ABSTRACT

Preventing human-wildlife conflict (HWC) constitutes a substantial challenge for wildlife agencies. The literature on HWC is primarily focused on public understanding of and perceptions toward HWC issues and on mitigation interventions, which often involve public education and outreach. Yet, the non-formal education and community outreach capacities of wildlife professionals remain relatively under-studied. This study develops new insights into the professional development (PD) needs of wildlife professionals relevant to non-formal education and community outreach aimed at mitigating HWC. Using data generated through a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess the self-efficacy of respondents in non-formal education and community outreach skill areas, this study proposes a PD sequence that prioritizes the relevant HWC training needs of a sample of wildlife professionals from the Four Corners region of the United States. The sequence spans curriculum development, media engagement, and evaluation. Recommendations for practice and future research are provided.

摘要

预防人类与野生动物冲突 (HWC) 对野生动物机构​​来说是一项重大挑战。关于 HWC 的文献主要关注公众对 HWC 问题的理解和看法以及缓解干预措施，这通常涉及公众教育和外展。然而，野生动物专业人员的非正规教育和社区外展能力仍然相对缺乏研究。本研究对与旨在减轻 HWC 的非正规教育和社区外展相关的野生动物专业人员的专业发展 (PD) 需求提出了新的见解。使用通过自我管理问卷生成的数据，该问卷旨在评估受访者在非正规教育和社区外展技能领域的自我效能，本研究提出了一个 PD 序列，该序列优先考虑来自美国四个角落地区的野生动物专业人员样本的相关 HWC 培训需求。该序列涵盖课程开发、媒体参与和评估。提供了实践和未来研究的建议。