The Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence (CHCC), an academic institution housed at Colorado State University, is focused on integrating transformative science, education, and outreach to reduce conflict and facilitate coexistence between humans and carnivores.

Vision

To support landscapes globally that have sustainable carnivore populations and thriving human endeavors with minimal conflict

Mission

To integrate transformative research, education, and outreach to reduce conflict and facilitate coexistence between humans and carnivores.

Why we built the CHCC

Carnivores and humans have struggled throughout history to coexist, and the pattern is often one of conflict, with people impacted and predators killed. Today, carnivores across the globe must coexist with people as human populations expand and wildlife habitat shrinks.

However, many carnivores can persist in human-dominated landscapes, as long as people tolerate them.  In some areas of the world, carnivores such as wolves, bears, and lynx are making a comeback, but in other areas carnivore populations are declining.  Creating environments where both humans and carnivores can thrive represents a tremendous challenge and an exciting opportunity.

Coexistence requires reducing conflict, including direct conflict between humans and carnivores as well as social conflict among people about carnivores.  Minimizing conflict requires innovative thinking, diverse skill sets, and transdisciplinary approaches to address the ecological, social, economic, and political aspects of this challenge.  To meet this need, we have assembled an integrated, interdisciplinary team of social and ecological scientists at Colorado State University to form the CHCC.

Goals

  • Conduct transdisciplinary social and ecological research on human-carnivore coexistence;

  • Provide student education and mentoring regarding the science and practice of human-carnivore coexistence;

  • Transform research into action to facilitate human-carnivore coexistence in the real world.

Annual Reports

 

Want to learn more about our research, education, and outreach efforts on human-carnivore coexistence globally? Check out our CHCC Annual Reports!

CHCC News and Events

2023

For more information on our research, education, and outreach efforts on human-carnivore coexistence globally, check out out our Annual Report from 2022:

CHCC 2022 Annual Report

CHCC PhD Student Matthew Hyde and Faculty Stewart Breck and Kevin Crooks published a study on jaguar tourism in Colombia

Find the paper here

 

Read about our habitat suitability and conflict risk maps for Colorado wolves in the International Wolf Magazine!

Find the paper here

 

Congratulations to CHCC Graduate Students Tim Helming, Matt Hyde, Tamara Layden, Cori Persinger, Cassandre Venumière-Lefebvre, and Erin Weingarten for receipt of our 2023 CHCC student research and outreach grants!

CHCC was pleased to announce the recipients of the first annual CHCC Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) program. Congratulations to CSU undergraduates Annika Fridberg, Jay Finley, and Lyssa Lini for the award!

An interdisciplinary team, led by CHCC Directors Kevin Crooks and Jon Salerno, was awarded the $50,000 award from the WCNR Dean’s Fund for Transdisciplinary Approaches to Solve Environmental Wicked Problems. The team, including faculty from all 8 colleges at CSU and additional internal and external partners, will focus on human-wildlife coexistence in agricultural and developed landscapes.

2022

CHCC Faculty Paul Evangelista received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to combat the illegal pet trade of cheetahs.

Read CSU Press Release here

 

CHCC Postdoc Mark Ditmer (and now USFS Biologist) and Faculty George Wittemyer, Stewart Breck, and Kevin Crooks published a study on habitat suitability for wolves in Colorado.

Find the paper here

 

CHCC Faculty Kevin Crooks, Postdoc Ben Ghasemi, and PhD Candidate Mireille Gonzalez published a study on scientist perspectives towards wolf management in the Western U.S.

Find the paper here

 

CHCC Faculty Rebecca Niemiec and CHCC colleagues published a study on changes in public perception towards wolf reintroduction to Colorado.

Find the paper here

Read CSU Press Release here

 

CHCC PhD student Cassandre Venumière-Lefebvre and CHCC advisors Stewart Breck and Kevin Crooks published a systematic map of human-carnivore coexistence.

Find the paper here

 

CHCC Postdoc (and now USFS biologist) Mark Ditmer, and CHCC Faculty Rebecca Niemiec, George Wittemyer, and Kevin Crooks published a study on the social-ecological drivers of the vote to reintroduce wolves to Colorado.

Find the paper here

Read CSU Press Release here

 

CHCC PhD student Matt Hyde published a study refining carbon credits to contribute to large carnivore conservation, focused on jaguars.

Find the paper here

 

CHCC Faculty Joel Berger and colleague Joanna Lambert published a study on ecological restoration and rewilding, including of large carnivores.

