Models for coexistence and communication - ec.europa.eu · Venzone, 12th October 2017 6 Research on wildlife conflicts more frequently focuses on human behaviour and evaluation of

Models for coexistence and

communication:

the ALPBIONET2030 project

Filippo Favilli, Isidoro De Bortoli, Federica Maino Eurac Research

Bolzano, Italy

Venzone (Udine, Italy)

12th – 14th October 2017

ALPBIONET2030

OUTLINE

• ALPBIONET2030

• Work Package 5: Promoting Human Nature Coexistence

• Running activities and aim

• Which models for coexistence?

• Effective communication

• Final WP 5 output

• Final considerations

2 Venzone, 12th October 2017

ALPBIONET2030

ALPBIONET2030

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http://www.alpine-space.eu/projects/alpbionet2030/en/home

Venzone, 12th October 2017

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ALPBIONET2030


ALPBIONET2030 5 Venzone, 12th October 2017

AUSTRIA/ITALY NP Hohe Tauern + South Tirol PNs

FRANCE Espaces Mont Blanc

GERMANY NP Berchtesgaden

ITALY / SLOVENIA PN Prealpi Giulie + NP Triglav

AUSTRIA NP O.ö. Kalkalpen

Project Working Regions

ALPBIONET2030

ALPBIONET2030

Work Package 5:

Promoting Human-Nature Coexistence


Research on wildlife conflicts more frequently focuses on human behaviour and

evaluation of management actions to change that behaviour, taking into account the

human-wildlife history of an area, involving stakeholders and the large public

Social acceptance Attitude

Attitude =

Personal belief and opinion about the wildlife presence in an area.

Influenced by the personal experiences with wildlife

May be regardless of the level of education owned.

Social acceptance =

Agreement to accept somebody/someone in a group.

Influenced by the level of education

Related to the right to live of living beings in a certain area

Without social acceptance, no conservation actions will have a total positive result

HUMAN DIMENSION

ALPBIONET2030

Work Package 5:

Promoting Human-Nature Coexistence


• Collect and discuss the roots of current conflicts

• Analyse the efficiency of current conflict-resolution approaches

• Facilitates dialogue to move parties from intractable conflict to sustainable,

positive, collaborative change

• Stimulate the analyses and transformation of the root causes of systemic and

structural social conflict

The Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration:

ALPBIONET2030

Running activities and aim


Activity A.T5.1

Data collection on

current mitigation and

conflict resolution

approaches in

mountain areas

Activity A.T5.2

Stakeholders’

participative

processes about the

most urgent human-

nature conflicts

Activity A.T5.3

Collection of students’

vision, role of media,

development of a

shared vision

Activity A.T5.4

Organization of an

international

technical workshop

about human-nature

conflict resolution

PAST PRESENT FUTURE SHARE/BUILD

What has been done in

other places?

How the conflict(s)

has(ve) been solved?

How do you see the current

conflict?

Why do you think the

current situation exist?

Where do you/we

want to go?

How do we see the

future of our

community?

How can we support

each other?

We are not alone in

this issue!

ALPBIONET2030

Running activities and aim


• PUBLIC INFORMATION EVENTS and SCHOOLS‘ ACTIVITIES

•WORLD CAFÉS: an informal tool for organizing one or more sessions of generative dialogue among

a group of people (12-1200 and more)

•FOCUS GROUP: a semi-directive way (with specific goals, structures, time-frames and procedures)

of getting groups of people (8-12) to discuss select issue with each other

•MULTIPLE-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS: a variety of approaches and methods, many

implemented by specialized decision-making software, that explicitly evaluates multiple conflicting

criteria (instead of solutions) in decision making processes

•INTEGRATIVE NEGOTIATION: a dispute resolution method to be used when there is a potential

for the parties’ interests to be integrated in ways that create joint value (or “enlarge the pie”)

Stakeholder and Large Public engagement:

ALPBIONET2030

Which coexistence model?

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Et-Et


Aut-Aut

Humans and

Wildlife

Ex-clusive

(humans VS wildlife)

There‘s no space for wildlife in a highly

anthropic territory

We have already occupied all the space and

we do not want to step back

South Tyrol (Italy)

In-clusive

(humans AND wildlife)

The presence of wildlife calls for a new

equilibrium in the territory

We act in order to protect ourselves and

find space for a valuable change

North America,

Abruzzo (Italy)

ALPBIONET2030

Effective communication


ALPBIONET2030


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Promote an enlarged dialogue among the interested parties and with the citizens

People want to be included in the decisions. No more “I do that, don’t worry”

Find the best way to talk with THAT kind of people, for THAT kind of issue and in THAT

particular situation

Make people part of something bigger that their own courtyard.

