Skip to main content
Log in

Friend or foe, what do the locals say? Attitudes towards the endangered Iberian wolf in Central Portugal

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Biodiversity and Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The endangered Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) populations have been decreasing in Portugal due to a combination of factors such as habitat destruction and human persecution. This is particularly worrying in Central Portugal, where packs are highly fragmented, isolated, and with few individuals. Human-Wildlife-Conflicts occur in this area due to high levels of livestock depredation, an outcome of the low diversity and density of wild prey. As a consequence, human persecution is relatively high and is considered a main threat to wolves’ survival. Through studying public attitudes towards these wolf populations and discerning prevalent patterns, insights can be gained to guide management strategies in mitigating these factors. A total of 222 questionnaires were collected from populations inhabiting Central Portugal, divided into three interest groups (general public, livestock owners, and hunters).We estimated Attitude, Fear, and Knowledge Indexes regarding the wolf. Attitudes towards wolves were positive, with the fear being neutral but the knowledge being low; attitudes tend to be more positive with the decrease of fear and the increase of knowledge, and fear tends to decrease with the increase of knowledge. The main factor negatively influencing attitudes was fear, although age seemed to have more influence on livestock owners’ attitudes. The factors influencing fear included gender, knowledge, and personal experience with wolves. These findings can be used to target specific groups with environmental awareness initiatives, aiming to increase knowledge and reduce sources of fear. It is crucial to develop tailored conservation measures considering stakeholders’ viewpoints to effectively protect the Iberian wolf.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The data will be fully available upon request.

References

  • Álvares F (2011) ‘Ecologia e conservação do lobo (Canis lupus) no Noroeste de Portugal (Tese de Doutoramento). Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa

  • Álvares F, Domingues J, Sierra P, Primavera P (2011) Cultural dimension of wolves in the Iberian Peninsula: implications of ethnozoology in conservation biology. Innovation 24(3):313–331. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2011.592049

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anand S, Radhakrishna S (2017) Investigating trends in human-wildlife conflict: is conflict escalation real or imagined? J Asia-Pac Biodivers 10(2):154–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anthony BP, Tarr K (2019) The wolves are back! local attitudes towards the recently re-populated grey wolf and wolf management in Bükk National Park, Hungary. Acta Zool Acad Sci Hung 65(2):195–214. https://doi.org/10.17109/AZH.65.2.195.2019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Apollonio M, Andersen R, Putman R (2010) European ungulates and their management in the 21st century. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Arbieu U, Mehring M, Bunnefeld N, Kaczensky P, Reinhardt I, Ansorge H, Böhning-Gaese K, Glikman JA, Kluth G, Nowak C, Müller T (2019) Attitudes towards returning wolves (Canis lupus) in Germany: exposure, information sources and trust matter. Biol Conserv 234:202–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOCON.2019.03.027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartoń K (2019) MuMIn: multi-model inference. R Package Version 1.43.10. Available at: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/MuMIn/index.html (Accessed: 2 Nov 2019)

  • Bath A, Majić A (2000) Human dimensions in wolf management in Croatia. Report by Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe

  • Behr DM, Ozgul A, Cozzi G (2017) Combining human acceptance and habitat suitability in a unified socio-ecological suitability model: a case study of the wolf in Switzerland. J Appl Ecol 54(6):1919–1929. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12880

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger KM (2006) Carnivore-livestock conflicts: effects of subsidized predator control and economic correlates on the sheep industry. Conserv Biol 20:751–761. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00336.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bjerke T, Reitan O, Kellert SR (1998) Attitudes toward wolves in southeastern Norway. Soc Nat Resour 11(2):169–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941929809381070

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blondel J (2006) The “design” of Mediterranean landscapes: a millennial story of humans and ecological systems during the historic period. Hum Ecol 34:713–729. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-006-9030-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruskotter JT, Wilson RS (2014) Determining where the wild things will be: using psychological theory to find tolerance for large carnivores. Conserv Lett 7(3):158–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12072

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and multi-model inference. Springer-Verlag, NY, p 10

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabral MJ, Almeida J, Almeida P, Dellinger T, Ferrand de Almeida N, Oliveira M et al (2005) Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758. In: Cabral MJ, Almeida J, Almeida PR, Dellinger T, de Almeida NF, Oliveira ME et al (eds) Livro Vermelho dos Vertebrados de Portugal. Instituto da Conservação da Natureza, Lisboa, pp 517–518

