Human‐carnivore coexistence is a multi‐faceted issue that requires an understanding of the diverse attitudes and perspectives of the communities living with large carnivores. To inform initiatives that encourage behaviors in line with conservation goals, we focused on assessing the two components of attitudes (i.e., feelings and beliefs), as well as norms of local communities coexisting with Apennine brown bears ( Ursus arctos marsicanus ) for a long time. This bear population is under serious extinction risks due to its persistently small population size, which is currently confined to the long‐established protected area of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (PNALM) and its surrounding region in central Italy. We interviewed 1,611 residents in the PNALM to determine attitudes and values toward bears. We found that support for the bear's legal protection was widespread throughout the area, though beliefs about the benefits of conserving bears varied across geographic administrative districts. Our results showed that residents across our study areas liked bears. At the same time, areas that received more benefits from tourism were more strongly associated with positive feelings toward bears. Such findings provide useful information to improve communication efforts of conservation authorities with local communities.

The trade in bear parts for medicine and for status is a conservation challenge throughout Asia. The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) are endemic to this region, and populations are estimated to have declined throughout their ranges due to widespread illegal killing of bears and trade in parts, combined with loss of habitat. Previous studies have indicated that legislation alone is insufficient to prevent illegal hunting and trade, indicating instead a need to address demand for bear parts and products. We conducted mixed-method surveys in Cambodia to understand the key motivators for individuals to consume bear parts, and to understand whether specialised questioning techniques are applicable in this context. Bear part use is illegal in Cambodia and may therefore be considered a sensitive behaviour, in that individuals may be reluctant to admit to it. To counteract possible biases, four specialised questioning techniques were used in this study: randomised response technique (RRT), unmatched count technique (UCT), nominative technique (NT), and false consensus bias (FCB). All four methods serve to shield a respondent’s admittance of a sensitive behaviour from the interviewer. The results presented here show that great variability exists in anonymous methods’ efficacy in certain contexts. However, the results overall indicate that individuals in Cambodia are under-reporting their consumption of bear parts when directly asked, and that the prevalence of bear part use in Cambodia may be as high as 15% of the population, representing a significant conservation challenge.

The combination of increasing trade across an ever more globalized world and the ubiquity of social media access has led to unprecedented levels of wildlife exploitation. In this study, we opportunistically surveyed Instagram and Telegram from 2019 to 2020, two of Iran's most prominent social media platforms, for advertisements of illegally captured wildlife in Iran. In total we documented 305 advertisements for 63 species, including birds (29%), amphibians (27%), reptiles (26%), and mammals (17%). Trade was most active in June, which may be due to increased availability of young animals, following spring births. The majority of the species advertised for sale (65%) were classified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Least Concern, and 5% of the species we documented as being traded are Endangered. Some Endangered species advertised for sale were Caspian seal and Saker falcon. While the sale of all species is illegal in Iran, 25% of species were also listed on CITES as being prohibited for international trade. However, these domestic and international laws are not well‐enforced within Iran, in light of the scale of open trade we observed. We recommend that authorities devote more time to monitoring these online platforms, and that resources are provided to in‐country enforcement efforts during the spring and summer, the observed peak of capture and trade. We also suggest that further research be conducted into the sources of wildlife, motivations for selling wildlife, and motivations for purchasing wildlife.

Unsustainable wildlife trade is a well-publicized area of international concern in Laos. Historically rich in both ethnic and biological diversity, Laos has emerged in recent years as a nexus for cross-border trade in floral and faunal wildlife, including endangered and threatened species. However, there has been little sustained research into the scale and scope of consumption of wildlife by Laos nationals themselves. Here, we conducted 100 semistructured interviews to gain a snapshot of consumption of wildlife in northern Laos, where international and in some cases illegal wildlife trade is known to occur. We found that although bear bile for medicine was the most common product consumed, individuals also used a variety of other products, including animals considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN. The majority of animals we found consumed are classified as “Vulnerable” or “Least Threatened” by the IUCN; however, sufficient demand for a species can cause increased, rapid decline in the species’ population and significantly increase the challenge of conserving them. These results therefore illuminate where conservation priorities should shift towards, so that stable-yet-consumed species do not mirror the fate of highly trafficked animals.