Make face-to-face interviews

Use new and alternative ways for communicating

Be proactive with the media

Videos have to show local issues inside of a larger area

Promote the searching for the RIGHT QUESTION, instead of the RIGHT ANSWER

How can WE cooperate?

What would it take to create change on this issue?

What is the most important question to ask in this situation?

Promote the creation and sharing of a future vision for the area

Students – Admin meetings

Learn from other countries (you are not alone in this issue)

Starting of new participative processes

Show the socioeconomic opportunities coming out of the conflict



0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

5

Nature park / protected areamanagement

NGOs

Scientific community

Ministry in general

Ministry of agriculture

Politicians only

District administrations

Local control authorities

Mayors and municipalities

Landowners

Private forestry

Public forestry

Architects and land use planners

Hotel owners and private tourismproviders

Tourism associations

Ski areas managers

Hunters and game keepers

Energy providers

Mining and heavy industry

Private water supply companies

Awareness / influence gaps

Influence Awareness

BioREGIO Carpathians Project


ALPBIONET2030

Final WP5 Output

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Toolkit for Ecological Connectivity conflict resolution in the Alps

1. Reduce/mitigate the problem (remove the pain)

Set of strategies to prevent/mitigate the most occurring human-wildlife conflicts in an

“ecological connectivity framework” (Wildlife-vehicle collisions; Ungulates’ damages;

Carnivores’ predations; Sense of fear / Ignorance; No acceptance of change)

2. Suggest social approaches to promote a constructive dialogue among parties

What is the best approach for this issue, in this area, with this history and traditions and

this people?

3. Promote personal questioning and creativity

What is the most important question to ask in this situation?

How can WE turn the problem in opportunity?

4. Stimulate the sense of community and the transnational cooperation

Enhancing the sense of belonging to a community can open new socioeconomic

opportunities


ALPBIONET2030

Final Considerations


• Human–Wildlife conflict Human–Human conflict (conflict of interests)

• Biology is part of the solution - human dimension is just as important

• Perceptions of conflict matter

• Balancing global insights with local needs

• Multiple and Adaptive Tools, holistic approach and local resilience

ALPBIONET2030



Highlighting the benefits of restored populations and of environmental

awareness to a wider audience

- Providing rural populations the arguments about the socioeconomic importance of large

carnivores and cooperating with them

- Sustaining wildlife-tourism viewing, presence and visibility to nature-seeking tourists

(wildlife-friendly regions – i.e., Abruzzo/North Carolina)

- Increasing awareness raising on the LC’s ecological functions (ecosystem services)

- Spreading the concept of existence value

ALPBIONET2030



• Social scientists + wildlife managers evaluate wildlife acceptance

capacity and management actions aimed at changing human behaviour

(provide long-term solutions to human-wildlife conflicts)

If we create the ecological conditions which bring wolves to eat sheep,

it becomes awkward and difficult to argue for our right to destroy them when they do it

(Morizot, 2016)

• NGOs + government reliable and more

accessible information increase awareness

ALPBIONET2030



• There is not a general model for human-wildlife coexistence

• There can be a general attitude to accomplish it

• Communication is fundamental – not “to teach” but to listen

and guide

• Consider each situation as unique

• Wildlife species are unpredictable and uncontrollable – this is

unacceptable for many people

• We should learn to make the RIGHT QUESTIONS instead of

searching for the RIGHT ANSWER

• Promotion of resilience is more productive that looking for

and/or imposing the TRUTH of a part

• Being humble pays

The future of wild species

depends as much on human

attitudes, emotional

responses and behaviours as

it does on wildlife ecology

(Enck et al., 2006)

A species survives when, and only

when, humans decide to value it, have

positive attitudes toward it, and

actively engage in doing something to

conserve it

(Bath, 2009)


Filippo Favilli, Isidoro De Bortoli, Andrea Omizzolo,

Federica Maino, Prune Claire Giatti

Eurac Research

Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano

T +39 0471 055 327

[email protected]

www.eurac.edu

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Models for coexistence and communication - ec.europa.eu · Venzone, 12th October 2017 6 Research on wildlife conflicts more frequently focuses on human behaviour and evaluation of