Journal: Socijalna ekologija: journal for environmental thought and sociological researc
Publisher: Croatian Sociological Society, Institute of Sociology at Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb
Year: 2021
ISSN 1849-0360 (Online)
Abstract
The conservation of wolves in modern European landscapes has proven to be very challenging due to several different problems related to their presence and controversies about how they are managed. The Republic of Croatia is one of the few wolf-dwelling areas in Europe today.
This article presents the analysis of recent scientific papers on the socio-economic and cultural effects of wolves on local communities. In addition to the analysis of relevant scientific research, the article presents the results from the first research on the socio-economic and cultural impact of wolves in Croatia. The research was conducted in the period between July and October 2019 in local communities in which wolves are traditionally present. The main hypothesis was that the higher quality of information about the wolf population will lead to improved monitoring, management, and acceptance of wolves in the local communities. The results indicate the need for better education, stronger cross-sectoral cross-border cooperation to increase the understanding of the wolf population and their impact on sustainable local development, and the need for the joint conservation of natural and cultural heritage.
