Controlled exposure reduces fear of brown bears

Johansson, Maria; Flykt, Anders; Frank, J. Howard; Støen, Ole Gunnar

doi:10.1080/10871209.2019.1616238

Cited by 56 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…Therefore, guided walks in brown bear areas may be a more efficient approach than information meetings indoors. Similar experiences could be promoted in wildlife parks and zoos (Johansson et al 2019).…”

Section: Addressing People's Fear In Large Carnivore Conservation: a mentioning

confidence: 86%

Large carnivores and zoos as catalysts for engaging the public in the protection of biodiversity

Consorte-McCrea¹,

Fernández²,

Bainbridge³

et al. 2019

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Addressing the biodiversity crisis requires renewed collaborative approaches. Large carnivores are ambassador species, and as such they can aid the protection of a wide range of species, including evolutionarily distinct and threatened ones, while being popular for conservation marketing. However, conflicts between carnivores and people present a considerable challenge to biodiversity conservation. Our cross disciplinary essay brings together original research to discuss key issues in the conservation of large carnivores as keystone species for biodiversity rich, healthy ecosystems. Our findings suggest the need to promote coexistence through challenging ‘wilderness’ myths; to consider coexistence/conflict as a continuum; to include varied interest groups in decision making; to address fear through positive mediated experiences, and to explore further partnerships with zoos. As wide-reaching institutions visited by over 700 million people/year worldwide, zoos combine knowledge, emotion and social context creating ideal conditions for the development of care towards nature, pro-environmental behaviors and long-term connections between visitors and carnivores. Based on current research, we provide evidence that large carnivores and zoos are both powerful catalysts for public engagement with biodiversity conservation, recognizing barriers and suggesting future ways to collaborate to address biodiversity loss.

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Section: Addressing People's Fear In Large Carnivore Conservation: a mentioning

confidence: 86%

Large carnivores and zoos as catalysts for engaging the public in the protection of biodiversity

Consorte-McCrea¹,

Fernández²,

Bainbridge³

et al. 2019

Self Cite

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“…Moreover, the affective experiences associated with a potential brown bear encounter comprising valence varying along unpleasantness-pleasantness and arousal varying along deactivation-activation can be altered, in particular by increasing a positive valence. Also, self-reported fear of an encounter has been shown to decrease (Johansson et al, 2016c(Johansson et al, , 2017(Johansson et al, , 2019. An effect on self-reported avoidance behavior has been identified for the guided walks.…”

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The role of factual knowledge of the feared species in reducing fear is according to Field et al (2001) debatable, but practical knowledge of how to behave has been demonstrated to reduce fear and improve coping in encounters with the feared animal, at least among people with dog phobia (Hoffman and Odendaal, 2001;Hoffman and Human, 2003). Johansson et al (2016cJohansson et al ( , 2017Johansson et al ( , 2019 based on theory of human-environment interaction (Küller, 1991) and appraisal theory of emotion (Scherer, 2001), proposed that informational interventions aimed to reduce fear of brown bears must alter the individual's appraisal of a potential encounter with these animals. Arguing that the information content should relate to the aspect of coping potential of the appraisal of a potential encounter with the feared animal.…”

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In what situations information about brown bears is useful and how the information should be presented in order to meet communication goals related to fear calls for social scientists and ecologists to work together (Clayton et al, 2013). This has been realized in Sweden for some years, and different interventions have been developed based on research in wildlife ecology and psychology as well as current management practice (Johansson et al, 2016c(Johansson et al, , 2017(Johansson et al, , 2019. It is, however, not until now fully comparable data are available for comparisons across interventions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is, however, not until now fully comparable data are available for comparisons across interventions. This study puts the information meeting in the center as this intervention is most commonly used in the Swedish context, but also wildlife exhibitions are available throughout the country, and exposure to the feared animal or its habitat is a third intervention recently developed (Johansson et al, 2019). The study contributes to previous research by comparing these three interventions with regard to the strength of their effect on self-reported fear of brown bears.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communication Interventions and Fear of Brown Bears: Considerations of Content and Format

