How does the general public view the presence and management of wild boar in Flanders?
Sustainable and successful wildlife management requires a scientific basis and the support of the stakeholder groups involved in implementing the management measures, as well as that of the general public. Without public support, wildlife management often results in opposition, conflicts between stakeholder groups and political upheaval. The latter is certainly the case when management involves not only preventive measures but also the culling of animals.
Flemish hunting legislation therefore stipulates that INBO should periodically assess public support for the presence of wild boar and the policy surrounding them. INBO currently carries out this survey every three years, in collaboration with the research agency Indiville.
The results of the first three surveys (2017, 2020, 2023) were recently published and show that public support for wild boar is slowly declining. This is particularly evident in those municipalities where they are already present. At the same time, support for management measures such as electric fencing and hunting is increasing. During this period, the difference in attitudes widened not only between areas with and without wild boar, but also amongst residents living in municipalities with wild boar.
The results point to a growing risk of further polarisation within society. This heightens the need for locally tailored management strategies and proactive communication regarding the approach and practical limitations of management measures, if public support for wild boars and their management is to be maintained.
Jim Casaer, Anneleen Rutten
Trends in the three consecutive surveys regarding a number of measures that can be taken in the context of wild boar management. The further to the right the circles are, the greater the level of agreement. The distance between the centres of the circles reflects the differences between years or between people in municipalities with versus those without wild boar. The size of the circles provides insight into the diversity of opinion within a group. A small circle indicates a high degree of consensus, whilst a large circle suggests a wide range of opinions. Over the years, we see that for certain measures there are greater differences in opinion between the general public in areas with wild boar and those without, but also that the diversity of opinion within each of these groups is increasing.
Image above: photo by Gert Wouters