Human Dimensions of Conservation

The United States Law Enforcement Management Information System or LEMIS database has access to a wealth of data, and compiles detailed information filed on declaration forms, on all live fish and wildlife imported and exported into the country. Studies on higher vertebrates such as mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians have effectively used the LEMIS database to evaluate impacts of the trade on target species and their populations. In 2010, approximately 163,768,595 or 75% of the total number of live imports into the U.S. were fishes. However, in LEMIS the vast majority of ornamental fish species were identified simply as freshwater or marine tropical fish. These two groups alone accounted for 153,613,291 of the live imports compared to 4,740,404 for all other vertebrates. If criteria were developed to facilitate incorporation into LEMIS of the available detailed information in the declaration of importation forms regarding ornamental fish, LEMIS could serve as a very useful too...

This snapshot study commissioned by IFAW examines the trafficking of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles  from Latin America to Europe based on seizures reported in the media between 2017 and 2023, a survey to assess online trade in selected Latin American species in Europe, and interviews with Dutch and Spanish law enforcers.

Across Europe, wolves are recolonizing former habitats, but frictions between wolves and people remain a challenge. Better understanding of attitudes towards existing management practices is essential to devise wolf management that better considers societal aspects. In this study, we focus on a case study in the Italian Alps, where we conducted a quantitative survey to investigate attitudes towards wolf management. We used multiple regression analysis to determine which factors such as emotions and knowledge or belonging to a particular stakeholder group explained variations in attitudes towards wolf management. We found that almost half of our respondents felt scared about the presence of wolves, and that people who had less factually correct knowledge about wolves were more afraid than people who had better factual knowledge. Farmers reported significantly higher ratings of anger, fear, and frustration than the general population. We found that anger and fascination were significant predictors for attitudes towards management, but that fear, factual knowledge, education level and connectedness to nature were not. Our findings support further stakeholder engagement to take seriously and address the range of emotions of stakeholders that impact public support for wolf management and co-existence in the cultural landscapes of the Italian Alps.

A nonprofit tourism organization, Spirit Way Inc., has been attempting to brand Thompson, Manitoba as the "Wolf Capital of the World" (WCOTW). Success of this initiative, however, requires local support. It was hypothesized that general attitude toward wolves mediates relationships between existence value of wolves and three behavioral intentions, including support. The relationship between existence value and attitude toward wolves was predicted to be positive. Positive relationships were also predicted between attitude and: (a) willingness to pay for the WCOTW, (b) support for the WCOTW, and (c) interest in visiting wolf exhibits/enclosures. Data were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed to a random sample of Thompson residents (n = 389, response rate = 77%). Results indicated that attitude fully mediated relationships between existence value and the three behavioral intentions. Attitude was also positively related to each intention. Understanding concepts related to support for an initiative facilitates educational efforts.

A nonprofit tourism organization, Spirit Way Inc., has been attempting to brand Thompson, Manitoba as the "Wolf Capital of the World" (WCOTW). Success of this initiative, however, requires local support. It was hypothesized that general attitude toward wolves mediates relationships between existence value of wolves and three behavioral intentions, including support. The relationship between existence value and attitude toward wolves was predicted to be positive. Positive relationships were also predicted between attitude and: (a) willingness to pay for the WCOTW, (b) support for the WCOTW, and (c) interest in visiting wolf exhibits/enclosures. Data were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed to a random sample of Thompson residents (n = 389, response rate = 77%). Results indicated that attitude fully mediated relationships between existence value and the three behavioral intentions. Attitude was also positively related to each intention. Understanding concepts related to support for an initiative facilitates educational efforts.

Some people have held that zoos should be seen as heritage tourist attractions. However, some others wonder whether they are ethically justifiable. In this text I present the main arguments on which the discussion around zoos is based. These are five of the arguments used to defend the existence of zoos: 1) They are places of recreation. 2) They are heritage tourism attractions. 3) Zoos fulfill an educational function. 4) Zoos do research. Finally, 5) zoos do conservation work, that is, they protect and reintroduce wildlife species at risk of extinction. I review some of the central arguments both for and against each of these points. After taking stock of these arguments, we can conclude that there are strong reasons to take a skeptical position against the arguments that justify the existence of zoos. Finally, zoos were created, and still are justified, with a set of mind that sees animals as commodities, as mere resources we can use for our own purposes. I conclude that if we recognize that, on the same basis on which we attribute rights to humans, we can attribute rights to animals, then the answer to the question that motivates this chapter is negative: zoos are not ethically justifiable.

