Research dissemination in response to national wolf hunting ban in Spain

Dr George Holmes, Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, Faculty of Environment

Rapid Action Fund

Adapting to the presence of large carnivores such as wolves is challenging, especially for farming communities with limited economic means. To understand which social, ecological, and economic factors that could facilitate adaptation and promote peaceful human-wildlife relationships, this research project studied human-wolf coexistence in rural Spain. The field research in 2020 generated knowledge about a diverse array of coping mechanisms, coexistence conditions and vulnerabilities within the study areas, a complexity which is not considered or addressed within Spain’s current wolf management plan. This has contributed to social conflicts, stemming from the unequal distribution of costs and benefits of wolf conservation, and how decisions over rural landscapes are made.

On September 21st, 2021, the Spanish government imposed a ban on wolf-hunting, with very limited prior stakeholder engagement. In the coming months, a stakeholder engagement workshops and events to discuss this ban and adjustments of the new wolf management plan will take place, making newly published research of the project highly policy relevant. The field researcher (Hanna Pettersson) will therefore return to Spain to take part in one such workshop, disseminate the research findings to relevant stakeholders, and engage in knowledge exchange with local partner organisations