Perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in Flanders, Belgium
At the time of the wolf’s (Canis lupus) recolonization in Flanders, public perspectives on this species were not well understood. To address this gap, we conducted a survey gathering demographic and contextual data to explore the relationship between these factors and public perspectives on wolves....
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| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
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| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231931 |
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| author | Hilde Vervaecke Thaana Van Dessel Peter Galbusera Joachim Mergeay |
| author_facet | Hilde Vervaecke Thaana Van Dessel Peter Galbusera Joachim Mergeay |
| author_sort | Hilde Vervaecke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | At the time of the wolf’s (Canis lupus) recolonization in Flanders, public perspectives on this species were not well understood. To address this gap, we conducted a survey gathering demographic and contextual data to explore the relationship between these factors and public perspectives on wolves. We defined perspectives as: attitudes towards wolves, perceptions as whether they belong in Belgium, their mode of arrival, and attitudes towards wolf-related conflicts. Using redundancy analysis, we identified key explanatory variables, including hunting, residency, education, age, gender and dog ownership. Although these factors were significantly associated with perspectives on wolves, their explanatory power was limited, except for being a hunter. Notably, hunters generally had negative perspectives on wolves; however, hunters who stated they had negative attitudes towards hunting showed more positive perspectives on wolves. Conversely, non-hunters with positive attitudes towards hunting showed more negative perspectives. Attitudes towards hunting emerged as the strongest explanatory variable and may serve as a useful proxy for researchers studying wolf perspectives. Recognizing the diversity of stakeholder perspectives, particularly attitudes towards hunting, and underlying ethics could enhance the effectiveness of wolf conservation management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4fc403221c8f4870b107a78f36a949d2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-4fc403221c8f4870b107a78f36a949d22025-08-20T02:56:39ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032025-03-0112310.1098/rsos.231931Perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in Flanders, BelgiumHilde Vervaecke0Thaana Van Dessel1Peter Galbusera2Joachim Mergeay3Agro-and Biotechnology Research Group, Odisee University of Applied Sciences, Hospitaalstraat 21, Sint-Niklaas 9100, BelgiumAgro-and Biotechnology Research Group, Odisee University of Applied Sciences, Hospitaalstraat 21, Sint-Niklaas 9100, BelgiumAntwerp Zoo Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 20-26, Antwerp 2018, BelgiumResearch Institute for Nature and Forest, Havenlaan 88, Brussels 1000, BelgiumAt the time of the wolf’s (Canis lupus) recolonization in Flanders, public perspectives on this species were not well understood. To address this gap, we conducted a survey gathering demographic and contextual data to explore the relationship between these factors and public perspectives on wolves. We defined perspectives as: attitudes towards wolves, perceptions as whether they belong in Belgium, their mode of arrival, and attitudes towards wolf-related conflicts. Using redundancy analysis, we identified key explanatory variables, including hunting, residency, education, age, gender and dog ownership. Although these factors were significantly associated with perspectives on wolves, their explanatory power was limited, except for being a hunter. Notably, hunters generally had negative perspectives on wolves; however, hunters who stated they had negative attitudes towards hunting showed more positive perspectives on wolves. Conversely, non-hunters with positive attitudes towards hunting showed more negative perspectives. Attitudes towards hunting emerged as the strongest explanatory variable and may serve as a useful proxy for researchers studying wolf perspectives. Recognizing the diversity of stakeholder perspectives, particularly attitudes towards hunting, and underlying ethics could enhance the effectiveness of wolf conservation management.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231931wolfsurveyperspectiveattitudehuman-wolf conflict |
| spellingShingle | Hilde Vervaecke Thaana Van Dessel Peter Galbusera Joachim Mergeay Perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in Flanders, Belgium Royal Society Open Science wolf survey perspective attitude human-wolf conflict |
| title | Perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in Flanders, Belgium |
| title_full | Perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in Flanders, Belgium |
| title_fullStr | Perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in Flanders, Belgium |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in Flanders, Belgium |
| title_short | Perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in Flanders, Belgium |
| title_sort | perspectives on wolves after their recolonization in flanders belgium |
| topic | wolf survey perspective attitude human-wolf conflict |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231931 |
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