Stakeholder Perspectives on Wild Pig Management in Alabama

Abstract

The wild pig (Sus scrofa) is a globally detrimental invasive species with negative economic, ecological, and public health impacts. Despite the well-known negative impacts associated with wild pigs, little is known about the human dimensions of their management. To address this lack of knowledge, my research goal was to determine stakeholder perspectives towards wild pig management. Specifically, I sought to evaluate stakeholder perspectives on the potential use of toxicants and understand wild pig management efforts on privately owned lands, the perceived impact of wild pigs, and policy beliefs. To address these questions, I surveyed farmers, hunters, and forestland owners across the state of Alabama. Overall my findings suggest stakeholders are generally accepting of toxicant use in wild pig management and that pigs have negative economic, ecological, and public health impacts. However less than half of landowners participate in wild pig control, but believe that the responsibility of managing and paying for damages associated with wild pigs lies with individual landowners. These findings informs managers and policy makers that improved wild pig management would be supported by the majority of stakeholders