Wolf attacks predict far-right voting

Hohenberg, Bernhard Clemm von; Hager, Anselm

doi:10.1073/pnas.2202224119

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Our objective is to teach students biological and ecological concepts beyond the facts: we want students to develop their critical thinking on a pressing, real-world conservation issue. As our world becomes increasingly polarized, with social media promoting one-sided views (8), opportunities to engage with views that are different from one's own are increasingly rare. Here, we present a lesson that allows students to remove their own preconceptions as well as those of their instructors from the decision-making process, while also developing collaboration and communication skills and better understanding of the nuances of the challenges of developing and implementing conservation policy.…”

Section: Teaching Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Debating Conservation: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Introductory Biology Classes

Orland

Ballare

Garcia‐Vedrenne

et al. 2023

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Role-playing activities in the classroom promote students' critical thinking, research, and communication skills. We present an activity where students debate a current controversy in conservation. In our case study, students debate the topic of wolf reintroduction in California. Each student is assigned a stakeholder role (e.g., rancher, environmental scientist, hunter, or politician) and a position (either pro or con). First, the whole class participates in a vote on the debate topic so as to register pre-debate sentiment. Then, in the first part of the activity (75 minutes or as homework), students prepare arguments with others representing their stakeholder group by reading the primary and secondary literature and answering guided questions.In the second part of the activity (75 minutes), students participate in a live debate divided into three sections: introductory arguments, questions from the jury, and concluding arguments. The whole class then votes again to decide the winner of the debate, leading to a discussion about which factors do and do not lead to changes in understanding and opinion. The interdisciplinary nature of this activity reinforces student knowledge on ecological networks, keystone species, and natural history, as well as introduces the importance of non-scientific stakeholders in conservation. While this case study focuses on the reintroduction of wolves in California, the activity can be adapted to the reintroduction of controversial species in other regions, or used as a framework for any debatable topic in conservation biology.

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Section: Teaching Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Debating Conservation: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Introductory Biology Classes

Orland

Ballare

Garcia‐Vedrenne

et al. 2023

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“…Restoring large carnivores can enhance ecological integrity (Wolf & Ripple, 2018), yet it is often a logistically and financially difficult effort for practitioners (Miller et al, 1999) and can encompass a wider set of political (Ditmer, Niemiec, et al, 2022) and social (Clemm von Hohenberg & Hager, 2022; Nie, 2001) debates. Without properly considering and alleviating human–wildlife conflict, carnivore recolonization can result in poaching or retaliatory killing (Liberg et al, 2012), failure of entire restoration efforts (Linnell et al, 1997) and reductions in tolerance for other species and conservation efforts (Mateo‐Tomás et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting dispersal and conflict risk for wolf recolonization in Colorado

Ditmer,

Wittemyer,

Zeller

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

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The colonization of suitable yet unoccupied habitat due to natural dispersal or human introduction can benefit recovery of threatened species. Predicting habitat suitability and conflict potential of colonization areas can facilitate conservation planning. Planning for reintroduction of gray wolves (Canis lupus) to the US state of Colorado is underway. Assessing which occupancy sites minimize the likelihood of human–wolf conflict during dispersal events and seasonal movements is critical to the success of this initiative. We used a spatial absorbing Markov chain (SAMC) framework, which extends random walk theory and probabilistically accounts for both movement behaviour and mortality risk, to compare the viability of potential occupancy sites (public lands >500 km2 to minimally meet wolf pack range area). The SAMC framework produced spatially explicit predictions of wolf dispersal, philopatry and conflict risk ahead of recolonization prior to reintroduction efforts. Our SAMC model included: (1) movement resistance based on terrain, roads and housing density; (2) mortality risk and potential conflict (absorption) based on livestock presence, social tolerance, land ownership and state boundaries; and (3) site fidelity based on habitat quality. Using this model, we compared 21 public land units by deriving predictions of: (A) relative survival time outside each site, (B) intensity of use and retention time within each site and (C) the probability of use on adjacent public lands. We also predicted and mapped potential conflict hotspots associated with each site. Among the units assessed, a complex of USFS Wilderness areas near Aspen, chiefly the Hunter‐Fryingpan and Collegiate Peaks Wilderness areas, had the best overall rankings when comparing predictions of each metric. The area balances high‐quality, well‐connected habitat with relatively low livestock density and high social tolerance. Synthesis and applications. Our findings highlight the utility of the SAMC framework for assessing colonization areas and the capacity to identify locations for effective proactive management, especially of conflict prone species. The flexibility of the SAMC framework enables predicting likely areas of philopatry and human–wildlife conflict using spatially explicit metrics which can improve the success of conservation translocations and management of species with changing geographic extents.

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“…[ 16 ]). Reflecting such societal dynamics, certain megafauna populations are showing continental recoveries [ 77 ], even within highly populated areas [ 78 ], although setback risks are clear and present [ 79 ]. Rural-to-urban migration and associated land abandonment have given rise to new spaces conducive to rewilding [ 80 , 81 ].…”

Section: Integrating People Into Understanding Forecasting and Manage...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating ecological novelty towards planetary stewardship: challenges and opportunities in biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere

Svenning,

McGeoch,

Normand

et al. 2024

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Human-induced global changes, including anthropogenic climate change, biotic globalization, trophic downgrading and pervasive land-use intensification, are transforming Earth's biosphere, placing biodiversity and ecosystems at the forefront of unprecedented challenges. The Anthropocene, characterized by the importance of Homo sapiens in shaping the Earth system, necessitates a re-evaluation of our understanding and stewardship of ecosystems. This theme issue delves into the multifaceted challenges posed by the ongoing ecological planetary transformation and explores potential solutions across four key subthemes. Firstly, it investigates the functioning and stewardship of emerging novel ecosystems, emphasizing the urgent need to comprehend the dynamics of ecosystems under uncharted conditions. The second subtheme focuses on biodiversity projections under global change, recognizing the necessity of predicting ecological shifts in the Anthropocene. Importantly, the inherent uncertainties and the complexity of ecological responses to environmental stressors pose challenges for societal responses and for accurate projections of ecological change. The RAD framework (resist-accept-direct) is highlighted as a flexible yet nuanced decision-making tool that recognizes the need for adaptive approaches, providing insights for directing and adapting to Anthropocene dynamics while minimizing negative impacts. The imperative to extend our temporal perspective beyond 2100 is emphasized, given the irreversible changes already set in motion. Advancing methods to study ecosystem dynamics under rising biosphere novelty is the subject of the third subtheme. The fourth subtheme emphasizes the importance of integrating human perspectives into understanding, forecasting and managing novel ecosystems. Cultural diversity and biological diversity are intertwined, and the evolving relationship between humans and ecosystems offers lessons for future stewardship. Achieving planetary stewardship in the Anthropocene demands collaboration across scales and integration of ecological and societal perspectives, scalable approaches fit to changing, novel ecological conditions, as well as cultural innovation. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere’.

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Wolf attacks predict far-right voting

Cited by 13 publications

References 13 publications

Debating Conservation: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Introductory Biology Classes

Debating Conservation: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Introductory Biology Classes

Predicting dispersal and conflict risk for wolf recolonization in Colorado

Navigating ecological novelty towards planetary stewardship: challenges and opportunities in biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere

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