Dear BERGers and SHAIRers,
Our seminar this Wednesday 18 October 4-5pm in the Psychology Common Room (Cottrell, C3A94)
and hybrid (link
to join the online meeting here) will be given by Toryn Whitehead – details below. Everyone is welcome and postgraduate students are encouraged to attend. If you would like to join us for dinner with
the speaker afterwards, please let me (clare.andrews@stir.ac.uk) know (by Wednesday morning) – all are welcome!
Toryn Whitehead, King’s College London
Planning for large carnivore coexistence in Scotland: A shifting baseline syndrome
perspective
Abstract:
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The extirpation of large carnivores (LCs) from Scotland has had far reaching
social and ecological implications. In the absence of LCs, burgeoning wild ungulate populations and extensive livestock grazing systems have drastically altered landscapes. Historical land-use changes, such as during the Highland Clearances, depopulated and
further dewilded landscapes to eradicate ‘backwardness’ and produce highly concentrated patterns of private land ownership.
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Co-occurring with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and growing support
for a nature positive vision for Scotland, reintroducing LCs has been flagged as a powerful intervention to combat the biodiversity crisis by conservation NGOs. But efforts to reintroduce LCs are controversial and highly contested, with the competing values
and objectives of stakeholders often unable to find common ground.
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We draw on the academic literature, popular media, and policy documents to
consider the potential reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx and wolf in Scotland through a shifting baseline syndrome lens to review the social, psychological, cultural, ecological, and economic factors influencing their reintroduction.
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Lynxes and wolves are biologically extinct but societally extant in Scotland.
We argue that the lack of precise data about the impacts of LCs and the loss of lived interactions and experiences has resulted in the cultural transformation of these species to varying degrees. Vicarious experiences such as folklore and pop culture have
become societally predominant, enabling myths and wishful thinking about wolves in particular to proliferate.
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Our review develops novel and innovative thinking about how visions for the
Scottish landscape, with or without LCs, could help achieve livelihood, biodiversity, and carbon aspirations. We make several recommendations that could contribute to bridging knowledge gaps and moving from conflict to tolerance. Most importantly, to prioritise
and empower local communities through policy and conservation decision-making processes to ensure that any transition is socially just and economically feasible.
The upcoming BERG programme is here.
Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday!
Clare
Students: book to talk with me
here.
Dr Clare Andrews
(preferred pronouns: she/her) MA, MSc, DPhil, FHEA
Lecturer in Psychology and Course Director for MSc/MA Human-Animal Interaction
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Psychology Division My working days are Monday to Friday. I aim to read and respond to email within 3 working days, but during busy periods my response may take longer. I check my emails at varying times
of day and I do not expect an immediate response from my correspondents.
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