Socio-ecological drivers of public conservation voting: Restoring gray wolves to Colorado, USA.

Autor: Ditmer MA; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.; USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ogden, Utah, USA., Niemiec RM; Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Fort Collins, USA., Wittemyer G; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA., Crooks KR; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America [Ecol Appl] 2022 Apr; Vol. 32 (3), pp. e2532. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Mar 07.
DOI: 10.1002/eap.2532
Abstrakt: Understanding factors that influence real-world public conservation behaviors is critical for developing successful conservation policies and management actions. Citizens of Colorado, USA recently passed a ballot initiative to restore the gray wolf to its former range within the state. The >3 million votes offer an unprecedented opportunity to test factors that influenced decisions to support or oppose this conservation action. We created spatial linear regression models to assess the relationship between support for wolf restoration and (1) the presidential vote, (2) distance to conservation intervention (i.e., proposed wolf reintroduction and existing wolves), and measures of (3) livelihood and (4) demographics using precinct-level data. Our results demonstrate the strong relationship between support for wolf restoration and political support for the Democratic candidate for president in the 2020 election, and highlight how other factors, including increased age, participation in elk hunting, and proximity to the reintroduction region were associated with less support. Our findings underscore the critical role of politicization on public conservation action and the need to develop outreach and engagement strategies to mitigate polarization.
(© 2022 The Ecological Society of America.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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