Models for coexistence and

communication:

the ALPBIONET2030 project

Filippo Favilli, Isidoro De Bortoli, Federica Maino Eurac Research ,

Venzone (Udine, Italy) 12th – 14th October 2017 OUTLINE

• ALPBIONET2030

• Work Package 5: Promoting Human Nature Coexistence

• Running activities and aim

• Which models for coexistence?

• Effective communication

• Final WP 5 output

• Final considerations

ALPBIONET2030 , 12th October 2017 2 ALPBIONET2030

http://www.alpine-space.eu/projects/alpbionet2030/en/home

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 3 ALPBIONET2030

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Project Working Regions

GERMANY NP Berchtesgaden AUSTRIA NP O.ö. Kalkalpen

AUSTRIA/ITALY NP Hohe Tauern + South Tirol PNs

FRANCE Espaces Mont Blanc ITALY / SLOVENIA PN Prealpi Giulie + NP Triglav

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 5 Work Package 5: Promoting Human-Nature Coexistence HUMAN DIMENSION

Research on wildlife conflicts more frequently focuses on human behaviour and evaluation of management actions to change that behaviour, taking into account the human-wildlife history of an area, involving stakeholders and the large public

Social acceptance  Attitude

Attitude = Personal belief and opinion about the wildlife presence in an area. Influenced by the personal experiences with wildlife May be regardless of the level of education owned.

Social acceptance = Agreement to accept somebody/someone in a group. Influenced by the level of education Related to the right to live of living beings in a certain area

Without social acceptance, no conservation actions will have a total positive result

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 6 Work Package 5: Promoting Human-Nature Coexistence

The Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration:

• Collect and discuss the roots of current conflicts

• Analyse the efficiency of current conflict-resolution approaches

• Facilitates dialogue to move parties from intractable conflict to sustainable, positive, collaborative change

• Stimulate the analyses and transformation of the root causes of systemic and structural social conflict

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 7 Running activities and aim

PAST PRESENT FUTURE SHARE/BUILD

Activity A.T5.1 Activity A.T5.2 Activity A.T5.3 Activity A.T5.4 Data collection on Stakeholders’ Collection of students’ Organization of an current mitigation and participative vision, role of media, international conflict resolution processes about the development of a technical workshop approaches in most urgent human- shared vision about human-nature mountain areas nature conflicts conflict resolution

Where do you/we What has been done in want to go? other places? How can we support How do you see the current How do we see the each other? How the conflict(s) conflict? future of our has(ve) been solved? community? We are not alone in Why do you think the this issue! current situation exist?

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Stakeholder and Large Public engagement:

• PUBLIC INFORMATION EVENTS and SCHOOLS‘ ACTIVITIES

•WORLD CAFÉS: an informal tool for organizing one or more sessions of generative dialogue among a group of people (12-1200 and more)

•FOCUS GROUP: a semi-directive way (with specific goals, structures, time-frames and procedures) of getting groups of people (8-12) to discuss select issue with each other

•MULTIPLE-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS: a variety of approaches and methods, many implemented by specialized decision-making software, that explicitly evaluates multiple conflicting criteria (instead of solutions) in decision making processes

•INTEGRATIVE NEGOTIATION: a dispute resolution method to be used when there is a potential for the parties’ interests to be integrated in ways that create joint value (or “enlarge the pie”)

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 9 Which coexistence model?

Humans and Et-Et Aut-Aut Wildlife

In-clusive Ex-clusive (humans AND wildlife) (humans VS wildlife)

The presence of wildlife calls for a new There‘s no space for wildlife in a highly equilibrium in the territory anthropic territory

We act in order to protect ourselves and We have already occupied all the space and find space for a valuable change we do not want to step back

North America, South Tyrol (Italy) Abruzzo (Italy)

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 10 Effective communication

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 11 Effective communication

 Promote an enlarged dialogue among the interested parties and with the citizens  People want to be included in the decisions. No more “I do that, don’t worry”  Find the best way to talk with THAT kind of people, for THAT kind of issue and in THAT particular situation  Make people part of something bigger that their own courtyard.  Make face-to-face interviews

 Use new and alternative ways for communicating  Be proactive with the media  Videos have to show local issues inside of a larger area

 Promote the searching for the RIGHT QUESTION, instead of the RIGHT ANSWER  How can WE cooperate?  What would it take to create change on this issue?  What is the most important question to ask in this situation?

