The Intersection of Forest and Village in Northern Iran
Photo credit: Reyhane Rastgoo.

By Reyhane Rastgoo, Danial Nayeri, Alireza Mohammadi, Alistair J. Bath, and Mohammad S. Farhadinia.

Read the full paper here

Brown bears are large carnivores with widespread distribution. Across their range, they cause conflict with people. Northern Iran as an area with high density of bear population is no exception, especially in rural areas where they can damage crops or livestock. In this study we looked at how people in rural areas of northern Iran view brown bears and under what situations they favor killing brown bears.

We interviewed 390 people from 26 villages in Golestan Province, where human-bear conflicts are common. We asked about their attitudes towards bears and whether they thought killing a bear was acceptable in different situations, like seeing bear footprints near their home, spotting a bear close by, a bear causing damage, or a bear attacking someone.

We found that most people had a generally positive view of bears. However, those who had negative attitudes were more likely to support killing bears. People were more willing to kill a bear if it was causing serious problems, like an attack, rather than just being seen. Younger people, those with less education, and women were more likely to support killing bears. In contrast, people with alternative sources of income besides traditional activities like farming were less likely to support killing bears.

To reduce conflicts between people and bears, we suggest a few important steps. First, planning to leverage positive attitudes towards bears through strategies like building advocacy networks. Additionally, we should create education programs that involve women and younger people to help them deal with bear conflict better. It is also important to act quickly to solve conflicts in areas where problems with bears are common. Encouraging other ways to earn a living, like ecotourism, can help people depend less on farming and livestock, which are often affected by bears. We should also focus on ways to prevent and manage bear damage. Finally, it is important to focus efforts on areas where bear killings happen more often such as northern Iran. By understanding how people view bears and what influences their attitudes, we can find better ways to help humans and bears live together peacefully.