We are the ones at risk of extinction! Attitudes toward wolves of farmers involved in the conservation of sheep biodiversity

The growing wolf population in the eastern Italian Alps results in increasing livestock attacks, particularly affecting smallholder farms rooted in traditional practices. The adoption of protective measures increases management costs and workload, diminishes farmers’ quality of life, and fails to mitigate their animosity towards wolves. The challenge of wolf-human coexistence in rural areas necessitates management strategies that balance wolf conservation with support for the livestock sector. Assessing farmers’ attitudes is crucial for fostering dialogue and defining shared solutions. Existing studies have highlighted strong negative sentiments among farmers. This article delves into the perspectives of a specific group of farmers actively engaged in the conservation of sheep biodiversity. The research question is: How do these farmers navigate the coexistence with wolves? A moral economy approach is employed to explore their views, practices, protective actions, and expectations of public and social support. A content analysis methodology is applied to data collected through twenty in-depth interviews. The findings reveal that interactions with wolves exacerbate an already fragile sector, putting it at risk of extinction. Farmers feel threatened both in their businesses and in the collective project of biodiversity conservation and land care. Farmers’ moral values, concerns for the loss of social legitimacy, decline in nature stewardship, and sense of abandonment by decision-makers affect their financial decisions.