Human-wildlife coexistence: Ethical analysis through media content

Human-wildlife coexistence is a very complex issue that involves conflicts that need to be analysed and managed to minimise the negative impact on biodiversity and humankind. Human-wildlife conflicts entail ethical issues related to stakeholders’ values, and the ethical aspects are particularly important when conflicts concern the reintroduction and management of endangered large carnivores in human landscapes. Trentino’s current situation concerning brown bears is an exemplary scenario. This study thus investigated ethically relevant aspects of the case JJ4 using media content analysis. Indeed, media information has a huge impact on the general public’s opinion. We collected reports using Google News and used the statements they reported to fill an ethical matrix. The ethical matrix is a tool which can consider the point of view of relevant stakeholders following three general ethical principles: well-being, autonomy and fairness. In this study we filled the ethical matrix only through a bottom-up methodology in which the value demands report the interests, values, and needs directly expressed in mass media by representatives of different stakeholders. The preliminary results show that the viewpoints of some stakeholders are more frequently reported compared to others, especially politicians and animal rights activists. There is a lack of information about residents, hunters and farmers, even if they are directly involved in the coexistence with bears. This information gap risks to convey people’s perspectives. To support a more equal decision-making process in brown bear conservation a top-down approach is necessary to complete the ethical matrix in order to map all the interests and values involved.