Investigating Gaps in Perception of Wildlife between Urban and Rural Inhabitants: Empirical Evidence from Japan

Eri Kato, Yuki Yano and Yasuo Ohe
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Eri Kato: Department of Food and Resource Economics, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo, Matsudo-shi 271-8510, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Yuki Yano: Department of Food and Resource Economics, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo, Matsudo-shi 271-8510, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Yasuo Ohe: Department of Food and Resource Economics, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo, Matsudo-shi 271-8510, Chiba Prefecture, Japan

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 17, 1-13

Abstract: A decline in natural resource management by rural communities has significantly contributed to human–wildlife conflicts, especially crop-raiding, in Japan. Collaborative wildlife management between existing rural stakeholders and new urban stakeholders is essential to address this problem. However, differences in the perception regarding wildlife exist between rural populations, which have ample direct experience with wildlife, and urban populations, which lack direct experience with wildlife. Consequently, this gap in perception can potentially lead to conflicts between stakeholders during collaborative wildlife management. In this study, content analysis, which has been extensively employed to analyze qualitative data, was performed to elucidate the differences in perception of wildlife between urban and rural stakeholders. An online survey was conducted in December 2016 to understand the perception of wildlife by stakeholders, in which 1401 responses were received. The results indicate that the urban individuals did not have a comprehensive understanding of wildlife and any positive views were primarily abstract. Conversely, rural individuals had diverse perceptions, both positive and negative. Therefore, a novel perceptual gap-narrowing approach based on staged interactions with the rural environment, is suggested. Introduction to rural issues through field-based experiences to urban stakeholders is likely to the narrow gaps in perception between urban and rural stakeholders, in order to allow for efficient and collaborative wildlife management.

Keywords: Perception of wildlife; content analysis; rural and urban residents; human-wildlife conflict; new stakeholder; collaborative wildlife management; natural resource management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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