Shanghai residents attitudes towards raccoon dogs

Human-wildlife interactions become increasingly common in urban areas
across all continents and ecosystem types. Depending on the context,
human-wildlife interactions can be categorized as harmonious, neutral, or
in conflict and raise cultural, economic, and ecological challenges in
maintaining urban biodiversity. Understanding the mechanism behind the
tolerance of residents to the presence of wildlife is vital to promoting a
harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife in urban environments.
To advance our knowledge of this mechanism, we developed a questionnaire
to survey residents in Shanghai, China about their knowledge of and
attitude towards raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), a species whose
population is increasing in urban areas. Using 281 questionnaires, we
conducted structural equation modeling to examine how relational values,
including familiarity with raccoon dogs, perceived benefits and risks,
together with residents’ trust in wildlife management authorities,
interactively influence the tolerance for this species. We found
that the residents’ familiarity with raccoon dogs positively influenced
their tolerance, both directly and indirectly through increased perceived
benefits and reduced perceived risks. Furthermore, trust in wildlife
management authorities contributed to higher tolerance through perceived
benefits. Our results suggested that education about the relational values
of raccoon dogs to the public can reduce the traditional negative
connotation for this species and promote the coexistence of people and
raccoon dogs in the Shanghai urban environment. Based on our
understanding of how raccoon dogs were culturally constructed and the
willingness of residents to share landscapes with the species, we advocate
that relational values play an important role in future urban biodiversity
conservation planning. We also advocate for education programs that
familiarize the public with raccoon dogs as well as other species, which
can turn urban human-wildlife conflicts into harmonious relationships in
Shanghai and other urban areas.