Public opinion is essential to the success of conservation initiatives. Thus, it is crucial to identify the key factors that shape people’s attitudes. Local communities, which are at the forefront of conservation efforts, often bear most of the associated costs while receiving few benefits. Efforts to recover at-risk boreal and mountain caribou have sparked debates on their socioeconomic impacts on local communities. In this study, we surveyed 665 citizens from regions in Quebec, Canada, in which caribou populations occur, and 733 citizens from regions where they do not, to examine factors influencing public attitudes toward conservation. Respondents from caribou regions expressed more concerns about regional economic vitality, forestry-related job losses, reduced quality of life, and loss of regional benefits compared with people from regions without caribou. Potential impacts on livelihood fostered negative attitudes toward conservation, particularly in individuals with connections to the forestry sector, who tended to share similar opinions regardless of their region of residence. They were also more likely to oppose conservation measures leading to job losses. Predator control, penning, and reducing predators’ alternative prey—three common caribou conservation measures—received the lowest support across the survey, compared with reducing wood harvest and anthropogenic disturbance. Despite the ambiguous narratives in media coverage, caribou conservation received public support overall, indicating a widespread recognition of its intrinsic benefits. These findings provide insights to improve public opinion assessments and develop more effective, context-sensitive conservation strategies.
Cimon-Morin et al. (Thu,) studied this question.