Human attitudes toward large carnivores bear, wolf, lynx and wolverine : a case study of Västerbotten County

Abstract: Management of large carnivores involves more than just the management of animals, people also have a large influence. The Swedish parliament decided in 2009 that the county boards should use co-management to a greater extent in management. This shows how important human dimensions are.We know from previous research that the majority of people in Västerbotten are positive toward large carnivores and the management done by the state, however there is a negative minority which should not be neglected. This paper contributes with an examination of attitudes toward large carnivores, wolf, bear, lynx and wolverine, in Västerbotten County. The data for this study were derived from a survey that was sent out to 150 randomly selected persons in every commune in following counties: Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland, Dalarna, Gävleborg and Stockholm. The responses on the different attitude questions regarding large carnivores were analysed and summed to provide an attitude sum. In Västerbotten the distribution of attitudes were skewed toward the positive side. Analysis of explanatory variables showed that: old people, hunters, low educated, females and people with low income hold the least positive attitudes. Also the commune, from which the respondent was from, influenced the attitude. Bjurholm and Vindeln were the most negative communes whereas Vännäs and Storuman were the most positive. Influence of attitudes on the support for different organizations involved in the management of large carnivores was also explored. People with positive attitude tend to be more supportive for environmental organizations and the Swedish parliament people with negative attitude on the other hand were more supportive toward hunters and Sami villages.