By Katrina Marsden, Marion Jay, Albin Blaschka, Kari Langöen, Yorgos Mertzanis, Tasos Hovardas, Valeria Salvatori, Laura Schwarz, Liam Singer, and Xenia Wietlisbach

Figure1. Sheep in an Alpine environment in France. For livestock breeders and shepherds, carrying out their work in challenging environments such as these, wolf attacks add an additional pressure.  Photo credit: Katrina Marsden

This Plain Language Summary is published in advance of the paper discussed. Please check back soon for a link to the full paper.

In our paper, we look at how trust between farmers and authorities affects the way wildlife damage is reported and managed, using the example of wolves in Europe. Wolves, can harm livestock. This often leads to conflict between people’s activities and efforts to protect nature. To make good decisions about policies and management, we need accurate information about the damage caused by wildlife. However, whether farmers trust the system for reporting damage can influence how honestly and fully they report it.

We looked at the situation several countries in Europe to see how different ways of governing and collecting information affect people’s trust in the system. We found four important factors: how a region is governed and coordinated; how quickly authorities respond; the role of the inspector; and how much compensation is given. These factors all affect whether farmers trust the system enough to report damage properly.

From our experience, we believe that building trust leads to better reporting and management of wildlife damage. Trust can be improved by training inspectors not just in technical skills but also in how they interact with people, making sure compensation is fair and paid quickly, and keeping communication clear between authorities and farmers. The way the system is set up also matters—a balance is needed between being flexible and being stable. By working on these areas, we can help people and wildlife live together better, supporting both farming and conservation.