Farmers’ attitudes and potential culling behavior on the reintroduction of lynx to the UK

Tan, Cedric Kai Wei; Shepherd-Cross, Jack; Jacobsen, Kim Solve

doi:10.1007/s10344-023-01751-6

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…Having mixed qualitative and quantitative questionnaires, however, often entails smaller sampling efforts than having just multiple-choice online surveys [38][39][40][41]. Other important information to consider at the regional level would be the different types of farmers that would have a different perception of the topic [42]. We did not include this information in our questionnaire, but we suggest other researchers and practitioners add this information when planning regional actions.…”

Section: Ways Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Perspectives of Key Stakeholders on the Reintroduction of Apex Predators to the United Kingdom

Wilson,

Campera

2024

Ecologies

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Apex predators were extirpated from the UK hundreds of years ago. Practitioners have recently advocated for reintroductions of predators in the UK given their role as keystone species. For a reintroduction to take place, a survey of public desirability needs to be conducted. We aimed to understand the perspectives of people across the United Kingdom on the reintroduction of Eurasian lynxes, gray wolves, and brown bears. We collected data via mixed-methods questionnaires from 78 key stakeholders, such as farmers, the general public, nature conservationists, and those in environmental sectors, with these areas being seen as the most affected by these reintroductions. It was organizations that front these stakeholder groups which mainly distributed the survey as well as social media groups. We ran a path analysis, which highlighted that there was a negative correlation between respondents viewing the species as a danger toward livestock and humans, and the respondent seeing it as being good to have that species in their region. Overall, participants who stated that rewilding their region was a priority also stated that it would be good to have Eurasian lynx in their region. That said, 70% of farmers strongly disagreed with the reintroduction of Eurasian lynx. These findings showed that much of the United Kingdom would welcome the reintroduction of Eurasian lynx, but both farmers and the public would fear the loss of livestock that may come along with these species. Support can be gained through education and knowledge, which is a necessary step needed especially targeting farmers before any reintroduction plans can be made.

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