The existence of large carnivores depends to a large extent on successful coexistence with humans, so knowledge of stakeholder attitudes is of great importance for the conservation of large carnivores. Therefore, a public opinion survey among local residents, hunters and breeders was carried out at the start of the LIFE Lynx project and was repeated again in 2021. We were mostly interested to know more about the stakeholders’ attitudes towards lynx, beliefs about lynx, knowledge about lynx and opinions on different management measures.
The results of the survey show that respondents have a positive attitude towards lynx, they are in favor of both lynx conservation and the introduction of new specimens, especially hunters and the general public. Compared to some surveys carried out elsewhere in Europe, hunters here have a more positive attitude towards lynx, which could also be due to the fact that they are involved in lynx conservation and monitoring activities within the project. Despite the fact that breeders are the stakeholder group that expresses the least favorable attitudes towards lynx, their attitude towards the species is still generally positive and has even improved over the years.
More information on the survey can be found in the National Report for Slovenia 2021 (in Slovenian).
Results of the survey: “It is important to maintain lynx in Slovenia for future generations.” Top to bottom: general public, hunters, farmers. Dark green- completely agree, dark brown – completely disagree, grey – no opinion.