“Landscape of Stress” for Sheep Owners in the Swedish Wolf Region

Anders Flykt,Ann Eklund,Jens Frank,Maria Johansson

doi:10.3389/fevo.2022.783035

Abstract

Farmers who keep livestock in large carnivore areas are exposed to threat of predation directly impacting on finances and workload as well as the associated psychological stress indirectly impacting on farmers well-being. So far, little is known about such stress responses. The concept of “stress” or “stress reaction” is often used as an undifferentiated umbrella concept for the experience of negative emotional episodes. However, the stress reactions could be divided into cognitive, physiological, and behavioural aspects. This study aimed to develop and apply a theory-based approach to identify stress responses among sheep farmers in the Swedish “wolf-region.” A thematic analysis of interviews conducted with sheep farmers showed ample support for stress responses among the informants in relation to large carnivores and their management, although the interviews were conducted with a different focal topic. The findings support the idea that stress responses could be categorised into cognitive, physiological, and behavioural aspects. This distinction would help to identify and fully understand the cumulative impact of stress from the presence of large carnivores on farmers’ well-being.

Highlights

According to evolutionary theory human stress responses have evolved in parallel with other mammals over millions of years (e.g., Adolphs, 2013; Nesse et al, 2016)
The first level related to the mentioning of stress or other words describing negative emotions, the second level to the mentioning of behavioural, and cognitive or somatic/physiological responses
The application of a theoretical framework, based in the established basic psychological research on stress, reveals that sheep owners in focus group discussions about large carnivores describe the presence of wolves and other large carnivores primarily as an ambient stressor

Summary

Introduction

According to evolutionary theory human stress responses have evolved in parallel with other mammals over millions of years (e.g., Adolphs, 2013; Nesse et al, 2016). This study conceptualises human stress responses in the Swedish wolf range ecological system through the conceptual ecology of fear (Brown et al, 1999). The ecology of fear posits that impact of predators on prey animals is not limited to direct predation. The presence of predators in an ecosystem will at all times influence the behaviours of prey animals by forcing a reallocation of time and energy from preferred behaviours (such as feeding and reproducing) to predator avoidance behaviours and vigilance (Lima and Dill, 1990; Brown et al, 1999), inducing physiological and neurobiological costs to the prey animal (Zanette and Clinchy, 2019). The reestablishment of wolves (Canis lupus) in Yellowstone national park illustrates “Landscape of Stress”

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