Understanding motivations for human behaviors to limit human-wildlife conflict

Regulations are often viewed as an effective way to motivate human behaviors to address human-wildlife conflicts. In response to increases in human-black bear conflicts in North America, many communities have instituted... [ view full abstract ]

Regulations are often viewed as an effective way to motivate human behaviors to address human-wildlife conflicts. In response to increases in human-black bear conflicts in North America, many communities have instituted ordinances requiring bear-proofing of residential garbage. Compliance with these ordinances varies within and across communities, leading to varying success at reducing conflict. Human dimensions research can play an important role in improving compliance by providing information about residents’ motivations for keeping garbage secured, as well as characteristics of individuals who comply.  To this end, we explored the influence of components of the Theory of Planned Behavior, risk theory, and non-cognitive theories of behavior on compliance.  In conjunction with a community-wide bear-proofing experiment in Durango, Colorado, we used a mixed methods approach employing mail-back surveys, behavioral observations, and observations of human-bear conflicts to assess drivers of compliance in 2014 and 2016. We found that most residents used bear-resistant containers irregularly, at best; only 22% of observed households were compliant on all observations in 2014 and 27% in 2016. Garbage-related conflicts with bears were common, with residents experiencing an average of 2.90 conflicts/parcel in 2013 and 1.30 conflicts/parcel in 2015. Regression models showed that the primary drivers of compliance behavior were experience of garbage-related conflicts with bears and trust in the management agency. Risks and benefits assigned to bears and homeownership played a limited role in explaining compliance. Social norms regarding bear-proofing, attitudes toward bears and bear-proofing, perceptions of personal control over human-bear conflict, and demographics were not important predictors of compliance. These findings indicate that rates of voluntary compliance will be highest in areas where residents perceive the highest risks associated with black bears and lowest in areas where trust in the management agency is high. We learned that the primary drivers of bear-proofing behaviors are related to perceptions of risks, rather than components of the TPB or models of non-cognitive decision-making.  This information will allow managers and practitioners to design targeted behavior change campaigns that can account for factors which motivate voluntary compliance, and supplement those efforts with the minimal amount of enforcement required to achieve desired results.