Public support for military conservation: Understanding public opinion to the ‘war on poachers’ in three countries
基于印度、印尼和南非的全国调查，研究了公众对军队管理保护区、加强反偷猎惩罚及扩大军队权力的态度，发现总体支持但偏好非军事管理。
The efforts made by states to curb wildlife poaching increasingly involve the deployment of military forces, especially in countries of the Global South. This shift towards a “war on poachers” can include measures such as shoot-on-sight policies, raising concerns about civil and human rights. While previous research has emphasized the perspectives of local communities, law enforcement, or hunters, to the best of our knowledge little is known about broader public support—an important factor for policy legitimacy and effectiveness. In this article, we examine public attitudes towards: (a) private and public protected areas managed by the military, (b) stronger criminal sanctions against poaching, and (c) granting expanded authority to the military to combat poaching. Using original national surveys from India, Indonesia, and South Africa—countries that have implemented aspects of militarized conservation—we found generally positive attitudes for military management of protected areas. In India and Indonesia, however, respondents still preferred non-military management when given a direct comparison. Across all three samples, people tended to support increasing military powers, particularly against commercial poaching. Respondents also favored maintaining or strengthening punishments for poachers. We conclude by identifying avenues for future research into the drivers of public support for militarized conservation.