Constructing and anticipating conflict : how Madrid prepares for wolves

Abstract: The return of the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) to the capital of Spain where the large carnivore was absent for decades opens up a plural landscape of opinions, attitudes and understandings. Using a phenomenological approach, actors involved were interviewed to assess perspectives, understandings and expectations regarding landscape, livelihood and wildlife conservation. The secrecy about the information, the underlying effects of wolves attacks on livestock and game, the fragmented legal landscape, the precarious system of the extensive farming and the absences of satisfactory democratic processes to air out these tensions are some of the factors that intricate and add confusion to the situation, turning the wolf into the main driver of disagreement energies. Using the presence of the wolf in Madrid as the framework, the study explores and ultimately challenges presumptions on human–wildlife label and conflict designation and presents the facets and vectors for conflict that define the case context. Finally, the theoretical debate on deliberative democracy and agonistic pluralism participatory theories helped to unravel a widespread discontentment and distrust heading toward a crisis of legitimacy where environmental agencies are failing to accommodate all perspectives.