Dataset Information

Not in My Backyard: Public Perceptions of Wildlife and 'Pest Control' in and around UK Homes, and Local Authority 'Pest Control'.

ABSTRACT: Human-wildlife conflict occurs globally. Attempts to control 'pest' wildlife involve killing and harming the welfare of animals on a vast scale. We examined public perceptions of 10 wildlife species/groups and wildlife management, in and around UK homes, and public authority 'pest control' provision, in an effort to identify ethical, welfare-friendly ways to reduce conflict. Most people reported never having problems with each of the 10 species, and reported problems for some species were largely tolerated. Wasps, mice, and rats were the most frequently problematic species, the least tolerated, and those for which local authorities most often offered pest control services. Do-It-Yourself pest control was preferred over professional control, except for with wasps. People wanted control to be quick, lasting, and safe for people and non-target animals. Where people accepted lethal control, they were nevertheless concerned for animal welfare. Drivers of pest status were complex, while drivers of demand for control were fewer and species-specific. Local authority pest control provision increased over the four years studied, but only half of councils offered advice on preventing/deterring wildlife; this advice was patchy and variable in quality. Greater focus is required on preventing/deterring rather than controlling wildlife problems. Councils should provide standardised, comprehensive advice on prevention/deterrence and prevention/deterrence services.

SUBMITTER: Baker SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7071040 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Not in My Backyard: Public Perceptions of Wildlife and 'Pest Control' in and around UK Homes, and Local Authority 'Pest Control'.

Baker Sandra E SE Maw Stephanie A SA Johnson Paul J PJ Macdonald David W DW

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20200130 2

Human-wildlife conflict occurs globally. Attempts to control 'pest' wildlife involve killing and harming the welfare of animals on a vast scale. We examined public perceptions of 10 wildlife species/groups and wildlife management, in and around UK homes, and public authority 'pest control' provision, in an effort to identify ethical, welfare-friendly ways to reduce conflict. Most people reported never having problems with each of the 10 species, and reported problems for some species were largel ...[more]

PMID: 32019151

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Project description:BackgroundHuman-wildlife conflict (HWC) is forecasted to increase globally in the vicinity of protected areas and covers various dimensions. It occurs in several different contexts and involves a range of animal taxonomic groups where the needs and requirements intersect with humans' needs and development. More often, human-monkey conflict occurs in developing countries and is amongst the main threats to biodiversity conservation in these regions. Grivet monkeys are slender agile monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus. This study was conducted to investigate the status of human grivet monkey conflict and the attitude of local communities towards grivet monkey conservation in and around Wof-Washa Natural State Forest (WWNSF), Ethiopia from September 2017 to May 2018. A questionnaire survey (143 respondents) was used to study the human-grivet monkey conflict and its conservation status.ResultsThe majority of respondents (male = 67.1%; female = 74.1%) were not supporting grivet monkey conservation due to the troublesome crop-damaging effect of the animal. Respondents having settlements/farmland nearer to the forest have significantly negative perceptions towards grivet monkey conservation than those far from it. The majority of respondents opined that eradication/relocation of grivet monkeys and financial compensation are the options to mitigate human-grivet monkey conflict. Based on the questionnaire result, 42.5 ± SD 8.68 of respondents in all villages elucidated that the main cause of crop damage by grivet monkeys was habitat degradation.ConclusionIn the study area, Human-Grivet Monkey Conflict (HGMC) is exacerbated by the encroachment of local communities into the forest area, exploitation of resources that would be used by grivet monkeys, and enhanced crop damage by grivet monkeys. As a result grivet monkeys have been persecuted as a consequence of crop damage. This was due to the negative attitude developed from human perspective. Thus, awareness creation education programs and feasible crop damage prevention techniques need to be implemented.

Project description:BackgroundIn many jurisdictions, the pharmacist's role continues to evolve from drug distribution-based service delivery to expanded scopes of practice, including independent prescribing of medications.ObjectivesTo assess health authority-based pharmacists' attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about independent prescribing, to determine how independent prescribing may affect their behaviour, and to identify perceived barriers and enablers to incorporating it into their practice.MethodsAn anonymous, cross-sectional online survey of 677 health authority-based pharmacists employed by Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services in British Columbia collected information in the following domains: demographic characteristics; attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions regarding pharmacist prescribing; anticipated effect of pharmacist prescribing on behaviour; likelihood of applying for this authority, if granted; and barriers and enablers to applying for prescribing authority and incorporating prescribing into their practice. A multivariate regression analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 266 pharmacists (39.3%) responded to the survey. Most respondents agreed that prescribing is important to the profession and relevant to their practice, and that it might enhance job satisfaction. Additionally, respondents agreed that they had the expertise to prescribe. Respondents perceived prescribing as having the potential to positively affect behaviour, including deprescribing, prescribing at time of discharge or transfer, and renewing medications. Enablers to applying for pharmacist prescribing authority included perceived positive impact on patient care and the profession, level of support from management and coworkers, and personal ability. No barriers were identified. About two-thirds of pharmacists indicated they would likely apply for prescribing authority if it were granted through legislation. Pharmacists with a clinical practice or research role were significantly more likely to apply to be a prescriber, whereas those with more than 10 years of experience were less likely to apply.ConclusionsIn this study, health authority-based pharmacists held positive attitudes and beliefs about the value and impact of independent prescribing of medications on their practice and the profession. There were no perceived barriers to applying for prescribing authority or to incorporating prescribing into practice.

Project description:Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is an important combinable break crop in the UK, which is largely protected from arthropod pests by insecticidal chemicals. Despite ongoing debate regarding the use of neonicotinoids, the dominant seed treatment ingredients used for this crop, there is little publicly available data comparing the efficacy of insecticides in controlling key arthropod pests or comparing the impacts on non-target species and the wider environment. To provide an insight into these matters, a UK-wide expert survey targeting agronomists and entomologists was conducted from March to June 2015. Based on the opinions of 90 respondents, an average of 20% yield loss caused by the key arthropod pests was expected to have occurred in the absence of insecticide treatments. Relatively older chemical groups were perceived to have lower efficacy for target pests than newer ones, partly due to the development of insecticide resistance. Without neonicotinoid seed treatments, a lack of good control for cabbage stem flea beetle was perceived. Wide spectrum foliar insecticide sprays were perceived to have significantly greater negative impacts than seed treatments on users' health, natural enemies, pollinators, soil and water, and many foliar active ingredients have had potential risks for non-target arthropod species in UK oilseed rape fields for the past 25 years. Overall, 72% of respondents opposed the neonicotinoid restriction, while 10% supported it. Opposition and support of the restriction were largely based on concerns for pollinators and the wider environment, highlighting the uncertainty over the side effects of neonicotinoid use. More people from the government and research institutes leaned towards neutrality over the issue, compared to those directly involved in growing the crop. Neonicotinoid restriction was expected to result in greater effort and expenditure on pest control and lower production (0-1 t/ha less). Alternatives for future oilseed rape protection were then discussed.

Dataset Information

Not in My Backyard: Public Perceptions of Wildlife and 'Pest Control' in and around UK Homes, and Local Authority 'Pest Control'.

Publications

Not in My Backyard: Public Perceptions of Wildlife and 'Pest Control' in and around UK Homes, and Local Authority 'Pest Control'.

Similar Datasets

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