Public willingness to pay for gray wolf conservation that could support a rancher-led wolf-livestock coexistence program

Abstract

Financial tools can present a solution to conservation conflicts. However, their effectiveness may be limited unless they address the underlying drivers of conflict. The restoration of controversial megafauna can be tied to a clash of urban and rural values and rejection by rural landowners of government control over their actions. Here, we consider a latent financial opportunity presented by general public support for large predator restoration to maintain a wolf-livestock coexistence program in Washington state, USA. We measured respondents' (N = 420) willingness-to-pay for gray wolf (Canis lupus) conservation and their preferences for program funding mechanisms, including voluntary contributions, mandatory taxes, and a ‘predator-friendly’ ranching certification scheme. Respondents were supportive of a publicly funded program, which represented around USD246 million in estimated economic value. This benefit is more than 150 times the cost of the current government-run program. There were mixed preferences for funding mechanisms, so we recommend adopting multiple approaches. A new funding source would allow the program to be rancher-led, shifting agency from government to rural communities, as well as providing outreach opportunities for ranchers to the urban public. As such, our proposal addresses two of the major socio-political conflicts underlying the wolf debate in North America while also generating funding to protect the ranching industry.