Demographics and wildlife value orientations: insights for managing wildlife in the Alps

Wildlife value orientations affect how people connect with animals. Traditionalists primarily consider wildlife as a source of sustenance. Societal values, however, are shifting toward mutualism, which sees wildlife as deserving of rights and care. This article examined factors that influence wildlife value orientations of tourists (n = 420) in an Alpine region in Italy, where human-wildlife conflicts are common. The questionnaire included 14 wildlife orientation statements coded on 7-point scales. Three quarters of respondents held a mutualism value orientation, and 7% were traditionalists. The remaining sample was either distanced (people who do not care about wildlife–10%) or pluralist (respondents with no clear orientation–8%). Mutualism was explained by demographics; women and urbanites tended to be mutualists. In particular, women and residents in big cities are more likely to be mutualists compared to male and rural-resident respondents.