Evolution of Public Issues in Wildlife Management: How Social Networks and Issue Framing Change Through Time

Abstract

We examined the evolution of four public wildlife management issues using theories from collective action, social networks, and social constructionism to understand key roles and perspectives among stakeholders engaged in collective actions related to wildlife management policies. We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 50 key stakeholders in four communities in New York State that experienced collective stakeholder interactions in the contexts of waterfowl hunting or wildlife trapping. Our results revealed that collective action coordinators and brokers, representing local/in-state regional organizations, were not initially involved in the disputes but became involved over time. These individuals reframed the public issue from original concerns over personal safety, private property rights, and spatial proximity to include concerns about humaneness of wildlife harvest activities and regulations. Stakeholder engagement strategies for managing the impacts from these initial interactions should consider the temporal element of how the social construction of each issue changes over time.