Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-23-2025
Department
College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Abstract
Pumas (Puma concolor) are among the species identified as having the potential to enhance ecosystem function. Previous research highlights sufficient ecological habitat to support pumas in the eastern United States; however, their reintroduction requires social and institutional support as well. To this end, we conducted research to assess attitudes about puma reintroduction among key constituencies like hunters, rural residents, and young people. We sampled 2756 respondents across seven states (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia). Ratios of strong support (for puma reintroduction) to strong opposition across states ranged from 4:1 to 13:1, and support outweighed opposition in every state. Our results contrasted with common assumptions that hunters, rural residents, and people who identify as politically conservative oppose carnivore conservation and reintroduction. We found marginal differences among categories of people, but overall little variation in support exhibited by different groups. People who identified very strongly as hunters were more supportive of reintroduction than those who did not identify as hunters at all. Taken together, the presence of quality habitat and support for puma restoration warrant further exploration. However, federal funding for state-based restoration efforts likely requires the inclusion of pumas in State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), which are currently under a 10-year revision due to be published this year (2025).
Publication Title
Conservation Science and Practice
Recommended Citation
Elbroch, L.,
Murphy, J.,
Carlson, S.,
Vucetich, J. A.,
Berl, R.,
Galiardi, L.,
Perry, S.,
Butler, T.,
Carter, N.,
Hinton, J.,
Moehrenschlager, A.,
Carrollo, E.,
Bayrakcismith, R.,
&
Bruskotter, J.
(2025).
Public support for puma reintroduction in the eastern United States.
Conservation Science and Practice,
7(8).
http://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70105
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p2/1912
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Conservation Science and Practice published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70105