Stakeholder Perspectives on Chronic Wasting Disease Risk and Management on the Canadian Prairies

Abstract

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infectious disease caused by a prion that results in neurodegeneration and death in cervids. This study uses Q methodology to characterize stakeholder perspectives about CWD risk and management on the Canadian prairies, and to understand the potential for CWD management using an adaptive governance framework. Workshops and individual interviews were conducted with 16 stakeholders in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Problem definitions framed CWD as a technical problem calling for technical solutions. All perspectives on solutions focused on the importance of education and the idea that management should fit within a national management strategy. A unique Aboriginal perspective also emerged and warrants further exploration. Results also indicated that although stakeholders wish to be involved with CWD management, they trust and expect government leadership, and are disinterested in adaptive governance. Challenges for stakeholder involvement in Canadian CWD management include a lack of sufficient leadership and general ambivalence.