Towards Human–Wildlife Coexistence through the Integration of Human and Natural Systems

Participatory scenario planning to facilitate human–wildlife coexistence

“…That said, the general approach introduced here corresponds closely to key priorities identified in recent research on human-wildlife coexistence (Carter et al 2019;Beatrice & Glikman 2019) -namely the integrated assessment of social and ecological challenges, and participatory, forward-looking approaches for identifying solutions to such challenges. We note that the ultimate success of participatory work in any area of sustainability (including biodiversity conservation) will hinge not on short exercises such as the one outlined here, but requires long-term engagement with particular study areas.…”

“…In the context of human-wildlife coexistence, as underlined by stakeholders in our study, ensuring stakeholder participation is essential not only from the perspective of equity but also to make findings relevant to policy and practice. Moreover, human-wildlife coexistence is challenged not only by conflicts between humans and wildlife, but also by possible conflicts among stakeholders (Carter et al 2019;Redpath et al 2013). Such conflicts could stem from a lack of communication among stakeholders (Carter & Linnell 2016) or strong divergence in their interests and vision related to the future of human-wildlife coexistence.…”

Bringing the biophysical to the fore: Re-envisioning organizational adaptation in the era of planetary shifts

“…Without wolves, narrow scale shifts were seen in an expontential increase of the elk population, which helped settlers in the short term. However, effects of these narrow scale shifts emerged at other scales, as more elk led to an overconsumption of grasses and trees, and, over a longer timescale, elk once again started dying out, destabilizing that food source for settlers (Carter et al, 2019). Other "surprising" narrow scale shifts, like the dying of grasses and trees, induced increased erosion that polluted and disrupted aquatic ecosystems and loosened riverbank sediment, which had other far-reaching ripple effects at much larger scales, including shifting the river topography (NPS, 2020).…”

“…Other "surprising" narrow scale shifts, like the dying of grasses and trees, induced increased erosion that polluted and disrupted aquatic ecosystems and loosened riverbank sediment, which had other far-reaching ripple effects at much larger scales, including shifting the river topography (NPS, 2020). A once robust and vibrant ecosystem went to the verge of collapse, threatening both the existence of many wildlife species and settlers' livelihoods (Carter et al, 2019).…”

Peace in the valley? Qualitative insights on collaborative coexistence from the Wood River Wolf Project

“…Conservation and environmental conflicts are widely‐recognized as wicked problems —multi‐scalar challenges involving diverse stakeholders, dynamic socio‐natural interrelationships, and a resistance to simple resolution (DeFries & Nagendra, 2017; Mason et al, 2018; Rittel & Webber, 1973). Human–wildlife conflict and coexistence follow this pattern, with an expressed need for more holistic analysis and interventions, including social‐ecological systems thinking and adaptive governance (AG) approaches (Carter et al, 2019; Glikman et al, 2019). AG is an emerging framework within environmental governance for analyzing and intervening around complexity, change, and uncertainty.…”