Social trust, the willingness to rely on those with formal responsibility to develop policies and make decisions, facilitates effective management of environmental issues, including wildlife management. National polls suggest that the public trusts government agencies to solve environmental problems, yet such trust is low (or non-existent) in areas of controversy, such as the protection of threatened and endangered species. This study explored the role of social trust in understanding views of threatened and endangered species management in the National Forests of southern California. The 127 participants surveyed lived in or near a National Forest or were recreational and/or other users of the National Forest. The results suggest that trust in Forest Service management of wildlife relates to perceived similarity between individual values regarding species protection and Forest Service values. Participants who believe the Forest Service shares their values have a high trust; those who believe the Forest Service does not share their values have a low trust. The most trusting tend to believe that species protection should be the primary principle guiding forest management and that the Forest Service consistently operates according to these principles. Those low in trust believe forest management should be based on the fulfillment of human needs; they perceive that the Forest Service operates inconsistently according to their values. The study suggests that social trust is a significant predictor of approval of species management practices.

This handbook is a guide to the federal Endangered Species Act, the primary U.S. law aimed at protecting species of animals and plants from human threats to their survival. It is intended for lawyers, government agency employees, students, community activists, businesspeople, and any citizen who wants to understand the Act--its history, provisions, accomplishments, and failures.

Trust is an important factor in risk management, affecting judgements of risk and benefit, technology acceptance and other forms of cooperation. In this book the world?s leading risk researchers explore all aspects of trust as it relates to risk management and communication. Drawing on a wide variety of disciplinary approaches and empirical case studies (on topics such as mobile phone technology, well-known food accidents and crises, wetland management, smallpox vaccination, cooperative risk management of US forests and the disposal of the Brent Spar oil drilling platform), this is the most thorough and up-to-date examination of trust in all its forms and complexities. The book integrates diverse research traditions and provides new insights into the phenomenon of trust. Factors that lead to the establishment and erosion of trust are identified. Insightful analyses are provided for researchers and students of environmental and social science and professionals engaged in risk management and communication in both public and private sectors. Related titles The Tolerability of Risk (2007) 978-1-84407-398-6

Trust is an important factor in risk management, affecting judgements of risk and benefit, technology acceptance and other forms of cooperation. In this book the world's leading risk researchers explore all aspects of trust as it relates to risk management and communication. The authors draw on a wide variety of disciplinary approaches and empirical case studies on topics such as mobile phone technology, well-known food accidents and crises, wetland management, smallpox vaccination, cooperative risk management of US forests and the disposal of the Brent Spar oil drilling platform. The book integrates diverse research traditions and provides new insights into the phenomenon of trust, including the factors that lead to the establishment and erosion of trust. Insightful analyses are provided for researchers and students of environmental and social science and professionals engaged in risk management and communication in both public and private sectors.