Understanding rancher perspectives on nonlethal livestock protection approaches

Abstract

As human and carnivore populations grow, livestock and carnivores are forced to share shrinking habitat, resulting in predation events which can negatively impact both livestock producers and wildlife. Reducing human-carnivore conflict requires solutions to mitigate predation events, including various nonlethal livestock protection approaches such as fencing and livestock guardian dogs. While some research has studied approaches' effectiveness, little is known about how producers feel about their current livestock protection options. In this study, we explored Colorado ranchers' perspectives about livestock protection tools and strategies through 26 in-depth semi-structured interviews. When describing livestock protection approaches, ranchers discussed approaches they were aware of and familiar with, their primary motivations for using approaches, and barriers they face when considering implementing these approaches. Ranchers described primary motivations as successful experiences, others' positive stories, concern about carnivores, and other perceived benefits to their operations. Ranchers described barriers to implementing these approaches as negative personal experiences, others' negative stories, peer pressure, perceived ineffectiveness and/or incompatibility of the approaches, lack of knowledge/expertise and resources, tolerance of carnivores, and opposition to change. Additionally, ranchers described numerous non-predation related environmental and sociopolitical challenges their ranching operations face, which may limit their capacity to learn and implement new approaches. These findings can help practitioners collaborate with livestock producers, develop relevant materials that address producers' interests and needs, and encourage rancher adoption of nonlethal livestock protection approaches. Understanding ranchers' motivations and barriers to using livestock protection approaches is essential to finding culturally relevant pathways to protect both livestock and wild carnivores.