By Alyona Koshkina, Svitlana Kudrenko, Andrés Ordiz, Saltanat Kamiyeva, Adam Devenish, and Johannes Kamp.
In our study we explored how people in Kazakhstan feel about wolves and what drives those feelings. Kazakhstan, where livestock production is a major land use, has a large wolf population and a long history of wolf presence. However, little is known about the relationship between people and wolves in this region.
To investigate this, we interviewed 1,068 people from diverse backgrounds, including those living in rural and urban areas, hunters, and livestock owners. We also covered various landscapes in the country – steppe, desert, and high mountains – to ensure a comprehensive view.
Our findings revealed that, people in Kazakhstan generally were neutral or positive towards wolves, despite their large numbers in the country. However, people’s feelings become much more negative when it comes to wolves inhabiting their own regions. Livestock owners and hunters had more negative attitudes than general public; women were more negative towards wolves than men; rural residents were more antagonistic than people from cities. These negative feelings largely come from fear and lack of understanding of wolf behavior, as well as general system of values people have related to wildlife.
Overall, majority of people (>50%) considered wolf a part of natural heritage and important hunting species and only a small proportion (16%) of people considered that wolves in Kazakhstan should be eliminated.
Based on our findings, we recommend following key steps to foster coexistence with wolves in Kazakhstan:
- Investigate what drives wolf attacks on humans, including the role of rabies
- Test the effectiveness of traditional and innovative methods to protect livestock in Kazakh rangelands
- Map wolf distribution and population densities to inform evidence-based management strategies
Relational Thinking 