Pettersson, HL orcid.org/0000-0002-2347-5282, Quinn, C orcid.org/0000-0002-2085-0446, Holmes, G orcid.org/0000-0002-5393-5753 et al. (1 more author) (2022) “They Belong Here”: Understanding the Conditions of Human-wolf Coexistence in North-Western Spain. Conservation and Society, 20 (2). pp. 113-123. ISSN 0972-4923
Abstract
Reintegrating wolves in human-dominated landscapes constitutes a significant conservation challenge. After decades of studying human-wolf interactions through a conflict lens, there is growing recognition that more nuanced perspectives are needed. However, this recognition has hitherto yielded few practical changes, and few have studied what underpins successful coexistence. Here we show that disproportionate focus on and resource allocation to conflict within conservation programmes risks undermining existing convivial relationships with large carnivores. Using a coexistence lens, we studied human-wolf interactions in Sanabria-La Carballeda in Spain; the region has one of the highest densities of wolves in Europe. We explored the underlying social and ecological conditions that have permitted both wolves and people to persist in the area, studied the mutual impacts, and surveyed how interactions are influenced by broader socio-economic processes. The findings of this novel approach to studying human-wildlife interactions elucidates how areas of functional coexistence have been neglected in policy, leaving them vulnerable to depopulation, low agricultural profitability, and the loss of biocultural diversity. When institutions fail to support functional coexistence, we risk losing the knowledge, the traditions and the trust of those who have sustained Europe's large carnivores, thereby undermining transitions to more convivial human-wildlife interactions in the future.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Pettersson et al. 2021. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) |
Keywords: | human-carnivore interactions, wolves, convivial conservation, biocultural diversity, pastoral management, human-dominated landscapes |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 27 Jul 2022 13:26 |
Last Modified: | 27 Jul 2022 13:26 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Medknow Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.4103/cs.cs_13_21 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:189405 |