Investigating the drivers behind the acceptance of wolf (Canis lupus) poaching in Finland, with implications for effective long-term mitigation of illegal killings
(2021) BIOM02 20211Degree Projects in Biology
- Abstract
- Human-wildlife conflicts threaten the existence of many species worldwide. Large carnivores are often involved in such conflicts due to their diets and expansive home ranges. In Finland, wolf (Canis lupus) is one of such conflict-prone species. The wolf conflict is a multifaceted issue stemming for instance from fears, damages to domestic animals, competition for game and opposition of EU wildlife policies. As a result, poaching is the biggest cause of wolf mortality in Finland. Understanding the drivers of poaching and its approval is key to mitigate it; when poachers have the backing of their communities, recording and preventing illegal killings becomes a near-impossible task. This study investigates the reasons behind wolf poaching... (More)
- Human-wildlife conflicts threaten the existence of many species worldwide. Large carnivores are often involved in such conflicts due to their diets and expansive home ranges. In Finland, wolf (Canis lupus) is one of such conflict-prone species. The wolf conflict is a multifaceted issue stemming for instance from fears, damages to domestic animals, competition for game and opposition of EU wildlife policies. As a result, poaching is the biggest cause of wolf mortality in Finland. Understanding the drivers of poaching and its approval is key to mitigate it; when poachers have the backing of their communities, recording and preventing illegal killings becomes a near-impossible task. This study investigates the reasons behind wolf poaching approval in Finland and discusses the implications for effective mitigation of poaching in the long-term. This was done using data from a large questionnaire survey. The data was analysed using latent class analysis (LCA) as well as explanatory framework regression analysis (EFRA). Nearly half of the respondents, at approximately 48%, were in the class named as poaching approvers. Approval was reliant on a variety of interdependent factors such as fears, opinions, living environments, age, sex and educational attainment. The fears, safety concerns, lack of say in wolf management and different views seem to be the underlying motivations of poaching approval. The results and the conclusions must be interpreted with caution due to potential limitations with the study. Nonetheless, the results highlight the importance of taking actions to reduce not only poaching but its approval through interdisciplinary solutions. The key is to remove the root causes of poaching to make it redundant, so that poachers lose the support of their communities. This can be done through for instance taking local concerns and fears seriously, reducing wolf-caused damages and introducing more opportunities for discussion and stakeholder involvement. By addressing the root causes of poaching approval, the wellbeing of both people and wolves can be improved. The results likely have implications for other carnivore management as well, as approval of wolf poaching is a predictor for accepting other species’ poaching too. Further research into the development of attitudes towards wolves over time as well as the relationship between poaching and perceptions of wolf predation is needed. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- What drives the acceptance of wolf poaching in Finland?
Human-wildlife conflicts are a major threat to many of today’s species. Particularly large charismatic carnivores, such as wolves, are often involved in these conflicts. Illegal killing, also known as poaching, is one symptom of the presence of such human-wildlife conflict. In Finland, poaching causes more than half of wolf deaths, making it the main cause of mortality for this endangered species. This kind of conflict with wolves is a complex problem. It is largely a socio-political matter where the views and interests of different groups of people clash, and wolves become a symbol of the conflict. For instance, for locals of wolf areas, wolves can be a symbol of urban power and... (More) - What drives the acceptance of wolf poaching in Finland?
Human-wildlife conflicts are a major threat to many of today’s species. Particularly large charismatic carnivores, such as wolves, are often involved in these conflicts. Illegal killing, also known as poaching, is one symptom of the presence of such human-wildlife conflict. In Finland, poaching causes more than half of wolf deaths, making it the main cause of mortality for this endangered species. This kind of conflict with wolves is a complex problem. It is largely a socio-political matter where the views and interests of different groups of people clash, and wolves become a symbol of the conflict. For instance, for locals of wolf areas, wolves can be a symbol of urban power and the EU, that are considered to threaten traditional lifestyles. Fears, safety concerns and competition for game species such as moose may also drive the conflict. Poachers alone are not the only problem when it comes to illegal killings; poaching is fundamentally enabled by the community. If the poacher has their community’s support, the illegal killing is less likely to be reported and the mitigation of poaching becomes nearly impossible. This study aims to investigate the reasons behind wolf poaching approval in Finland and discuss the implications for wolf conservation.
