Emotions and perceptions predict local communities' attitudes toward the conservation of large carnivores

Understanding local communities' emotions and attitudes toward large carnivores is crucial for promoting coexistence, yet few studies have examined how emotions and perceptions shape these attitudes. We conducted interviews with 292 rural residents living in 30 villages around Golestan National Park, northeastern Iran. With Bayesian ordinal regression models, we assessed how fear, happiness and pride, damage experiences, perceived ecotourism benefits, and perceived population status influence local communities' attitudes toward the conservation of leopard, wolf, and brown bear. We found that happiness and pride, along with the perception that carnivores provide ecotourism benefits, substantially influenced attitudes. This pattern was consistent across species, with generally high support for the conservation of all three species. Respondents expressed fear of leopards and bears, and the perception of declining populations increased support for their conservation. In contrast, perceiving a high wolf population was associated with reduced positive attitudes. Furthermore, direct experiences of carnivore-related damage (e.g., livestock losses and crop damage) were linked to general dislike of all three species, further diminishing positive attitudes. These findings highlight the importance of emotions such as fear, happiness and pride, as well as perceptions of population status, ecotourism benefits, and damage in shaping human–carnivore interactions. Addressing these factors, particularly by mitigating fear of carnivores, in decision-making processes could help offset the costs of living alongside these animals, thereby enhancing positive attitudes and promoting coexistence with large carnivores.