Human-carnivore conflict can have negative effects on both people and wildlife. As persecution by humans is a major threat to declining carnivore populations globally, exploring why and how conflict occurs is important for future carnivore conservation and coexistence.
Human-carnivore interactions and human attitudes towards carnivores are complex and can be driven by multiple factors including personal experience, cultural and social factors. For example, owning a family pet and having experiences with nature during childhood can affect how you behave towards wildlife as an adult.
In this lecture Professor Scott will explain how and why human-carnivore conflict occurs using examples from her research over the last 20 years. She will demonstrate that exploring and understanding human-wildlife relationships requires interdisciplinary approaches combining biological, ecological and social studies. She will also reflect on how citizen science approaches to research, public engagement and media can be part of the solution.