Wild boar in the Forest of Dean UK, reverse-NIMBYism, and the need for conscientious management.

UK Wild boar has been present in the Forest of Dean, UK, since an unofficial reintroduction in 1999. Since this reintroduction, the population has shown rapid growth despite culling, and numbers are estimated to be between 1,200 and 1,500 individuals in the Forest of Dean. Alongside this increase in wild boar population there has been increasing negative interactions between people and wild boar, and negative socioeconomic effects to the local communities. Data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews between 2016 and 2019. Study participants were asked about their experiences with wild boar, their view on media about wild boar, and economic effects of the wild boar. Forty five percent of study participants reported negative experiences with wild boar in the Forest of Dean. This was associated with a sense of safety in the area. The majority of negative interactions were whilst walking a dog both on and off the lead, with further negative interactions when walking, cycling, or driving a vehicle. Opinions on media messages showed that national media was positive about wild boar, whereas local media was negative towards wild boar. This has created a sense of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome and reverse-NIMBYism. The majority of study participants did not suffer negative economic effects, however for those who did these were significant in cost. Of these costs the most common was property fence repair. Conscientious management (i.e., listening to and working with local communities), could be used to mitigate some of these issues. Such examples include, having a fund to relieve the economic costs of wild boar, and working with the communities to reduce negative interactions and increase positive interactions through wild boar experiences and education. Further education needs to occur nationally where negative effects of wild boar are publicised as well as positive messages.