey revealed that it is not people’s propensity for wolves (i.e., whether they like or hate wolves), but their understanding of the ecological impact of reintroduced wolves, that influences their support. In summary, our findings suggest that public attitudes toward the reintroduction of wolves may become more favorable if people were informed of the scientific findings that Japanese and continental wolves are the same species and that their presence will positively impact the ecosystem. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ryo Sakurai Hiroshi Tsunoda Hiroto Enari William F. Siemer Takuro Uehara Richard C. Stedman |
author_facet |
Ryo Sakurai Hiroshi Tsunoda Hiroto Enari William F. Siemer Takuro Uehara Richard C. Stedman |
author_sort |
Ryo Sakurai |
title |
Factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in Japan |
title_short |
Factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in Japan |
title_full |
Factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in Japan |
title_fullStr |
Factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in Japan |
title_full_unstemmed |
Factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in Japan |
title_sort |
factors affecting attitudes toward reintroduction of wolves in japan |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01036 https://doaj.org/article/2728007b29ba4977a0d94ab651b090fb |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 22, Iss , Pp - (2020) |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420301153 https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894 2351-9894 doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01036 https://doaj.org/article/2728007b29ba4977a0d94ab651b090fb |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01036 |
container_title |
Global Ecology and Conservation |
container_volume |
22 |
container_start_page |
e01036 |
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1766385875259752448 |