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Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
Start Date
4-5-2009 12:00 AM
Description
Human-wildlife conflicts are increasing throughout Virginia. As the level of frustration and dissatisfaction rises among affected residents of a community, decision-makers within local government face escalating demands and expectations from constituents. Although community leaders lack legal authority to make or implement decisions on managing wildlife populations, they do exert considerable influence on how management is conducted in their community by regulatory agencies. Relatively little is known about the level of knowledge community leaders possess about wildlife or the specific attitudes and perceptions they maintain relative to human-wildlife conflict resolution. To gain better understanding of the mindset of these leaders, we conducted a statewide assessment of elected officials (city/town councils, county boards of supervisors), city and town managers or county administrators, directors of municipal animal control units, and county-based natural resource agents with Virginia Cooperative Extension. Specifically, participants were asked about their views on the extent and severity of human-wildlife conflicts in their community, the importance they assigned to inherent risks associated with human-wildlife conflicts, their perceptions and attitudes about who has or should have a role in resolving such complaints, and their knowledge of and opinions about community-based co-management of human-wildlife conflicts. Respondents overall demonstrated a reasonable amount of knowledge about wildlife, although elected officials and administrators displayed somewhat lower knowledge than did animal control officers and extension agents. Most respondents lacked clear familiarity with and understanding of the agencies or entities that have legal authority over wildlife and the specific roles these parties fill. Although respondents expressed guarded optimism and agreement that responsibility for resolving human-wildlife conflicts should be a shared endeavor between the local community and the regulatory agencies, they identified crucial impediments that likely would impose difficulty on seeing community-based co-management become a reality.
Recommended Citation
Parkhurst, J. A., Elsner, R., & McMullin, S. (2009). Attitudes and perceptions of community leaders on resolving human-wildlife conflicts: The situation in Virginia. In Boulanger, J. (Ed.), The Thirteenth Wildlife Damage Management Conference (74). Saratoga Springs, NY: Thirteenth WDM Conference.
Included in
Attitudes and Perceptions of Community Leaders on Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts: The Situation in Virginia
Saratoga Springs, NY
Human-wildlife conflicts are increasing throughout Virginia. As the level of frustration and dissatisfaction rises among affected residents of a community, decision-makers within local government face escalating demands and expectations from constituents. Although community leaders lack legal authority to make or implement decisions on managing wildlife populations, they do exert considerable influence on how management is conducted in their community by regulatory agencies. Relatively little is known about the level of knowledge community leaders possess about wildlife or the specific attitudes and perceptions they maintain relative to human-wildlife conflict resolution. To gain better understanding of the mindset of these leaders, we conducted a statewide assessment of elected officials (city/town councils, county boards of supervisors), city and town managers or county administrators, directors of municipal animal control units, and county-based natural resource agents with Virginia Cooperative Extension. Specifically, participants were asked about their views on the extent and severity of human-wildlife conflicts in their community, the importance they assigned to inherent risks associated with human-wildlife conflicts, their perceptions and attitudes about who has or should have a role in resolving such complaints, and their knowledge of and opinions about community-based co-management of human-wildlife conflicts. Respondents overall demonstrated a reasonable amount of knowledge about wildlife, although elected officials and administrators displayed somewhat lower knowledge than did animal control officers and extension agents. Most respondents lacked clear familiarity with and understanding of the agencies or entities that have legal authority over wildlife and the specific roles these parties fill. Although respondents expressed guarded optimism and agreement that responsibility for resolving human-wildlife conflicts should be a shared endeavor between the local community and the regulatory agencies, they identified crucial impediments that likely would impose difficulty on seeing community-based co-management become a reality.