People's Perceptions of Wildlife in the Landscape.

Ferm, Margaret H.

 

If you go for a walk in the country, and you see an eagle, or a deer, or a rabbit, how does that change your perception of the landscape? This is the question that inspired this research. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of wildlife on peoples perception of the landscape. Although there is a substantial body of research dealing with how people respond to landscapes, there is very little mention of wildlife as part of the landscape. Likewise, there has been much research on wildlife appreciation without consideration of the role of the landscape. This study was an attempt to bridge the gap between research on response to landscape and research on wildlife appreciation. Information obtained in this study may be valuable to managers and designers of natural areas that are used by people and wildlife. It may also be useful to wildlife proponents and those working to preserve habitat.

Several hypotheses were tested by this study:

1) Wildlife will increase preference for landscapes;

2) Wildlife will increase valuation ratings of landscapes;

3) The presence of wildlife will cause people to change their choice of preferred activity;

4) Wildlife will change peoples feelings about the landscape.

Slides were used to compare landscapes with wildlife to the same landscapes without wildlife. The response format was a questionnaire covering a range of responses: preference, value, choice of activity, and feeling. These components of perception were chosen for congruence with the work of other researchers, as well as for testing the stated hypotheses.

The results of the study showed several interesting patterns. Not all wildlife raised mean preference ratings for landscapes. Response was influenced more by the type of wildlife than the appeal of the landscape. Large mammals, birds in flight and prominently featured wildlife were the most likely to raise preference, probably due to their visibility. Other measures used in this study showed an association with preference. The slides with wildlife that were more preferred also showed changes in value, activity, and feeling. Value closely paralleled preference, though the scores seemed to be slightly higher overall. Activity choice was slightly affected by the presence of wildlife, especially when the impact of the wildlife was also strong enough to affect preference. The feeling engendered by a scene was changed by the presence of wildlife, though not all wildlife increased arousal. Some actually decreased it. Analysis of gender responses showed a surprising pattern. Females responded more to the presence of wildlife than males. Also, female response overall was consistently positive, in contrast to the often neutral or slightly negative response of males.