Speaker: Max Eriksson, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract: In 1966, at a time where Sweden had at most a handful of wolves, the grey wolf was listed as a protected species. Since then, the Swedish wolf population has increased in size and in 2018, there were approximately 309 individuals in Sweden. In tandem with the growing wolf population, the Swedish public has also grown increasingly polarized with respect to the wolf issue, and social conflicts over wolf policy have become among the most pervasive environmental conflicts in Sweden. I present an overview of the Swedish wolf conflict using survey data collected in Sweden during the period 2004 – 2014. First I establish a growing attitude divide between urban and rural members of the Swedish public and then go on to explain this development in terms of direct experiences with wolves and a general dissatisfaction with the political system (or political alienation).