Year of Award
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Science (MS)
Degree Name
Wildlife Biology
Department or School/College
Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences / W.A. Franke College of Forestry
Committee Chair
Alexander L. Metcalf
Committee Co-chair
Sarah N. Sells
Commitee Members
William L. Rice
Keywords
grizzly bear, black bear, human dimensions, structured decision making, Ursus arctos horribilis, Ursus americanus
Subject Categories
Natural Resources and Conservation | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Human-bear conflict is increasingly driven by the expansion of human development into bear habitat and the availability of unsecured anthropogenic attractants. Although attractant securement is widely recognized as one of the most effective strategies for reducing conflicts, implementation remains uneven across communities and individual landowners. Communities differ in ecological conditions, attractant diversity, and resource constraints, making it difficult to determine which mitigation actions to prioritize. At the same time, individuals often manage multiple attractants on their property and make decisions of which to secure, when to act, and how to interpret risk within a broader social context. This thesis examines attractant management as a multi-level prioritization problem operating at both community and household scales. First, we used structured decision-making to evaluate and prioritize attractants based on their contribution to conflict risk, cost, and feasibility, using expert elicitation and a portfolio-based approach. Second, we conducted semi-structured interviews with landowners in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley to investigate how risk perception, reference groups, and lived experience shape individual securement decisions. Together, these findings advance understanding of how attractant management operates across scales in communities facing human-bear conflicts.
Recommended Citation
Baize, Anna L., "Collective Action and Prioritization in Human-Bear Conflicts: A Multi-Scale Approach to Attractant Management" (2026). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12641.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12641
© Copyright 2026 Anna L. Baize