Understanding the Hidden Costs and Benefits of Living With Grizzly Bears in Montana

Wildlife sometimes impose unmitigated costs and provide unevenly distributed benefits that exacerbate conflict among people or between wildlife and groups of people. Although previous research has primarily focused on the visible effects of wildlife, reducing conflict will require a broader understanding of wildlife effects on human well-being. Using a “noticing, collecting, thinking” analysis of 25 interviews with people living near grizzly bears in Montana, USA, we provide a nuanced profile of their perceived costs and benefits, including hidden and nonmaterial effects. Interviewees described the interconnected nature of grizzly bear effects on people, where visible effects on livelihoods, health, social relations, personal security, and freedom led to negative hidden effects such as threats to cultural identity and diminished perceptions of livelihood sustainability. Positive effects included enhanced mental, spiritual, and cultural well-being, such as enhanced feelings of connection to wild places. We discuss how this broader understanding of wildlife costs and benefits helps provide a more thorough understanding of the effects of living with grizzly bears.野生动物有时会带来无法缓解的损失，且所提供的收益分布不均，这会加剧人类内部或人类与野生动物群体之间的冲突。尽管既往研究主要聚焦于野生动物所产生的显性影响，但要缓解人与野生动物的冲突，就需要更全面地理解野生动物对人类福祉的作用。本研究针对美国蒙大拿州与灰熊（grizzly bear）栖息地相邻的25位居民开展访谈，采用“察觉-收集-思考”分析框架，对受访者感知到的损失与收益（包括隐性影响与非物质层面影响）进行了细致刻画。受访者提及了灰熊对人类影响的关联性：其对生计、健康、社会关系、人身安全与行动自由产生的显性影响，会进一步引发诸如文化认同受到威胁、生计可持续性感知下降等隐性负面影响。积极影响则涵盖了精神、心灵与文化福祉的提升，例如与荒野之地的联结感得到增强。本研究还探讨了这种对野生动物损益的全面认知，如何有助于更深入地理解与灰熊共存所产生的各类影响。