Measuring the intensity of conflicts in conservation

Cusack, Jeremy J.; Bradfer‐Lawrence, Tom; Baynham-Herd, Zachary; Tickell, Sofia Castelló y; Duporge, Isla; Hegre, Håvard; Zárate, Lara Moreno; Naude, Vincent N.; Nijhawan, Sahil; Wilson, John; Cortés, Darío Gerardo Zambrano

doi:10.1111/conl.12783

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…In a recent study, Straka et al (2020) found that photographs of vulnerable and distressed bats might be an important tool to temporarily increase people's emotional reactions to bats, their wildlife value orientation and probably, more importantly, their support for bat conservation. These findings illustrate the relevance of information to promote animal conservation and highlight the relevance of developing effective communication campaigns based on scientific findings (Cusack et al 2021;Lu et al 2021;MacFarlane & Rocha 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Understanding human attitudes towards bats and the role of information and aesthetics to boost a positive response as a conservation tool

Boso

Álvarez

Pérez

et al. 2021

Animal Conservation

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An understanding of human attitudes towards wildlife can be an essential element in the success or failure of a conservation initiative, policy or practice and represents one of the main conservation problems for wildlife species. Despite the ecosystem services bats provide, they often are a socially stigmatized group, misperceived and even hunted. This problem has been on the increase as a result of the Covid‐19 pandemic. We examined how aesthetic appeal and informational factors could influence human attitudes towards bats in a survey of 1966 participants from Spanish‐speaking countries. Gender, educational level, religiousness and previous experiences with bats were relevant variables to understand attitudes towards them. The results indicate that both aesthetic and informational stimuli increase the positive responses, reducing the negatives on the participants' attitudes. Our results show the importance of public attitudes to achieve conservation goals, especially in the context of human‐wildlife conflict. Bats are not charismatic animals and are still surrounded in mystery; however, our findings could benefit bat conservation plans, allowing the development of new communication strategies both locally and nationally and increasing public acceptance that will facilitate bat conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Understanding human attitudes towards bats and the role of information and aesthetics to boost a positive response as a conservation tool

Boso

Álvarez

Pérez

et al. 2021

Animal Conservation

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“…Riley et al (2018) examined trust in wildlife agencies and identified that trust was greater when personnel actions created a sense of fairness for stakeholder involvement. Extremely positive (or negative) messaging meanwhile may have the opposite effect, with a risk of more organised opposition and resulting conflict escalation (Cusack et al 2021;Niemiec et al 2020a, b). There may always be issues affecting trust (Riley et al 2018), but investment in trust-building and incorporating stakeholder viewpoints will mean it is more likely that conflicts can be negated and coexistence achieved for both reintroduced and already present species (Bennett et al 2017;Coz and Young 2020;Redpath et al 2015;Riley et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Renewed coexistence: learning from steering group stakeholders on a beaver reintroduction project in England

2021

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Species reintroductions are growing in popularity, and example motivations include supporting species populations or the restoration of ecosystem function. Interactions between humans and the reintroduced species are likely to occur post-reintroduction. Coexistence between humans and wildlife is adaptive and dynamic, in part requiring management of conflicts between humans and wildlife, or of conflicts between humans over wildlife management. We seek to learn from the experiences of steering group members in a Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) project in England and identify how governance of coexistence with reintroduced species may differ from the governance of coexistence with species that are already present in the landscape. Using a qualitative thematic analysis of an online survey, we identify a series of lessons in six key areas: (1) project governance, (2) stakeholder engagement, (3) research and monitoring programme, (4) strategy to manage arising conflicts, (5) public engagement, and (6) broad perspectives on reintroduction trials. We advocate for reflective evaluation as an essential component of reintroduction projects to enable knowledge-sharing from experiences, leading to improved practices in the future. Reflecting on our analysis, we identify and define ‘Renewed Coexistence’—a new term that draws on pre-existing coexistence knowledge but identifies the unique elements that relate to governing coexistence with reintroduced species.

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“…Furthermore, the income generated from, and the land allocated to, leopard trophy hunting may improve conservation efforts and aid in the recovery of declining populations (Palazy et al, 2011; Swanepoel et al, 2014). Tolerance may therefore be crucial to their survival in unprotected areas (Power et al, 2021), where growing human population densities may lead to increased human–wildlife conflict (Croes et al, 2011; Cusack et al, 2021; Redpath et al, 2013; Swanepoel et al, 2014). Trophy hunting and its economic benefits might also then serve as an incentive for both the maintenance of trophy species and the protection of their habitats (i.e., as both umbrella and sentinel species), making hunters proponents of conservation (Palazy et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hunter and the hunted: Using web‐sourced imagery to monitor leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) trophy hunting

Muller

Selier

Drouilly

et al. 2022

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Sustainable offtake of any threatened species and objective monitoring thereof relies on data‐driven and well‐managed harvest quotas and permit compliance. We used web‐sourced images of African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) trophy hunts to determine whether online photographs could assist in monitoring and documenting trophy hunting in Africa. Of 10,000 images examined, 808 (8%) showed leopard trophy hunts and could be contextualized by date and country. From a subset of photos (n = 530), across six countries between 2011 and 2020, we extracted information on the leopards killed and hunter demographics. We found no significant differences in leopard sex, age, or shot wound position between countries, and most trophy leopards were in good physical condition. Most hunters were White (96%) and estimated at over 40 years old (82%), with the proportion of women hunters in younger age classes significantly higher than in older classes. Rifles, bows, and hounds were used in all countries, except Tanzania and Zambia, where rifles were exclusively used. Online images could not be reasonably compared to the CITES trade database, but in South Africa, more than half (57%) of all nationally registered leopard trophy hunts in the last decade (2010–2020) have been posted online. Online images also reveal hunting violations, including non‐permitted hunting of female leopards and illegal hounding. Such monitoring methods may become increasingly useful as social media usage grows and provide valuable insight into this multi‐million dollar industry.

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Measuring the intensity of conflicts in conservation

Cited by 24 publications

References 39 publications

Understanding human attitudes towards bats and the role of information and aesthetics to boost a positive response as a conservation tool

Understanding human attitudes towards bats and the role of information and aesthetics to boost a positive response as a conservation tool

Renewed coexistence: learning from steering group stakeholders on a beaver reintroduction project in England

The hunter and the hunted: Using web‐sourced imagery to monitor leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) trophy hunting

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