Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Large carnivores have gone from near extinction to viable populations during the past decades. Public opinion concerning large carnivores has also shifted during the same timeline, from a general positive attitude to a more negative, especially in those areas where the carnivores re-emerged.

Studies have shown that one of the most important aspects in wildlife management as well as conservation is societal acceptance for carnivore occurrence along with the management of the large carnivores. Previous surveys illustrate a strong support for the County of Administration Boards (CAB) as well as the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Despite this it appears that the illegal hunting of large carnivores increases which indicate a dissatisfaction concerning the way the wildlife is managed.

This report contains a survey which examines the attitude towards the presence of large carnivore in Uppsala County along with the acceptance of the CAB´s wildlife management work. It also covers interviews with selected wildlife managers in order to highlight the daily challenges in wildlife management. The result shows a great difference between the public and livestock owners in attitude towards carnivore occurrence which is supported by previous studies. Studies have shown that acceptance and trust of an authority and its work is highly connected to its communication, openness and transparency. The result of the survey illustrates that a great deal of the public and livestock owners experiences the communication from CAB as insufficient, which implies that there should be improvements and perhaps an increase of trust as a result.