Social media community groups support proactive mitigation of human-carnivore conflict in the wildland-urban interface

Abstract

Understanding human reactions to potentially dangerous wildlife at the wildland-urban interface is central to mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. Social media is increasingly used to share information about wildlife among residents living in the interface. We used an online survey distributed on community Facebook groups in Victoria Beach, Manitoba — an area experiencing increasing wildlife sightings — to examine whether posts to the groups resulted in people using avoidance tactics to reduce human-wildlife interactions or conflicts. The results indicate that the majority of respondents used Facebook posts to change their behavior to avoid potential encounters with black bears, wolves, and coyotes. Despite few respondents having wildlife safety training, most respondents taught their children wildlife safety. Most respondents would not phone the local conservation authority, for reasons including distrust and concerns about lethal control. Coexistence attitudes towards wildlife management were dominant and respondents recognized the importance of protecting wildlife in the community.