Challenges for recovery of large carnivores in humanized countries: attitudes and knowledge of sheep farmers towards brown bear in Western Pyrenees, Spain

Herrero, Juan (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; García-Serrano, Alicia ; Reiné, Ramón (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Ferrer, Vicente ; Azón, Ricardo ; López-Bao, José Vicente ; Palomero, Guillermo

Resumen: During 2017, we studied knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards brown bears by extensive mountain sheep farmers in the Western Pyrenees, using a structured questionnaire, specifically, whether the scarce bear presence, or the administrative region, was influential. Livestock raising practices are mainly family properties and have suffered a strong decline in the last decades. Despite its low abundance (only 2 bear individuals during the study period in the area), there was a generalized negative attitude towards the presence of bears. Farmers considered bear presence as incompatible with sheep mountain herding. One third of them have experienced bear damages, although this was not the main difficulty for the viability of farming practices. They were able to change husbandry practices after wildlife and dog’s damages, increasing vigilance, hiring shepherds, and using livestock guarding dogs, whose work is perceived as satisfactory. Farmers considered that information available about bear and compensation systems for damages was insufficient, and should be improved.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1007/s10344-021-01545-8

Año: 2021

Publicado en: European Journal of Wildlife Research 67, 6 (2021), 1-13
ISSN: 1612-4642

Factor impacto JCR: 2.249 (2021)

Categ. JCR: ZOOLOGY rank: 48 / 177 = 0.271 (2021) - Q2 - T1
Categ. JCR: ECOLOGY rank: 107 / 174 = 0.615 (2021) - Q3 - T2

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 3.1 - Environmental Science (Q2) - Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Q2)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 0.628 - Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law (Q2) - Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics (Q2)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI-FEDER/CGL2017-87528-R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/RYC-2015-18932

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Ecología (Dpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural)
Área (Departamento): Área Producción Vegetal (Dpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural)