Rurality and Collective Attitude Effects on Wolf Policy

Max Eriksson

doi:10.3390/su8080711

Abstract

Debates over wolf policy are driven by an underlying attitudinal divide between peoplefrom urban and rural areas. This study explores how the power relationship between urban and ruralgroups intera ...

Highlights

A global trend of conservation based policies have led wolves to return to a number of areas from which they had previously been removed by humans [1]
When testing for the difference between rural and urban areas, it was revealed that political alienation was reported to be higher in rural areas (Figure 2)
Respondents living in rural areas felt more politically alienated than respondents living in rural areas in both 2004 and in 2014

Summary

Introduction

A global trend of conservation based policies have led wolves to return to a number of areas from which they had previously been removed by humans [1]. How policies and institutions are designed to guide governance and management is key to the future development of the wolf as a species. This fact emphasizes the need for an increased understanding of the interaction between social and ecological change, and public attitudes towards wolf policy, in order to develop policies and methods of wolf conservation that are perceived as legitimate [2,3]. There is a well-established urban-rural attitudinal divide to conflicts relating to wolves and wolf policy [4]. People living in rural areas tend to have more negative attitudes towards wolves compared to people living in urban areas, and tend to favor more restrictive wolf policies [1,5]. Previous studies have established that this urban rural divide can be explained by a combination of ecological, social, and political factors [6]

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Discussion

Conclusion