Numerous studies report majorities of survey respondents hold positive attitudes toward wolves. However, a 2001-2009 panel study found declining tolerance of wolves among residents of Wisconsin's wolf range. Poaching, believed to be increasing, has been an important source of mortality in Wisconsin's wolf population since the 1980s. We conducted focus groups, with an accompanying anonymous questionnaire survey of participants, among farmers and hunters in Wisconsin's wolf range to gain a more indepth understanding of attitudes towards wolves and inclinations to poach wolves. Whereas our study was originally designed to examine the effects of an experimental lethal-control program on inclination to poach, oscillating wolf-management authority shifted our focus from a single intervention to a suite of changes in policy and management. Following federal delisting of the Western Great Lakes wolf population in January 2012, Wisconsin implemented lethal-depredation control and created the state's first legalized wolf-harvest season in October 2012. We convened focus groups before and after these changes. Pre-and post-survey results showed majorities of respondents held negative attitudes toward wolves with no decrease in inclination to poach, suggesting lethal-control measures, in the short term, may be ineffective for increasing tolerance. Participants expressed favorable attitudes toward lethal-control measures, but believed there were limitations in the implementation of the lethal-control measures. Focus group discussions revealed elements of positivity toward wolves not revealed by questionnaires, as well as several thematic areas, such as fear, empowerment, and trust, that may inform the development of interventions designed to increase tolerance of wolves and other controversial species.

SUMMARYIn many areas, wildlife managers are turning to hunting programmes to increase public acceptance of predators. This study examines attitudes measured before and after a hunting and trapping season (wolf hunt) in Wisconsin (WI), USA, and casts some doubt on whether such programmes actually promote public acceptance. In Wisconsin, attitudes toward wolves (Canis lupus) were recorded before and after the inaugural regulated wolf hunt. Measuring longitudinal changes is particularly important in assessing management interventions. The attitudes of 736 previous respondents were resampled in 2013. Changes in individual responses to statements about emotions, behavioural intentions, beliefs, and attitudes toward wolves and wolf management between 2009 and 2013 were assessed using a nine-item scaled variable called ‘tolerance’. Although the majority (66%) of wolf range respondents approved of the decision to hold the hunt, the results indicate a negative trend in attitudes toward wolve...

In many areas, wildlife managers are turning to hunting programmes to increase public acceptance of predators. This study examines attitudes measured before and after a hunting and trapping season (wolf hunt) in Wisconsin (WI), USA, and casts some doubt on whether such programmes actually promote public acceptance. In Wisconsin, attitudes toward wolves (Canis lupus) were recorded before and after the inaugural regulated wolf hunt. Measuring longitudinal changes is particularly important in assessing management interventions. The attitudes of 736 previous respondents were resampled in 2013. Changes in individual responses to statements about emotions, behavioural intentions, beliefs, and attitudes toward wolves and wolf management between 2009 and 2013 were assessed using a nine-item scaled variable called 'tolerance'. Although the majority (66%) of wolf range respondents approved of the decision to hold the hunt, the results indicate a negative trend in attitudes toward wolves among male respondents and hunters living in wolf range, both before and after the state's first legal hunt, suggesting that hunting was not associated with an increase in tolerance for the species after one year. Tolerance levels among female respondents remained stable throughout the study period.

The trade in Asian songbirds is contributing to declining populations of many species in the wild. The Chinese Hwamei Garrulax canorus is a popular songbird endemic to Asia that is traded both domestically and internationally. The songbird trade in the USA, particularly involving Asian songbirds, has not been well studied. We hypothesised that despite Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II regulations, Chinese Hwamei are traded illegally in the USA. We scrutinised the CITES Trade Database, US seizure and confiscation records, publicly available records, and websites to assess the imports and availability of Chinese Hwamei in the USA. Since the species was first listed in CITES Appendix II in 2000, there have been three reports of Chinese Hwamei imports into the USA, one of which included four live birds, compared with approximately 40 records of illegally imported birds. Online advertisements of Chinese Hwamei for sale show that both wild-caught and captive-bred birds are easily available. We believe this indicates that there is both legal and illegal trade of the species in the USA. Based on these findings we concluded that more research into the songbird trade, and specifically songbird trade in the USA, is warranted. We recommend additional assessments of CITES and non-CITES songbird species and encourage additional species protection when illegal trade is occurring. We also recommend that the relevant authorities in the USA better scrutinise the trade in non-native songbirds and take meaningful action against anyone found unlawfully importing and trading in illegally sourced songbirds. Finally, we recommend that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species includes international trade as a threat to the Chinese Hwamei in order to raise concern and motivate action for this songbird.

Throughout most of the twentieth century, Western criminological thought was preoccupied by theories of modern criminology, which were concerned with the question of why individuals commit crime. Since the late 1970s, however, the Western world has experienced new reconfigurations in the crime control field, one of which is the transformation of Western criminological thought. New crime theories have emerged in which the focus has shifted from the ‘criminal’ to the ‘criminal’ activity. Despite their importance, these developments have had no impact on the criminological thought in the Arab world, which is, to this day, is dominated by Western theories of modern criminology. This paper has three purposes. First, it discusses the status quo of criminology in the Arab world. Second, it suggests plausible explanations that help understand the current status of criminology in this region. Third, it discusses the relevance of some criminological developments (notably crime theories and environmental criminology) in the Arab context. In that eventuality, it argues that the Western developments might bring insightful crime prevention lessons for the Arab world.

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