Landowner attitudes toward elk in Minnesota: tolerance, management acceptability, and support for restoring an elk population

Abstract

Elk (Cervus canadensis) are a charismatic species in Minnesota that provide ecological, social, cultural, and economic benefits, though conflict occurs with landowners due to damage to agriculture and private property. My research goals were to understand the impact of psychological factors on tolerance of elk populations and acceptability of management actions in northwest Minnesota among farming and non-farming landowners, and the impact of psychological factors on support for restoring an elk population in northeast Minnesota. To fulfill these objectives, I conducted two surveys of landowners in Minnesota using mail-based questionnaires. I surveyed 3,000 landowners within my study area in northwest Minnesota, with a 41% response rate. First, I used a structural equation model to assess the impact of attitudes toward elk and wildlife acceptance capacity (WAC) on tolerance of elk. The results indicate that attitudes toward elk and WAC significantly influenced tolerance of elk, though attitudes had a larger effect on tolerance than WAC. Non-farmers were more tolerant of elk and had more positive attitudes toward elk than farmers. Second, I used ANOVA tests to examine the acceptability of nine proposed elk management actions among farming and non-farming landowners across four scenarios with increasing elk-related damage. Recreational hunting and food plots on public lands were most acceptable among landowners, though farmers were more accepting of damage payment and depredation permits than non-farmers. Whether landowners receive an income from farming had a larger effect on acceptability of management actions than elk-related damage. Third, I used data from a survey of 4,500 landowners within 5-miles of three proposed elk restoration areas in northeast Minnesota (60% response rate) and a structural equation model to examine the effects of social trust, personal control, perceived risk, and attitudes on support for restoring an elk population in northeast Minnesota. My model explained 66% of the variance in support for restoring an elk population. Attitudes toward elk had a significant, direct effect on support for restoring elk, and perceived risk had a significant, indirect effect on support. Overall, these findings can help inform management of elk in Minnesota to avoid conflict and increase long-term support.