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera A (1907) Los lobos de España. Bol R Soc Esp Hist Nat 7:193–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Carricondo-Sanchez D, Zimmermann B, Wabakken P, Eriksen A, Milleret C, Ordiz A, Wikenros C (2020) Wolves at the door? Factors influencing the individual behavior of wolves in relation to anthropogenic features. Biol Conserv 244:108514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter NH, Linnell JDCC (2016) Co-adaptation is key to coexisting with large carnivores. Trends Ecol Evol 31(8):575–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2016.05.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chapron G, Kaczensky P, Linnell JDC, von Arx M, Huber D, Andren H et al (2014) Recovery of large carnivores in Europe’s modern human-dominated landscapes. Science 346(6216):1517–1519. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1257553

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chapron G, Lopez-Bao JV (2016) Coexistence with large carnivores informed by community ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 31(8):578–580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2016.06.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen R (2019) “Ordinal”: Regression Models for Ordinal Data. R Package Version 2019.4-25. Available at: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/ordinal/ordinal.pdf (Accessed: 2 Nov 2019)

  • Cruz T, Fonseca C, Carvalho J, Oliveira B, Torres RT (2014) Roe deer reintroduction in Central Portugal: a tool for Iberian wolf conservation. Galemys 22:31–40. https://doi.org/10.7325/Galemys.2014.A3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Decreto-Lei no 90/88 (1988) Diário da República n.o 187/1988, Série I de 1988-08-13

  • Dressel S, Sandström C, Ericsson G (2015) A meta-analysis of studies on attitudes toward bears and wolves across Europe 1976–2012. Conserv Biol 29(2):565–574. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12420

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Espirito-Santo C (2007) Human dimensions in Iberian wolf management in Portugal: attitudes and beliefs of interest groups and the public toward a fragmented wolf population (Master’s Thesis). Memorial University of Newfoundland

  • Espirito-Santo C, Lobo G, Petrucci-Fonseca F (2016) Attitudes and beliefs of interest groups and the public towards Iberian wolves in Beira Interior—Central Portugal. IV Iberian Wolf Congress. Castelo Branco, Portugal, pp 11–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Espirito-Santo C, Petrucci-Fonseca F (2017) Attitudes of farmers towards wolves and wolf management in different regions in Portugal, In: Wolf management and conservation in North America and Europe. Un Unresolved Conflict. Zamora, Spain

  • Espuno N, Lequette B, Poulle ML, Migot P, Lebreton JD (2004) Heterogeneous response to preventive sheep husbandry during wolf recolonization of the French Alps. Wild Soc Bull 32:1195–1208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Expósito-Granados M, Castro AJ, Lozano J, Aznar-Sanchez JA, Carter NH, Requena-Mullor JM, Malo AF, Olszańska A, Morales-Reyes Z, Moléon M, Sánchez-Zapata JA, Cortés-Avizanda A, Fischer J, Martín-López B (2019) Human-carnivore relations: conflicts, tolerance and coexistence in the American West. Environ Res Lett 14(12):123005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab5485

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FFMS (2021) Censos de Portugal em 2021: Resultados por tema e por concelho. PORDATA. Retrieved from: https://www.pordata.pt/censos/resultados/emdestaque-portugal-361

  • Figueiredo AM, Valente AM, Barros T, Carvalho J, Silva DAM, Fonseca C, Madeira de Carvalho L, Torres RT (2020) What does the wolf eat? Assessing the diet of the endangered Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) in northeast Portugal. PLoS ONE 15(3):e0230433. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230433

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Franchini M, Corazzin M, Bovolenta S, Filacorda S (2021) The return of large carnivores and extensive farming systems: a review of stakeholders’ perception at an EU level. Animals 11(6):1735

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Frank B (2016) Human–wildlife conflicts and the need to include tolerance and coexistence: an introductory comment. SNR 29(6):738–743. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2015.1103388

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gangaas KE, Kaltenborn BP, Andreassen HP (2015) Environmental attitudes associated with large-scale cultural differences, not local environmental conflicts. Environ Conserv 42(1):41–50. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892914000125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glikman JA, Vaske JJ, Bath AJ, Ciucci P, Boitani L (2012) Residents’ support for wolf and bear conservation: the moderating influence of knowledge. Eur J Wildl Res 58(1):295–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-011-0579-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godinho R, Lopes S, Ferrand N (2007) Estudo da diversidade e estruturação genética das populações de lobo (Canis lupus) em Portugal. Technical report. CIBIO/UP

