“They Belong Here”: Understanding the Conditions of Human-wolf Coexistence in North-Western Spain

Abstract

Reintegrating wolves in human-dominated landscapes constitutes a significant conservation challenge. After decades of studying human-wolf interactions through a conflict lens, there is growing recognition that more nuanced perspectives are needed. However, this recognition has hitherto yielded few practical changes, and few have studied what underpins successful coexistence. Here we show that disproportionate focus on and resource allocation to conflict within conservation programmes risks undermining existing convivial relationships with large carnivores. Using a coexistence lens, we studied human-wolf interactions in Sanabria-La Carballeda in Spain; the region has one of the highest densities of wolves in Europe. We explored the underlying social and ecological conditions that have permitted both wolves and people to persist in the area, studied the mutual impacts, and surveyed how interactions are influenced by broader socio-economic processes. The findings of this novel approach to studying human-wildlife interactions elucidates how areas of functional coexistence have been neglected in policy, leaving them vulnerable to depopulation, low agricultural profitability, and the loss of biocultural diversity. When institutions fail to support functional coexistence, we risk losing the knowledge, the traditions and the trust of those who have sustained Europe's large carnivores, thereby undermining transitions to more convivial human-wildlife interactions in the future.

Who must adapt to whom? Contested discourses on human–wolf coexistence and their impact on policy in Spain

“…First, we examined coexistence interpretations and storylines among rural communities at different states of wolf presence—permanent presence, recent return, and imminent return, see Figure 1. We selected these states to provide a broad understanding of values, experiences and aspirations, thus revealing the diversity of possible adaptation pathways to Spain's expanding wolf population (see Pettersson, Quinn, Holmes, & Sait, 2021; Pettersson, Quinn, Holmes, Sait, & Lopez‐Bao, 2021). We conducted key informant interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, residents, civil servants, researchers and tourism operators.…”

“…Similar to other western countries (Manfredo et al, 2020; Mech, 2017), engagement in wildlife conservation has increased, especially regarding the Iberian wolf population, shared between Spain and Portugal. A small and scattered population had survived in the sparsely populated north‐west of Spain, including Sanabria/la Carballeda, Zamora (case study A), which has recently become a notable wolf observation destination (Pettersson, Quinn, Holmes, & Sait, 2021; Pettersson, Quinn, Holmes, Sait, & Lopez‐Bao, 2021), see Figure 1. The transformation of wolves from vermin to icon is widely attributed to Félix Rodríguez de La Fuente, a Spanish broadcaster whose nature documentaries were immensely popular in the 1960s and 1970s.…”

“…It established a normative orientation wherein rural communities should divert to activities with a smaller environmental footprint, such as wildlife tourism. Wolf watching in Sierra de La Culebra (case A) was frequently cited as proof of concept (Pettersson, Quinn, Holmes, & Sait, 2021). To achieve this vision, the human in the coexistence equation should be restricted and controlled, while wolves should be afforded maximum autonomy.…”

“…However, it is important to consider decreased tolerance if hunting is banned where it has always been allowed. There are such concerns in parts of northern Spain, where hunting and culling have been constant and highly valued by local communities and managers (Marino, 2019; Pettersson, Quinn, Holmes, & Sait, 2021). This raises the question of how comparatively positive states of coexistence (as in case study A) and recent advances in conflict mediation may persist given these changes.…”

Human–Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) Conflict in the Tarangire Ecosystem, Tanzania

“…Globally, large carnivore populations are trending downwards [1,2]. A variety of political and economic drivers have led to the intensification of human land uses and fragmentation of large carnivore habitats [3,4]. To address these declines in carnivore populations, conservation policies generally prioritize the establishment of protected areas, within which human activities are tightly regulated or prohibited [5].…”