Understanding conservation conflicts associated with rodent outbreaks in farmland areas

Rodent outbreaks affect many farmland areas worldwide and the negative environmental impacts of control campaigns cause intense social tensions. In such conservation conflicts, understanding stakeholders’ viewpoints is critical to promote ecologically sustainable management. We used Q-methodology, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2020-05, Vol.49 (5), p.1122-1133
Main Authors: Lauret, Valentin, Delibes-Mateos, Miguel, Mougeot, François, Arroyo-Lopez, Beatriz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
Animals
Atmospheric Sciences
Conservation
Conservation of Natural Resources
Decision making
Disease Outbreaks
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental impact
Environmental Management
Farms
Government agencies
Humans
Outbreaks
Pest control
Physical Geography
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Rodentia
Rodents
Spain
Sustainability management
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Summary:Rodent outbreaks affect many farmland areas worldwide and the negative environmental impacts of control campaigns cause intense social tensions. In such conservation conflicts, understanding stakeholders’ viewpoints is critical to promote ecologically sustainable management. We used Q-methodology, a framework standing between qualitative and quantitative social research, to investigate human subjectivity and understand conflicts caused by rodent outbreaks in Spain. We interviewed farmers, conservationists, hunters, and governmental agencies, and identified five main discourses about the origins and consequences of the conflictive situation. Finding sustainable management is impaired by opposing views about causes and consequences of vole outbreaks and their management, which are at the root of the conflict. Social tensions will likely remain until the underlying conflicts between people holding different views are also managed. Decision-making should therefore focus on mitigating underlying conflicts. Using trained independent mediators would help the effective resolution of conservation conflicts caused by rodent outbreaks and their management.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
DOI:10.1007/s13280-019-01256-0