Assessing public commitment to endangered species protection: A Canadian case study
J.L. McCune,
Anja M. Carlsson,
Sheila Colla,
Christina Davy,
Brett Favaro,
Adam T. Ford,
Kevin C. Fraser,
Eduardo G. Martins
Affiliations
J.L. McCune
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; Current address: Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada.
Anja M. Carlsson
Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T3R 1J3, Canada
Sheila Colla
Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Christina Davy
Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensics Centre, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 1Z8, Canada; Current address: Wildlife Research & Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada.
Brett Favaro
School of Fisheries, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1C 5R3, Canada
Adam T. Ford
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; Current address: Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada.
Kevin C. Fraser
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
Eduardo G. Martins
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Preventing the extinction of species will require limiting human activities in key areas, but it is unclear to what extent the public is committed to these limits and the associated costs. We commissioned an online survey of 1000 Canadians and asked them if it is important to prevent the extinction of wild species in Canada. We used specific scenarios illustrating the need for limits to personal activities, private property rights, and industrial development to further test their support. The respondents were strongly committed to species conservation in principle (89% agree), including the need to limit industrial development (80% agree). There was less support for limiting private property rights (63% agree), and more uncertainty when scenarios suggested potential loss of property rights and industry-based jobs. This highlights the high level of public concern regarding the economic impacts of preventing extinctions, and the need for more programs to encourage voluntary stewardship of endangered species on private land. Opinion polls that measure public support for conservation without acknowledging the concessions required may result in overly optimistic estimates of the level of support. Most Canadians in our sample supported endangered species conservation even when the necessity of limiting human activities was explicitly stated.
