Attitudes toward restored species management: Effects of perceived impacts, trust and location of residence

One hundred and thirty wood bison were recently restored to west-central Alaska, an area shared by four Native, subsistence-based communities. Although all Alaskans will have the right to access and harvest wood bison,... [ view full abstract ]

One hundred and thirty wood bison were recently restored to west-central Alaska, an area shared by four Native, subsistence-based communities. Although all Alaskans will have the right to access and harvest wood bison, proximity may be seen as either beneficial (i.e., by improving food security and income issues), or as a risk to local communities living close to these large ungulates. Understanding how local and non-local Alaskans perceive impacts from wood bison restoration is crucial for effective management. Perceived impacts, if unaddressed, may become a source of conflict among interest groups. Local positive views could represent a successful restoration effort while negative views could lead to poaching and to a failed conservation potential. Effective species management is also often associated with the levels of trust in governing organizations. By building people’s trust, managing agencies can increase positive attitudes toward management and obtain more valid and reliable information from their constituents. Comprehensively addressing trust and perceived impacts is likely to lead to more successful species restoration and management programs. We examined relationships among perceived impacts, trust, and attitudes towards wood bison management in Alaska. Data were obtained from surveys to representative samples of two urban centers and four rural communities. Impacts were measured as perceived risks and benefits from bison restoration and management. Trust was measured through perceived expertise and qualification of agency personnel, as well as the evaluation of communication and responsibility issues related to the restored wood bison population. Preliminary results from a structural equation model indicated that, across localities, perceived benefits and risks affected people’s attitudes toward specific management goals. Benefits were generally positively related to positive attitudes while risks were positively related to negative attitudes. Urban residents recognized benefits from bison restoration but perceived less risks than the local rural population. Across localities, higher levels of trust positively related to positive attitudes toward bison management goals. Implications of these findings to attitude theory, wood bison management in Alaska, and future research needs are discussed.