Part III: Conservation and Management368
Lessons Learned from Engaging the Public in
Wild Boar Management in Italy
To start a dialogue and set the foundation for long-lasting collab-
orative work between communities and decision makers, there is
a need to develop HDW approaches focused on listening, engag-
ing, and sharing responsibilities with the public (Decker et al.
2012). A holistic participatory approach enables decision mak-
ers to: (1) better understand participants’ dispositions toward a
species; (2) identify and prioritize actions that are supported by
participants; (3) share responsibilities and encourage commu-
nities’ collaboration on wildlife management and conservation;
and (4) enhance the public willingness to coexist with wildlife.
Nevertheless, if listening, engaging, and sharing responsibilities
with the public lacks continuity or is partially or superficially
executed, there are high chances that the HDW approach used
to address human–wildlife interactions will fail (Dovers et al.
2015; Frank et al. 2015). A facilitated decision-making project
on wild boar management in Italy is used as a case study in this
section to discuss the opportunities offered by, and the pitfalls
behind, applying HDW participatory approaches.Project Overview
An HDW project was initiated in 2007 by the Regional Park
Agency of Lazio Region (ARP) and the Memorial University
of Newfoundland, Canada, to address increasing human–wild
boar issues in and around protected areas in Lazio region,
Italy. Two case study areas were selected for this project: the
Circeo National Park (CNP) and the Regional Nature Reserve
Nazzano-Tevere-Farfa (RNR NTF) (Figure 33.1).
In CNP, the estimated density of wild boars is 9–11 individu-
als per 100 ha (Amici & Serrani 2004). Since 1990, the species has
been managed through population control (i.e. culling). Most
of the territory of this park (56 per cent) is covered by wooded
areas rich in natural food sources for wild boars (i.e. acorns,
chestnuts, pine kernels). Another 18 per cent of the national
park is covered by agricultural land and 11 per cent by humansettlements. Sabaudia (17,171 residents) and San Felice Circeo
(8218 residents) (ISTAT 2004) are the major towns within the
boundaries of this protected area.
The RNR NTF has an estimated wild boar density of 15
individuals per 100 ha (ARP 2010). Since 2009, the species has
been managed through population control. From 2006 to 2009,
the protected area allocated an average of 17 per cent (€40,000)
of the yearly budget to pay for compensation and 5 per cent
(€12,000) to provide preventive measures (Frank et al. 2015).
This reserve accounts for the highest incidence of wild boar
impacts in the Lazio region due to the small extension of pro-
tected territory not covered by water, the limited availability of
natural food sources for wild boars, and the presence of agri-
cultural land. While there are no residents living in RNR NTF,
the area is surrounded by dense human settlements, such as
the villages of Nazzano (1251 residents), Torrita Tiberina (932
residents), Filacciano (502 residents), and Montopoli di Sabina
(4242 residents) (ISTAT 2004).
While CNP is at an early stage of conflict with wild boar,
problems with the species are already engrained and wide-
spread around RNR NTF. To understand if and how perceptions
toward wild boar vary depending on the degree of conflict per-
ceived and experienced by the public, the first stage of the HDW
project consisted of conducting a survey on attitudes toward the
species and its management in the two study areas.Listening to the Public
To start listening to the public and documenting concerns about
wild boar and its management, a close-ended questionnaire was
administered through face-to-face interviews in both areas. The
survey included questions about: attitudes, beliefs, experience
and knowledge, wild boar management, and demographic char-
acteristics. Participants indicated on Likert-type scales their
level of agreement or disagreement toward the various ques-
tions. The appropriate sample size for each community within
the territory of the protected areas (Sheskin 1985; Hall & Hall
1996; Vaske 2008) was calculated from the most recent nationalRegional Nature
Reserve Nazzano-
Tevere-FarfaCirceo National Park9918 27
MilesN1:800.0004,5 0Figure 33.1 Map of the system of Protected Nature Areas of
Lazio Region (41°53′ 35 ′′N , 12 ° 28′ 58 ′′E). Protected areas are shown
in grey on the map. The two protected areas used as case studies
are highlighted in black and circled..03512:55:49