Ranchers' Perspectives on Participating in Non-lethal Wolf-Livestock Coexistence Strategies
Potential impacts to rural livelihoods by large carnivores, such as gray wolves (Canis lupus), increase economic liability and fear among residents, resulting in social conflicts over wildlife issues. Strategies have been developed to promote non-lethal predator management in rural communities, but...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732 https://doaj.org/article/99eef5c8a853421bbe0fa1dec38ee26c |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:99eef5c8a853421bbe0fa1dec38ee26c 2023-05-15T15:50:00+02:00 Ranchers' Perspectives on Participating in Non-lethal Wolf-Livestock Coexistence Strategies Carol Bogezi Lily M. van Eeden Aaron J. Wirsing John M. Marzluff 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732 https://doaj.org/article/99eef5c8a853421bbe0fa1dec38ee26c EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732/full https://doaj.org/toc/2673-611X 2673-611X doi:10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732 https://doaj.org/article/99eef5c8a853421bbe0fa1dec38ee26c Frontiers in Conservation Science, Vol 2 (2021) wildlife coexistence conservation social science Canis lupus non-lethal strategies ranching carnivores General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732 2022-12-31T10:15:30Z Potential impacts to rural livelihoods by large carnivores, such as gray wolves (Canis lupus), increase economic liability and fear among residents, resulting in social conflicts over wildlife issues. Strategies have been developed to promote non-lethal predator management in rural communities, but there is limited understanding of why ranchers choose to participate in such programs. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 45) of ranchers in Washington state, United States, asking open-ended questions to explore their perspectives on conflict mitigation. Interviews were analyzed using Grounded Theory. Ranchers mentioned five broad types of mitigation strategies: state agency intervention (i.e., calling the state agency in charge of wolf management to request either compensation or lethal wolf removal), biological measures (e.g., use of guard animals), physical measures (e.g., fences), human interference (cowboys and cowgirls), and indirect measures (e.g., husbandry practices). Motivations for participating in non-lethal mitigation strategies included previous positive interactions with wildlife agency officials, an understanding of the importance of wolves to the ecosystem, and clearly outlined guidelines on how to deal with wolf interactions. Barriers that hindered rancher participation included disdain for regulation both regarding the Endangered Species Act and the state's requirements for accessing damage compensation, which were perceived to be extensive and over-reaching. Negative attitudes toward wolf recovery included fear of wolves and perceived damage that wolves inflict on rural lives and livelihoods. Ranchers' motivations and perceived barriers for participating in mitigation strategies included sociopolitical and economic factors. Thus, we suggest that in addition to mitigating economic loss, wildlife managers address the intangible social costs that deter ranchers' participation in mitigation strategies through continued dialogue. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Frontiers in Conservation Science 2 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
wildlife coexistence conservation social science Canis lupus non-lethal strategies ranching carnivores General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
spellingShingle |
wildlife coexistence conservation social science Canis lupus non-lethal strategies ranching carnivores General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Carol Bogezi Lily M. van Eeden Aaron J. Wirsing John M. Marzluff Ranchers' Perspectives on Participating in Non-lethal Wolf-Livestock Coexistence Strategies |
topic_facet |
wildlife coexistence conservation social science Canis lupus non-lethal strategies ranching carnivores General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
description |
Potential impacts to rural livelihoods by large carnivores, such as gray wolves (Canis lupus), increase economic liability and fear among residents, resulting in social conflicts over wildlife issues. Strategies have been developed to promote non-lethal predator management in rural communities, but there is limited understanding of why ranchers choose to participate in such programs. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 45) of ranchers in Washington state, United States, asking open-ended questions to explore their perspectives on conflict mitigation. Interviews were analyzed using Grounded Theory. Ranchers mentioned five broad types of mitigation strategies: state agency intervention (i.e., calling the state agency in charge of wolf management to request either compensation or lethal wolf removal), biological measures (e.g., use of guard animals), physical measures (e.g., fences), human interference (cowboys and cowgirls), and indirect measures (e.g., husbandry practices). Motivations for participating in non-lethal mitigation strategies included previous positive interactions with wildlife agency officials, an understanding of the importance of wolves to the ecosystem, and clearly outlined guidelines on how to deal with wolf interactions. Barriers that hindered rancher participation included disdain for regulation both regarding the Endangered Species Act and the state's requirements for accessing damage compensation, which were perceived to be extensive and over-reaching. Negative attitudes toward wolf recovery included fear of wolves and perceived damage that wolves inflict on rural lives and livelihoods. Ranchers' motivations and perceived barriers for participating in mitigation strategies included sociopolitical and economic factors. Thus, we suggest that in addition to mitigating economic loss, wildlife managers address the intangible social costs that deter ranchers' participation in mitigation strategies through continued dialogue. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Carol Bogezi Lily M. van Eeden Aaron J. Wirsing John M. Marzluff |
author_facet |
Carol Bogezi Lily M. van Eeden Aaron J. Wirsing John M. Marzluff |
author_sort |
Carol Bogezi |
title |
Ranchers' Perspectives on Participating in Non-lethal Wolf-Livestock Coexistence Strategies |
title_short |
Ranchers' Perspectives on Participating in Non-lethal Wolf-Livestock Coexistence Strategies |
title_full |
Ranchers' Perspectives on Participating in Non-lethal Wolf-Livestock Coexistence Strategies |
title_fullStr |
Ranchers' Perspectives on Participating in Non-lethal Wolf-Livestock Coexistence Strategies |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ranchers' Perspectives on Participating in Non-lethal Wolf-Livestock Coexistence Strategies |
title_sort |
ranchers' perspectives on participating in non-lethal wolf-livestock coexistence strategies |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732 https://doaj.org/article/99eef5c8a853421bbe0fa1dec38ee26c |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
Frontiers in Conservation Science, Vol 2 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732/full https://doaj.org/toc/2673-611X 2673-611X doi:10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732 https://doaj.org/article/99eef5c8a853421bbe0fa1dec38ee26c |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.683732 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Conservation Science |
container_volume |
2 |
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1766385000887877632 |