Love Off, Fear On? Brown Bear Acceptance by Teenagers in European Countries with Differing Population Statuses

Abstract

The acceptance of large carnivores is one of the key issues for their conservation. We analyzed the level acceptance of brown bears (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758) amongst 10-18 year old school students in four European countries using anonymous questionnaires. Our aim was to characterize the drivers of species acceptance, described as a rural-urban cline, as well as fear levels and the respondents' familiarity with bears. We found lower levels of acceptance of bears were related to fear of bears and that bear acceptance was not higher in the bear-inhabited countries, but urban inhabitants tended to better accept the species. Factor analysis revealed the importance of country-related aspects, familiarity with bears, experiences in human-wildlife conflict, gender-age differences, respondent's relationship to nature and the origin of their knowledge of the species. We consider that bear-related education and mass media in Latvia and Lithuania could reduce fear of these animals and sustain their acceptance, while human-wildlife conflict management measures in Bulgaria and Turkey are recommended to boost the appreciation of the species.Sustainability 2020, 12, 2397 2 of 15 between the ages of 10 and 13 years, these consolidated at around 16 years of age. Therefore, early age positive attitudes can be developed into more nature friendly views and may foster wildlife conservation in the future [9]. In this study, we focus on brown bear (BB) acceptance by teenagers, as this is indicative of the future of conservation of the BB and other large carnivores. Teenagers are also important in the light of the current trend of scientific ignorance in society and the rapid decrease of interest in biology among schoolchildren [16]. Gender differences in the aforementioned issues are well expressed, as well as a decreasing interest towards animals in older children [17].Teenager attitudes toward LC species depend on several factors, one of which is the presence of a LC species. In Lithuania wolf (Canis lupus) acceptance has been found to be directly related to their presence in the region [18]. In Norway, where the wolf population is minimal, wolf was rated as the most dangerous animal by children and adolescents (9-15 years) regardless of respondents' age, with girls expressing more negatively [19]. The rural-urban cline is also very important in the planning of the future of LC conservation [12]. Removed from the direct arena of human-carnivore conflict, young people living in urban areas are able to more rapidly change their attitudes towards nature and conservation, developing a positive LC acceptance [20]. However, urbanization cannot be seen as a solution to human-wildlife conflicts because the actual conflict may not, in reality, concern the wildlife. All conservation or damage-related conflicts are ultimately between humans with different interests, views and values [21], e.g., urban vs. rural inhabitants.Differences in species acceptance between even neighboring countries may be unexpectedly high: in three Baltic countries ...

The Return of Large Carnivores and Extensive Farming Systems: A Review of Stakeholders’ Perception at an EU Level

“…Firstly, sex, age, and education may play a key role in fostering positive attitudes. In general women, elderly people, people with a lower level of education and less knowledge of the target species show less tolerance [34][35][36]. Secondly, folklore referring to oral traditions, folk tales, culturally transmitted fear, distaste or love towards certain groups of animals may lead to important conservation issues as some species may survive to the detriment of others [37][38][39].…”

“…Secondly, folklore referring to oral traditions, folk tales, culturally transmitted fear, distaste or love towards certain groups of animals may lead to important conservation issues as some species may survive to the detriment of others [37][38][39]. Thirdly, people living in rural areas are generally less tolerant than urban inhabitants [35,36,[40][41][42], which in turn is linked to another factor that may drive people's attitudes, i.e., direct experience with carnivores [34,36]. Urban interests are perceived as the dominating norm in society driving political processes and controlling policymaking processes [43].…”

“…Contrarywise, the neutral attitude showed the smallest grey bar as the lesser mentioned by the stakeholders (urban inhabitants = 1, rural inhabitants = 6, hunters = 1, general public = 5, conservationists = 3). Reference list: [22,23,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]46,47,.…”

Patterns of Human–Brown Bear Conflict in the Urban Area of Brașov, Romania

“…The brown bear is the largest carnivore in Europe [14]. Historically, the brown bear has been present across all of Europe, except for the islands.…”

Teenagers’ Awareness about Local Vertebrates and Their Functions: Strengthening Community Environmental Education in a Mexican Shade-Coffee Region to Foster Animal Conservation

“…In particular, students at the secondary level of education are considered good candidates for developing ethical and ecological appreciation of the natural world [17,18]. This is a critical stage, since teenagers' beliefs are typically shaped and consolidated between the ages of 10 and 16 [19]. Additionally, for many individuals from tropical countries living in rural areas, this is the last time they engage in formal education [20].…”