European bison: changes in species acceptance following plans for translocation

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• 作者：Linas Balčiauskas ; Martynas Kazlauskas…
• 关键词：Bison bonasus ; Lithuania ; Human dimensions ; Attitudes ; Changes of public opinion
• 刊名：European Journal of Wildlife Research
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：63
• 期：1
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Zoology; Ecology; Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management;
• 出版者：Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• ISSN：1439-0574
• 卷排序：63

文摘

The prioritizing of human demands in human-dominated landscapes shapes human–wildlife conflicts. Damage to crops is the main cause of conflict with herbivores. In Lithuania, according to the Plan for the Protection of the European Bison (Bison bonasus L.), the translocation of animals from a free-ranging herd in central Lithuania is planned and has been widely announced in local media. We aimed to examine if the publication of such plans changed species acceptance and if the translocation was supported by local inhabitants. In 2014, after the translocation plan was announced, we interviewed 663 respondents living in the area with the free-ranging bison herd. We found that bison damage was considered more serious than had been expressed in a previous survey in 2008–2009, while overall species acceptance and tolerated distance between the bison and respondents’ living places had not changed, with fear of the animals becoming less expressed. Lethal means and reduction of animal numbers were not favoured, though the numbers of respondents that did favour this was higher in 2014 than in 2008–2009. Among the possible measures of population management that did not harm bison or leave them in captivity, translocation was least popular. Three factors explained 64.2% of bison acceptance, namely (1) respondent concerns about income sources, (2) sustainability of agricultural practices due to bison presence and (3) attractiveness of the locality with respect to child safety and price of real estate.