Risk perception, trust and support for wildlife reintroduction and conservation

Abstract

Summary Wildlife reintroduction projects often face resistance from local residents who see potential conflicts with the species or lack trust or confidence in the agencies and professionals involved in reintroduction. Yet the linkages between trust, confidence, risk perceptions, attitudes towards the species and local support for its reintroduction are not well known. The Dual-Mode Model of Cooperation and Cognitive Hierarchy Model were theoretical frameworks used to shed light on these linkages by exploring the potential roles trust and confidence play as mediators between risk perceptions and attitudes towards, and support for, reintroduced elk in Tennessee (USA). A mail survey of 1005 residents living in the five-county area surrounding the North Cumberland Elk Restoration Zone assessed resident attitudes and risk perceptions towards the reintroduced elk, trust towards the managing wildlife agency and support for continued conservation efforts. A structural equation model revealed that trust and confidence play positive roles in mitigating risk perceptions and improving support for the reintroduction of elk. The findings confirm the roles public trust and confidence play in wildlife reintroductions and should help agencies work towards building local trust and confidence, minimizing risks, improving attitudes and increasing the chances for successful outcomes for the species and people.

Guidelines to Facilitate Human-Wildlife Interactions in Conservation Translocations

“…HWIs are receiving increasing attention from a conservation perspective, possibly as a result of biodiversity decline and changing attitudes and values towards wildlife (Echeverri et al, 2018;Watkins et al, 2021). HWIs can be both positive and negative, can be influenced by context and by previous experience, trends in society and individual processes (Johansson et al, 2016; see Frank and Glikman, 2019 for a review).…”

“…Recommendations: These mechanisms should address residents' concerns effectively, consistently and transparently; Ensuring such processes are known to local people and diverse interest groups (Watkins et al, 2021).…”

Human Dimensions of the Reintroduction of Brazilian Birds

“…Being a reintroduction project a management strategy, the agencies, programs, and projects leading need to acknowledge its relevance, sensitivity, and timeconsumption, to make it a routine, which conducted in a safe interpersonal and institutional environment promotes learning and trust among participants and prevents (reduces or mitigates) conflicts. Trust and confidence in management agencies are important to reduce risk perception and to gain support for reintroduction (Watkins et al, 2021).…”

“…Seddon et al (2007) reviewed articles published between 1990 and 2005 involving wildlife reintroduction and found that only 4% considered certain aspects of human dimensions (HD), such as people's attitudes toward reintroductions. Watkins et al (2021) highlight that besides the growing actions for species reintroduction, the human dimensions of humanbirds interactions and the reintroduction implications for the communities are still little known and explored.…”

The Potential of Bison Restoration as an Ecological Approach to Future Tribal Food Sovereignty on the Northern Great Plains

“…Each tribal community and buffalo program has unique needs and objectives, through which opportunities exist to support the eco-cultural restoration of bison (Johns, 2020). Engaging communities in co-designing and planning associated with buffalo programs can build social trust and help mitigate the risk of negative public perception (Watkins et al, 2021). To that end, as demonstrated in the case studies, each Tribe has initiated community engagement activities to gain public support and rebuild a constituency for bison, based upon the perception that reconnecting the community with bison herds will provide multiple benefits (Haggerty et al, 2017;Wilkins et al, 2019).…”