ANALYSING STAKEHOLDERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE WOLF IN THE SILA NATIONAL PARK AREA, ITALY (Análisis de las percepciones de los stakeholders sobre el lobo en la zona del Parque Nacional de Sila, Italia)

Although coexistence between wolves and humans is possible and desirable, especially in protected areas such as the Sila National Park, nevertheless it is often a source of tension. The debate on cohabitation and conflicts between humans and wolves remains open and controversial, suggesting the importance of taking into account the perceptions of all stakeholders. The study analyzes the perceptions of 3 groups of stakeholders (general public, experts, farmers) in relation to different factors and investigates which interventions can mitigate conflicts related to coexistence. Among the results, we noted that the majority of respondents consider positive the presence of the wolf in the Park area; but only the experts considers positive this presence in the territory in general, while the other two groups express opposite or neutral opinion.