Bison-Rewilding-Plan-2014

in opposition to important resource and wildlifemanagement efforts (Miller and McGee 2001).Wildlife managers, for their part, acknowledge therights and influence of concerned and affectedmembers of the public and also recognise thatsuccessful public involvement efforts can reduceconflict, build trust and credibility betweenmanagers and the public (Bath and Enck 2003;Lafon et al. 2004), and forestall litigation by thosewho wish their voice to be heard (Lawrence andDeagen 2001).European bison are currently only livingin the Rewilding Europe project area in theEastern Carpathians; in all other project areaspeople are (as in the rest of Europe) unfamiliarwith living near bison. Educating people aboutthe ecology and role of the European bison inEuropean ecosystems is a key element of bisonconservation. Many methods are available to dothis, and the specific approach will depend onthe local context. However, these should ideallyembrace social-media and new technologiesin order to obtain a wide reach and appeal to awide audience. Co-operation with schools shouldalso be sought and field visits should become anintegral part of the biology curriculum of localschools. Part of working with schools shouldtherefore involve the development and provisionof special learning material on the Europeanbison and rewilding.Local communication regarding bison conservationwill be an integral part of supportingeducation and outreach elements of the project.Wider methods of advertising bison reintroductionprojects will also be vital in attracting internationalvisitors to the project areas. Release eventsshould be an opportunity to involve local peoplein bison conservation. Concerns of local peopletowards bison must be directly addressed in orderfor communities to feel engaged and supportive ofrewilding initiatives.Rewilding Europe will use different methods ofcommunicating to different stakeholders/targetaudiences, which should be carried out by theappropriate partners. The majority of Europeans,especially in Western Europe, have never heard ofthe European bison, and therefore one of RewildingEurope’s aims will be to make the European bisonan important conservation flagship species inEurope, and to encourage its partners to do thesame.Guiding principles:• Local people must be engaged from theoutset in order for reintroductions to beaccepted and sustained in the long term.• It is important to educate children at anearly stage about European bison andthe importance of maintaining viableecosystems for wildlife.• Local ownership over bison reintroductionprojects needs to be felt and valued.• It is important to promote the species andits role in the ecosystem.39