Give some reasons for conservation conflicts
- Growing human influence into most ecosystems
- Competition over limited resources
- Differing value systems
- Conservation success
What are the 2 types of conflicts
Human / wildlife
Direct interactions between people and wildlife
Biodiversity conflicts
Arguments between people seeking to conserve species and those other goals
Describe the human/carnivore conflict
- Carnviore threatens: human life, economics, recreation
- Restoring habitat can bring carnivores closer to human settlements
Examples:
India: people are losing a large proportion of livestock to large carnivores
- Each household loosing 12% of total holding to large felines
Europe: Meta analysis on bears and wolves in
- Younger / more educated people tended to have a more positive view, compared to farmers and hunters (who’d experienced damage)
Describe the conservation conflict between hen harriers and red grouse populations
- Hen harriers (scarce) vs. red grouse (common).
- Harriers threaten red grouse populations, impacting grouse shooting (economic losses of ~£100K/yr per moor)
Heather Moorland Management:
- Includes burning heather, controlling parasites, and predators of grouse.
- Harrier populations limited mainly by illegal killing, despite legal protections in the UK.
What are the solutions to the Hen harrier vs red grouse conflict?
- Diversionary feeding: Provide alternate food sources for harriers.
- Lethal control: Legal limit on harrier densities (preferred by hunters).
- Conservationist stance: Oppose any control, preferring natural population dynamics.
Key point: Lack of agreement perpetuates illegal killing of raptors
Outline the causes of the Hedgehogs and Ground-Nesting Birds conflict
- Issue: Hedgehogs introduced to remote Outer Hebrides islands caused a population boom (from 4 to >5,000).
- Impact: Decline in internationally important wading bird breeding colonies.
- Cause: Ecological evidence clearly links hedgehogs to bird declines.
Outline the response and conflict of the Hedgehogs and Ground-Nesting Birds conflict
- Solution by Scottish National Heritage (SNH): Cull the hedgehogs.
- Protests: Animal rights groups, celebrities, and media opposed the cull.
- Language of Conflict:
Animal rights groups used emotive language to oppose the cull.
Substantial differences in language used by conservationists vs. animal rights activists.
What is the New Zealand approach to invasive species like?
- Pretty happy to cull invasive predators on islands
- Scheme for predator free NZ by 2050
- Have had success with this approach, with benefits for rare birds breeding on islands
What tend to be the 2 viewpoints in conservation conflicts ?
- Valuing a wildlife spectacle (rights of species) (Conservationists)
- Valuing the rights of individual animals (animal rights groups)
Outline the ‘Sod the Cod’ conflict
- 2004 North Sea Cod Recovery Programme (CRP) introduced measures (e.g quotas) to address massive cod stock decline due to overfishing
- Created conflict:
Cod is God → conservationists, prioritize cod recovery for long-term sustainability
Sod the Cod → fisheries, prioritise economic and social impact
Outline how the ‘sod the cod’ conflict was (partially) resolved
2007 Cod symposium
Agreements:
- Cod decline due to overfishing, but environ factors also
- At least some recovery of north sea cod possible
- Any recovery plan should not impinge on sustainable fisheries for other stocks
- Movement in the right direction more important than hitting specific biomass targets
Disagreed (some values cannot be resolved)
- Fishers favoured increased quotas, to avoid discarding mature cod
- Conservationists: all scientific evidence points to much less fishing effort if cod stocks are to recover
Define the Rashomon effect
Differing interpretations of the same event by various stakeholders, leading to conflicts.
= Recognizing and addressing these divergent perspectives is crucial for effective conservation strategies.
Give some examples of conflicts between animal rights groups and conservation biologists.
Did they find a solution?
Perry & Perry (2007)
- Gray squirrels in Italy – Legal opposition blocked culling, allowing non-native squirrels to replace native red squirrels.
- Mute swans in Vermont – Lawsuits prevented lethal control, despite environmental damage concerns.
- Feral pigs in Texas – Cooperation between animal rights groups and managers led to a successful control program (using hunting, trapping and fencing)
Describe the chimpanzee conflict between conservationists and rural villagers in Western Africa
- Colonial-era land seizures left conservation areas in the hands of elites, excluding rural communities.
- Villagers were removed for conservation, leading to resentment toward wildlife protections.
- Poverty forces locals into bushmeat hunting/ illegal trade, while conservation efforts benefit elites.
- Mistrust – Policies ignoring historical injustices = resistance
- Solution: Equitable conservation that includes local voices, economic opportunities, and historical awareness.
