Recreational harvest and incident‐response management reduce human–carnivore conflicts in an anthropogenic landscape

摘要: Summary Conserving viable large carnivore populations requires managing their interactions with humans in increasingly anthropogenic landscapes. Faced declining budgets and escalating wildlife conflicts, agencies North America continue to grapple uncertainty surrounding the efficacy of socially divisive management actions such as harvest reduce conflict. We used multistate capture–reencounter methods estimate cause-specific mortality for a sample (>3500) American black bears Ursus americanus north-western New Jersey, USA over 33-year period. Specifically, we focused on factors that might influence probability being harvested, lethally managed, or dying from other causes. We further analysed temporal correlations between >26 000 human–black bear incidents reported 2001 2013 estimates total rates, specifically, rates newly implemented public hunts lethal management. Adult females were twice likely (0·163 ± 0·014) adult males (0·087 ± 0·012) be harvested during study Cubs (0·444 ± 0·025) yearlings (0·372 ± 0·022) had higher causes, primarily vehicle strikes, than adults (0·199 ± 0·008). Reports nuisance behaviours year t + 1 declined increasing resulting plus t (P = 0·028, R2 = 0·338). Adult previously designated and/or threat more (0·176 ± 0·025) those never identified problem (0·109 ± 0·010). Across age classes, individuals assigned status, significantly controlled. Synthesis applications. Given continuing failures conserving exploited carnivores, recreational remain polarizing. Within this social-ecological system, well-regulated carefully monitored represents pragmatic approach achieve population objectives. Furthermore, integration incident-response (both non-lethal practices) educational programmes aimed at reducing attractants can result subsequent reductions reported.