Around the world, populations of iconic predators – mammals such as gray wolves, jaguars, tigers, African lions, and brown bears, along with sharks – are declining. While those species are suffering for a variety of reasons, one of the main sources of mortality is human in origin. Scientists and policy-makers have concluded that promoting human tolerance is critical to the success of conservation programs aimed at preserving these most iconic of species. But how do we turn humans from enemies into allies?

An important and excellent paper, ‘Tolerance for Predatory Wildlife‘ by Adrian Treves and Jeremy Bruskotter, explores the factors that support tolerance and the pressures that don’t.