Hoeft, Allison (2022) Moving Towards Coexistence with Otters (Lutra lutra) in Lower Saxony. Master thesis.
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Abstract
Wildlife management is increasingly important to environmental planning as human development continues at the same time the need to protect endangered wildlife drastically rises. As the threatened Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) population redistributes across the German state of Lower Saxony after decades of conservation efforts, damage caused by otter predation on fishponds is becoming increasingly common. How to deal with the problem has created conflict between fishpond farmers who have to live with the damage otters cause and the conservationists and government who want to protect the species. Through a document analysis and semi-structured interviews, this research looks at how values, beliefs, and attitudes towards otters influence how otter damage is dealt with in the federal state. The results indicate that fish farmers, conservationists, and the government have closely related ideas of what methods should be used to remedy the damages caused by otters, but the negative beliefs behind the word ‘management’ has caused pause in finding an agreeable solution. The recommended use of wildlife damage management in the Lower Saxony helps rid the word ‘management’ of its negative connotations by giving a voice through participation to fishpond farmers, allowing for transparency and integration between governmental agencies, while also giving insight towards comprehensive and adaptable prevention and mitigation techniques.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Degree programme: | Environmental & Infrastructure Planning |
| Supervisor: | Margaritis, E. |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Sep 2022 08:55 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Sep 2022 08:55 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4056 |
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