et al. 2019

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Communication interventions are commonly proposed as a way to address people's fear and negative attitudes to build tolerance in shared landscapes between humans and large carnivores. Therefore, managing authorities sometimes respond to people's fear of brown bears (Ursus arctos) by organizing an information meeting. This study increases the understanding of the information meeting to address fear of encountering brown bears. Using a mixed-method approach the study analyzes the explicit meta-communication, i.e., verbal interactions to coordinate communication between presenter and participants, the effects of the meeting on fear and fear-related variables over time, and how these effects compare with the effects of a visit to a permanent brown bear exhibition, and the effects of a guided walk with exposure to brown bears and their habitat as two alternative communication interventions. Participation in information meetings contributed to reduce self-reported fear and the effect lasted over at least 6 months. The information meetings were, as assessed immediately after participation, less efficient than participation in a guided walk, but more efficient than a visit to a permanent brown bear exhibition in reducing fear. The content and format of the meeting was in line with the expectations of an information meeting, e.g., the presenter dominated the initiative in the explicit meta-communication, but still allowing for misconceptions and misunderstandings to be addressed and solved. In the development of communication strategies to address fear of large carnivores, managing authorities should pay attention to details in information content and format as well as to trade-offs between the number of people reached by the intervention and the strength of the effects on fear and fear-related variables among participants.

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Interests, beliefs, experience and perceptions shape tolerance towards impacts of recovering predators

Hobson,

Stringer,

Gill

et al. 2023

People and Nature

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The modification of landscapes is increasing the interface between humans and wildlife, while conflicts concerning predator impacts on human activities persist. Some previously persecuted but now protected predator species are experiencing recovery and range expansion. Tolerance is considered essential for achieving coexistence between humans and wildlife; however, its conceptualisation remains unresolved. Little is known about tolerance in the context of recovering predators, particularly which drivers are relevant to all or specific species and human interests. Using an online questionnaire survey shared with members of organisations with interests in rural land‐based activities, we collected data on interests and beliefs, and attitudes, perceptions, experience and management preferences for six recovering vertebrate predators in the United Kingdom (n = 819). We created a species tolerance score representing the management choices of the respondents in different conflict scenarios, which differed in the degree of impact on the predator population. Our species tolerance score was characterised by a complex combination of the interests and beliefs of the respondents about wildlife management, perceptions and experience of that species (perceived benefits, population trend, positive and negative experience, indirect negative experience) and negative experience of other recovering predators. We found a tolerance gradient between interest groups with notable overlap between groups with primary interests in wildlife conservation, shooting, farming and fishing. Although higher perceived benefits consistently corresponded to higher tolerance, having a negative experience of the species dampened the effect of perceived benefits on tolerance. When both negative personal and indirect experiences were reported, tolerance was dramatically reduced. The classification of species from least to most tolerated was consistent between interest groups. The application of our species tolerance score as the normative dimension (i.e. acceptability) in Brenner and Metcalf's (2020) Social Tolerance of Wildlife Framework highlights that tolerance (negative attitude—high acceptability) is potentially rare and more positive attitudes must be achieved before acceptance of the impacts of species can increase. Our findings highlight that considering only primary interests may hinder debates concerning recovering predators. Strategies to reduce negative experiences or change how they are perceived could significantly increase tolerance in combination with increasing positive experiences. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Controlled exposure reduces fear of brown bears

Cited by 56 publications

References 49 publications

Large carnivores and zoos as catalysts for engaging the public in the protection of biodiversity

Large carnivores and zoos as catalysts for engaging the public in the protection of biodiversity

Communication Interventions and Fear of Brown Bears: Considerations of Content and Format

Interests, beliefs, experience and perceptions shape tolerance towards impacts of recovering predators

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