I am an interdisciplinary researcher interested in advancing knowledge about human-environment interactions to improve sustainability and resilience in socio-ecological systems. More specifically, I explore ecological, ethical, and psychological foundations of human behaviors that are directly or indirectly related to biodiversity stewardship, spanning issues from water to wolves. The common thread among these diverse projects is the goal of finding solutions that improve human welfare and biodiversity conservation. See more at mllute.com and researchgate.net/profile/Michelle_Lute Phone: 2196284910
Citizens often have preferences about the role of science and public opinion in wildlife manageme... more Citizens often have preferences about the role of science and public opinion in wildlife management (Skogen, 2003). Understanding public attitudes about each approach could aid planning efforts and increase legitimacy. We examined citizen preferences toward wolf hunting as a management tool in Michigan. Our objectives were to: (a) assess attitudes toward “technical knowledge” and “public input” as preferred components of decisionmaking processes for wolf management and (b) explore sociodemographic characteristics underlying such attitudes. We used a random-digit dial telephone survey to contact Michigan citizens with landlines (n = 979) between May 18 and July 13, 2010. Questions were administered as part of the quarterly State of the State Survey conducted by the Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. Detailed information on research methods is available at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michelle_Lute. We asked respondents to consider two statements about roles for scientific and public inputs in wolf hunting decisions (i.e., “Wolves should only be hunted if biologists believe the wolf population can sustain a hunt” and “The decision to hunt wolves should be made by public vote”). Responses were measured on 5-point scales ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Among participants who responded to both questions (n = 915), 10% agreed with neither statement; 29% agreed with only the need for biological assessment; 11% agreed with only the need for public vote; and 50% agreed with both biological and public inputs. To identify factors related to this variation in respondent preferences, we conducted two multivariate ordered probit analyses. Preferences varied by region (Figure 1). Controlling for other factors, residents of the Northern Lower Peninsula—an area with the potential for wolf recolonization in the immediate future—reported significantly less
The data instrument is attached to the manuscript file as supplementary information. Michigan Sta... more The data instrument is attached to the manuscript file as supplementary information. Michigan State University’s Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects IRB# x10-394 reviewed and approved all methods and procedures used in this research. A committee-approved informed consent was obtained in verbal form due to potential participant illiteracy. In instances where participants approved use of a digital voice recorder, consent was documented digitally. In all instances, participants had to verbally consent to participate in the study before data collection commenced
Although many studies explore characteristics of stakeholders or publics "for" or "... more Although many studies explore characteristics of stakeholders or publics "for" or "against" carnivores, disagreements among conservation professionals advocating different conservation strategies also occur and are not well recognized. Differing viewpoints on whether and how humans can share landscapes with large carnivores can influence conservation actions. To characterize current viewpoints about terrestrial carnivore conservation, we conducted an online survey assessing a wide range of viewpoints about large carnivore conservation among international professionals (n=505). We explored how variation in viewpoints was related to expertise, background, and broader institutional contexts in which one lives and works. The majority of participants agreed people and large carnivores can share the same landscapes (86%). Human adaptation to carnivores (95% agreement) and acceptance of some conflict (93%) were the highest ranked requirements for human-carnivore coexist...
Citizens often have preferences about the role of science and public opinion in wildlife manageme... more Citizens often have preferences about the role of science and public opinion in wildlife management (Skogen, 2003). Understanding public attitudes about each approach could aid planning efforts and increase legitimacy. We examined citizen preferences toward wolf hunting as a management tool in Michigan. Our objectives were to: (a) assess attitudes toward “technical knowledge” and “public input” as preferred components of decisionmaking processes for wolf management and (b) explore sociodemographic characteristics underlying such attitudes. We used a random-digit dial telephone survey to contact Michigan citizens with landlines (n = 979) between May 18 and July 13, 2010. Questions were administered as part of the quarterly State of the State Survey conducted by the Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. Detailed information on research methods is available at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michelle_Lute. We asked respondents to consider two statements about roles for scientific and public inputs in wolf hunting decisions (i.e., “Wolves should only be hunted if biologists believe the wolf population can sustain a hunt” and “The decision to hunt wolves should be made by public vote”). Responses were measured on 5-point scales ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Among participants who responded to both questions (n = 915), 10% agreed with neither statement; 29% agreed with only the need for biological assessment; 11% agreed with only the need for public vote; and 50% agreed with both biological and public inputs. To identify factors related to this variation in respondent preferences, we conducted two multivariate ordered probit analyses. Preferences varied by region (Figure 1). Controlling for other factors, residents of the Northern Lower Peninsula—an area with the potential for wolf recolonization in the immediate future—reported significantly less
The data instrument is attached to the manuscript file as supplementary information. Michigan Sta... more The data instrument is attached to the manuscript file as supplementary information. Michigan State University’s Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects IRB# x10-394 reviewed and approved all methods and procedures used in this research. A committee-approved informed consent was obtained in verbal form due to potential participant illiteracy. In instances where participants approved use of a digital voice recorder, consent was documented digitally. In all instances, participants had to verbally consent to participate in the study before data collection commenced
Although many studies explore characteristics of stakeholders or publics "for" or "... more Although many studies explore characteristics of stakeholders or publics "for" or "against" carnivores, disagreements among conservation professionals advocating different conservation strategies also occur and are not well recognized. Differing viewpoints on whether and how humans can share landscapes with large carnivores can influence conservation actions. To characterize current viewpoints about terrestrial carnivore conservation, we conducted an online survey assessing a wide range of viewpoints about large carnivore conservation among international professionals (n=505). We explored how variation in viewpoints was related to expertise, background, and broader institutional contexts in which one lives and works. The majority of participants agreed people and large carnivores can share the same landscapes (86%). Human adaptation to carnivores (95% agreement) and acceptance of some conflict (93%) were the highest ranked requirements for human-carnivore coexist...
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