Socioeconomic characteristics of suitable wolf habitat in Sweden.

ABSTRACT: Large carnivores are ecologically important, but their behaviour frequently put them in conflict with humans. I suggest that a spatial co-occurrence of suitable habitat and relatively poor socioeconomic conditions in rural areas may contribute to inflated human-carnivore conflict. Here, I test if there is potential for such an explanation for the human-wolf conflict in Sweden, a conflict that is arguably not congruent with the costs and damages imposed by the wolf population. I found negative correlations between wolf habitat suitability within Swedish municipalities and indicators of their relative socioeconomic conditions. I argue that geographic socioeconomic inequality may contribute to the Swedish human-wolf conflict, partly by the use of wolves as symbols for socioeconomic dissent an

SUBMITTER: Dalerum F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8068747 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature