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Public perceptions of a white‐tailed sea eagle ( Haliaeetus albicilla L.) restoration program
Author(s) -
Mayhew Michael,
Convery Ian,
Armstrong Roy,
Sinclair Billy
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
restoration ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1526-100X
pISSN - 1061-2971
DOI - 10.1111/rec.12310
Subject(s) - geography , eagle , baseline (sea) , socioeconomic status , european union , human–wildlife conflict , socioeconomics , persecution , environmental resource management , wildlife , fishery , political science , ecology , demography , population , sociology , biology , environmental science , politics , law , business , economic policy
The historic persecution and decline of European raptor populations precipitated the use of reintroduction as a species restoration tool in the late twentieth century. One of the key requirements of the World Conservation Union reintroduction guidelines concerns the need for social feasibility studies to explore the attitudes of local human populations toward restoration and reintroduction proposals. Ahead of any formal proposals to reintroduce white‐tailed sea eagles to Cumbria, United Kingdom, we conducted a baseline public attitudinal survey ( n = 300). We identified broad public support for this reintroduction, which transcended differences in the demographic, geographic, and employment profiles of the study cohort. There was public recognition that white‐tailed sea eagles could deliver a broad range of socioeconomic and environmental benefits with few detrimental impacts. Although the value of attitudinal surveys of this nature has been questioned, we would argue that they provide a useful baseline “snapshot” ahead of a more structured and focused reintroduction consultation. These results reinforce the emergence of public interest in the restoration of European raptors in the late twentieth and early twenty‐first century.