The data used in this study was collected using a large 2014 questionnaire survey with 1618 participants aged between 18 and 79, from all over Finland. The analysis was conducted using a statistical method known as latent class analysis. This method enabled classifying people into groups based on a set of variables, which described the extent of poaching approval in various situations. The resulting groups from the two-class model were named as “poaching approvers” and “poaching disapprovers”. Additional analyses were also carried out to understand the characteristics of people classified in the two groups. Nearly half of the respondents were in the group named as poaching approvers. Several factors that increased the likelihood of poaching approval were identified. For instance, men, older individuals and those with lower education were more likely to be classified as poaching approvers. Approval was also characterised by more rural living environments, fear of wolves and safety worries. Furthermore, particular interests, such as a hunting as a hobby, as well as wishes to move decision power in wolf management to more local levels were characteristics of poaching approvers.
The results and conclusions must be interpreted with caution due to potential limitations with the study. Nonetheless, the high extent of approval for wolf poaching found in this study is worrying and highlights the importance of taking actions to reduce it. It is clear that the solutions need to be found through a collaboration of methods from many disciplines, such as natural and social sciences. To effectively reduce illegal killing of wolves and its approval, it is important to remove the locals’ perceived need for poaching. This can be done by increasing opportunities for dialogue between different groups and by creating more opportunities for involvement in decision making. As locals’ fears and concerns were shown to be one of the key factors increasing poaching approval, reducing fears is important. This could be done by preventing wolf attacks on hunting dogs and ensuring children’s safety on their school journeys. Measures can also be taken to make wolf a more valuable game species in people’s eyes rather than a disliked problem animal, for instance by rewarding legal hunting. If these measures are taken and more trust towards the management authorities can be introduced in the public, poaching can lose its acceptance. With these actions, the wellbeing of both people and wolves can improve.
Master’s Degree Project in Biology 30 credits 2021
Department of Biology, Lund University
Advisor: Jani Pellikka
Natural Resources Institute Finland, Docent of the University of Helsinki (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9057817
- author
- Kukkonen, Laura
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BIOM02 20211
- year
- 2021
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9057817
- date added to LUP
- 2021-06-22 15:28:24
- date last changed
- 2021-06-22 15:28:24
@misc{9057817,
abstract = {{Human-wildlife conflicts threaten the existence of many species worldwide. Large carnivores are often involved in such conflicts due to their diets and expansive home ranges. In Finland, wolf (Canis lupus) is one of such conflict-prone species. The wolf conflict is a multifaceted issue stemming for instance from fears, damages to domestic animals, competition for game and opposition of EU wildlife policies. As a result, poaching is the biggest cause of wolf mortality in Finland. Understanding the drivers of poaching and its approval is key to mitigate it; when poachers have the backing of their communities, recording and preventing illegal killings becomes a near-impossible task. This study investigates the reasons behind wolf poaching approval in Finland and discusses the implications for effective mitigation of poaching in the long-term. This was done using data from a large questionnaire survey. The data was analysed using latent class analysis (LCA) as well as explanatory framework regression analysis (EFRA). Nearly half of the respondents, at approximately 48%, were in the class named as poaching approvers. Approval was reliant on a variety of interdependent factors such as fears, opinions, living environments, age, sex and educational attainment. The fears, safety concerns, lack of say in wolf management and different views seem to be the underlying motivations of poaching approval. The results and the conclusions must be interpreted with caution due to potential limitations with the study. Nonetheless, the results highlight the importance of taking actions to reduce not only poaching but its approval through interdisciplinary solutions. The key is to remove the root causes of poaching to make it redundant, so that poachers lose the support of their communities. This can be done through for instance taking local concerns and fears seriously, reducing wolf-caused damages and introducing more opportunities for discussion and stakeholder involvement. By addressing the root causes of poaching approval, the wellbeing of both people and wolves can be improved. The results likely have implications for other carnivore management as well, as approval of wolf poaching is a predictor for accepting other species’ poaching too. Further research into the development of attitudes towards wolves over time as well as the relationship between poaching and perceptions of wolf predation is needed.}},
author = {{Kukkonen, Laura}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Investigating the drivers behind the acceptance of wolf (Canis lupus) poaching in Finland, with implications for effective long-term mitigation of illegal killings}},
year = {{2021}},
}