 Promote the creation and sharing of a future vision for the area  Students – Admin meetings  Learn from other countries (you are not alone in this issue)  Starting of new participative processes  Show the socioeconomic opportunities coming out of the conflict

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 12 Effective communication

Awareness / influence gaps

Nature park / protected area management Private water supply companies 5 NGOs 4,5 Mining and heavy industry Scientific community 4 3,5 Energy providers 3 Ministry in general 2,5 2 Hunters and game keepers 1,5 Ministry of agriculture 1 0,5 Ski areas managers 0 Politicians only

Tourism associations District administrations

Hotel owners and private tourism Local control authorities providers

Architects and land use planners Mayors and municipalities

Public forestry Landowners Private forestry BioREGIO Carpathians Project

Influence Awareness

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 13 Final WP5 Output

Toolkit for Ecological Connectivity conflict resolution in the

1. Reduce/mitigate the problem (remove the pain)  Set of strategies to prevent/mitigate the most occurring human-wildlife conflicts in an “ecological connectivity framework” (Wildlife-vehicle collisions; Ungulates’ damages; Carnivores’ predations; Sense of fear / Ignorance; No acceptance of change)

2. Suggest social approaches to promote a constructive dialogue among parties  What is the best approach for this issue, in this area, with this history and traditions and this people?

3. Promote personal questioning and creativity  What is the most important question to ask in this situation?  How can WE turn the problem in opportunity?

4. Stimulate the sense of community and the transnational cooperation  Enhancing the sense of belonging to a community can open new socioeconomic opportunities

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 14 Final Considerations

• Human–Wildlife conflict  Human–Human conflict (conflict of interests)

• Biology is part of the solution - human dimension is just as important

• Perceptions of conflict matter

• Balancing global insights with local needs

• Multiple and Adaptive Tools, holistic approach and local resilience

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Highlighting the benefits of restored populations and of environmental awareness to a wider audience

- Providing rural populations the arguments about the socioeconomic importance of large carnivores and cooperating with them

- Sustaining wildlife-tourism viewing, presence and visibility to nature-seeking tourists (wildlife-friendly regions – i.e., Abruzzo/North Carolina)

- Increasing awareness raising on the LC’s ecological functions (ecosystem services)

- Spreading the concept of existence value

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• NGOs + government  reliable and more accessible information  increase awareness

• Social scientists + wildlife managers  evaluate wildlife acceptance capacity and management actions aimed at changing human behaviour (provide long-term solutions to human-wildlife conflicts)

If we create the ecological conditions which bring wolves to eat sheep, it becomes awkward and difficult to argue for our right to destroy them when they do it (Morizot, 2016)

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 17 Final Considerations

• There is not a general model for human-wildlife coexistence

• There can be a general attitude to accomplish it

• Communication is fundamental – not “to teach” but to listen and guide

• Consider each situation as unique

• Wildlife species are unpredictable and uncontrollable – this is unacceptable for many people The future of wild species depends as much on human attitudes, emotional • We should learn to make the RIGHT QUESTIONS instead of responses and behaviours as searching for the RIGHT ANSWER it does on wildlife ecology (Enck et al., 2006) • Promotion of resilience is more productive that looking for and/or imposing the TRUTH of a part A species survives when, and only when, humans decide to value it, have • Being humble pays positive attitudes toward it, and actively engage in doing something to conserve it (Bath, 2009)

ALPBIONET2030 Venzone, 12th October 2017 18 Filippo Favilli, Isidoro De Bortoli, Andrea Omizzolo, Federica Maino, Prune Claire Giatti

Eurac Research

Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano T +39 0471 055 327 [email protected] www.eurac.edu

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