  • Grilo C, Moço G, Cândido AT, Alexandre AS, Petrucci-Fonseca F (2002) Challenges for the recovery of the Iberian wolf in the Douro river south region. Rev Biol 20:121–133

    Google Scholar 

  • van Heel BF, Boerboom AM, Fliervoet JM, Lenders HJR, van den Born RJG (2017) Analysing stakeholders’ perceptions of wolf, lynx and fox in a Dutch riverine area. Biodivers Conserv 26(7):1723–1743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1329-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill CM (2015) Perspectives of “conflict” at the wildlife-agriculture boundary: 10 Years on. Hum Dimens Wildl 20(4):296–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2015.1004143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • INE (2019) Censos 2011, INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatística, Lisboa

  • Janeiro-Otero A, Rivas P, Acuña-Alonso C, de la Torre-Rodriguez N, Novo A, Álvarez X (2023) Factors influencing human attitudes towards wolves in Northwest Spain. Sustainability 15(2):1582

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson M, Sandström C, Pedersen E, Ericsson G (2016a) Factors governing human fear of wolves: moderating effects of geographical location and standpoint on protected nature. Eur J Wildl Res 62(6):749–760. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-016-1054-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson M, Ferreira IA, Støen OG, Frank J, Flykt A (2016b) Targeting human fear of large carnivores—many ideas but few known effects. Biol Conserv 201:261–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOCON.2016.07.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaltenborn BP, Bjerke T, Nyahongo J (2006) Living with problem animals—self-reported fear of potentially dangerous species in the Serengeti region, Tanzania. Hum Dimens Wildl 11(6):397–409. https://doi.org/10.1080/10871200600984323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karlsson J, Johansson Ö (2010) Predictability of repeated carnivore attacks on livestock favours reactive use of mitigation measures. J Appl Ecol 47:166–171. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01747.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karlsson J, Sjöström M (2007) Human attitudes towards wolves, a matter of distance. Biol Conserv 137(4):610–616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2007.03.023

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kleiven J, Bjerke T, Kaltenborn BP (2004) Factors influencing the social acceptability of large carnivore behaviours. Biodivers Conserv 13(9):1647–1658. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BIOC.0000029328.81255.38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linnell JDC, Andersen R, Andersone Ž, Balčiauskas L, Blanco J, Boitani L, et al. (2002) The fear of wolves: A review of wolf attacks on humans. Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Annual Reports

  • López-Bao JV, Bruskotter J, Chapron G (2017) Finding space for large carnivores. Nat Ecol Evol 1(5):0140. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lute ML, Gore ML (2014) Knowledge and power in wildlife management. J Wildl Manag 78(6):1060–1068. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.754

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Majić A, Skrbinšek T, Marinko U, Marucco F (2015) Action A8—Ex Ante analysis of attitudes of the general public, hunters and farmers toward wolves and wolf management, in Public attitudes towards wolves and wolf conservation in Italian and Slovenian Alps. Technical report, p 128

  • Mech LD, Boitani L (2006) Wolves: behavior, ecology, and conservation, 3rd edn. University of Chicago Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Milheiras S, Hodge I (2011) Attitudes towards compensation for wolf damage to livestock in Viana do Castelo, North of Portugal. Innovation 24(3):333–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2011.592071

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morales-González A, Ruiz-Villar H, Ordiz A, Penteriani V (2020) Large carnivores living alongside humans: brown bears in human-modified landscapes. Glob Ecol Conserv 22:e00937

    Google Scholar 

  • Newsome TM, Boitani L, Chapron G, Ciucci P, Dickman CR, Dellinger JA, López-Bao JV, Peterson RO, Shores CR, Wirsing AJ, Ripple WJ (2016) Food habits of the world’s grey wolves. Mamm Rev 46:255–269. https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12067

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimenta V, Barroso I, Álvares F, Correia J, Ferrão da Costa G, Moreira L, et al. (2005) Situação populacional do lobo em Portugal: resultados do censo nacional 2002/2003. Relatório Final. Lisboa

  • Pimenta V, Barroso I, Álvares F, Petrucci-Fonseca F (2023) Canis lupus lobo. In: Mathias ML, Fonseca C, Rodrigues L, Grilo C, Lopes-Fernandes M, Palmeirim JM, Santos-Reis M, Alves PC, Cabral JA, Ferreira M, Mira A, Eira C, Negrões N, Paupério J, Pita R, Rainho A, Rosalino LM, Tapisso JT, Vingada J (eds) Livro Vermelho dos Mamíferos de Portugal Continental. Fciências.ID, ICNF, Lisboa

    Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team (2018) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Available at: https://www.r-project.org/

  • Ribeiro IM (2015) Aplicação de Programas Educativos: O caso de estudo do Lobo-ibérico (Canis lupus signatus Cabrera, 1907) (Tese de Mestrado). Universidade de Lisboa

  • Rosalino LM, Rosalino C (2012) Nature conservation from a junior high school perspective. J Nat Conserv 20(3):153–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2012.01.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosalino LM, Gheler-Costa C, Santos G, Gonçalves MT, Fonseca C, Leal AI (2017) Conservation priorities for elementary school students: Neotropical and European perspectives. Biodivers Conserv 26:2675–2697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1380-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Røskaft E, Bjerke T, Kaltenborn B, Linnell JDC, Andersen R (2003) Patterns of self-reported fear towards large carnivores among the Norwegian public. Evol Hum Behav 24(3):184–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-5138(03)00011-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Røskaft E, Händel B, Bjerke T, Kaltenborn BP (2007) Human attitudes towards large carnivores in Norway. Wildlife Biol 13(2):172–185. https://doi.org/10.2981/0909-6396(2007)13[172:hatlci]2.0.co;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soga M, Gaston KJ (2016) Extinction of experience: the loss of human–nature interactions. Front Ecol Environ 14(2):94–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torres RT, Brotas G, Fonseca C (2018) Roe deer reintroduction in Central Portugal: a tool for Iberian wolf conservation’, in Global reintroduction perspectives: 2018. Case studies from around the globe. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, p 139

  • Torres RT, Fonseca C (2016) Perspectives on the Iberian wolf in Portugal: population trends and conservation threats. Biodivers Conserv 25(3):411–425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1061-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torres RT, Lopes D, Fonseca C, Rosalino LM (2020) One rule does not fit it all: patterns and drivers of stakeholders’ perspectives of the endangered Iberian wolf. J Nat Conserv 55:125822. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JNC.2020.125822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torres RT, Silva N, Brotas G, Fonseca C (2015) To eat or not to eat? The diet of the endangered Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus) in a human-dominated landscape in Central Portugal. PLoS ONE 10(6):1–12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129379

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Treves A, Naughton-Treves L (1999) Risk and opportunity for humans coexisting with large carnivores. J Hum Evol 36(3):275–282

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Turner WR, Nakamura T, Dinetti M (2004) Global urbanization and the separation of humans from nature. Bioscience 54(6):585–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva SMD, Silva AM, Cortés-González P, Brazienė R (2021) Learning to leave and to return: mobility, place, and sense of belonging amongst young people growing up in border and rural regions of mainland Portugal. Sustainability 13(16):9432. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169432

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vos J (2000) Food habits and livestock depredation of two Iberian wolf packs (Canis lupus signatus) in the north of Portugal. J Zool 251(4):457–462. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00801.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams CK, Ericsson G, Heberlein TA (2002) A quantitative summary of attitudes toward wolves and their reintroduction (1972–2000). Wildl Soc Bull 30:575–584

    Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (2010) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice-Hall/Pearson

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmermann B, Wabakken P, Dötterer M (2001) Human-carnivore interactions in Norway: how does the re-appearance of large carnivores affect people’s attitudes and levels of fear? For Snow Landsc Res 76(1):137–153

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

We are grateful to the respondents who contributed to this study. Rita Torres was supported by a research contract (2021.00690.CEECIND) from the FCT. Ana M. Figueiredo was supported by a PhD grant from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/144582/2019), co-financed by the European Social Fund POPH-QREN program. Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020 + LA/P/0094/2020), cE3c (UIDB/00329/2020) and CHANGE (LA/P/0121/2020), through national funds, and the co-funding by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. This work was also supported by the River2Ocean project (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000068), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE2020). This study had the support of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) by national funds through the strategic projects “Financiamento Programático” UIDB/04050/2020 awarded to CBMA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Data collection was made by RM and analysis were performed by RM and LMR. The first draft of the manuscript was written by AMV and RM, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ana M. Valente.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Additional information

Communicated by Suraj Upadhaya.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (PDF 419 KB)

Supplementary file2 (PDF 257 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Valente, A.M., Martins, R., Figueiredo, A.M. et al. Friend or foe, what do the locals say? Attitudes towards the endangered Iberian wolf in Central Portugal. Biodivers Conserv 33, 1645–1664 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-024-02819-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-024-02819-8

Keywords

Navigation