Find the paper here

 

Congratulations to CHCC Faculty Jon Salerno, Kevin Jablonski, Courtney Schultz and colleagues for receipt of our 2022 CHCC faculty interdisciplinary research grants!

Congratulations to CHCC Postdoc Ben Ghasemi and CHCC Graduate Students Matt Hyde, Tamara Layden, Rae Nickerson, Cassandre Venumière-Lefebvre, and Erin Weingarten for receipt of our 2022 CHCC student research and outreach grants!

CHCC faculty received a grant from the Bohemian Foundation to engage BIPOC high school students in an environmental learning and leadership program.

CHCC faculty Rebecca Niemiec received a grant from the Donald Slavik Family Foundation for continued stakeholder engagement regarding wolf reintroduction in Colorado.

For more information on our research, education, and outreach efforts on human-carnivore coexistence globally, check out out our Annual Report from 2021:

CHCC 2021 Annual Report

2021

Check out the new K-12 educational curriculum on Coexisting with Wolves, developed by Captain Planet Foundation's Project Hero with the assistance of the Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence. Project Hero is a free online platform that offers standards-oriented and authentic project-based learning experience for empowering and engaging students to take action for wildlife.

Find the Coexisting with Wolves Quest here

 

CHCC hosted a seminar series and panel discusssion, entitled "Social Justice and Human-Carnivore Coexistence: Considering Indigenous Voices and Rights in Wolf Reintroduction and Management", that was held at CSU on Thursday October 21st.  The recording of the event is available to CSU students and faculty for educational purposes. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the recording, please email rebecca.niemiec@colostate.edu.

 

CHCC Faculty Rebecca Niemiec, Jon Salerno, Tara Teel, Kevin Crooks, and colleagues published a study on integrating social science into conservation planning, using Colorado wolf reintroduction as a case study.

Find the paper here

 

CHCC Faculty Larissa Bailey and Barry Noon published a study on human-wildlife conflict in tiger habitat in India.

Find the paper here

 

CHCC Faculty Stewart Breck and Larissa Bailey published a study on non-lethal tools for carnivore conservation.

Find the paper here

 

CHCC faculty and graduate students developed policy briefs on Colorado wolf reintroduction through the Center for Collaborative Conservation Fellows Program.

Find the policy briefs here

 

CHCC faculty Becky Niemiec, in collaboration with Dr. Mike Quartuch, social scientist at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, received a NSF grant to study the Colorado wolf reintroduction stakeholder process.

Read the joint CSU/CPW press release here.

 

CHCC received a $1 million gift from an anonymous Colorado rancher to support our research, education, and outreach efforts.

Read the CSU press release here.

 

CHCC Faculty Tara Teel and colleagues published a study which demonstrates that cultural, belief system data can inform gray wolf recovery efforts in the US.

Find the paper here and the associated CSU Source article here

 

Our collaborative team of CHCC, the CSU Center for Collaborative Conservation, and CSU Extension won the Warner College of Natural Resources Team Award for our engagement on the issue of Colorado wolf restoration in 2020.  Congrats all!

 

2020

Check out our Denver Zoo Webinars on potential restoration of wolves to Colorado:

Yellowstone Wolves

Indigenous Perspectives Towards Wolves

 

Check out our Denver Museum of Nature & Science webinar series: Wolves in Colorado: Science & Stories

Go to webinar series here

See CSU Press Release here

 

CHCC completed educational materials on potential restoration of wolves in Colorado, in collaboration with CSU Extension and the Center for Collaborative Conservation.

Go to educational materials here

See CSU Press Release here

 

Becky Niemiec and PhD student Mireille Gonzalez completed study on the influence of message framing on public beliefs and behaviors related to wolf reintroduction in Colorado.

Download the Aug 2020 published paper here

 

CHCC completed study on public perspectives on wolf reintroduction and management in Colorado.

Download the May 2020 published paper here

Download the January 2020 report here

 

CHCC, led by Becky Niemiec, published a policy brief on participatory decision-making regarding wolf restoration to Colorado.

Download the policy brief here

 

Becky Niemiec and Kevin Crooks published an article in The Conversation on participatory decision-making regarding wolf restoration to Colorado.

Read the article here

 

Stewart Breck co-authored paper on black bear use of residential develpment in Durango Colorado.  May 2020.

Download the published paper here

Jon Salerno co-authored paper on sociopolitical identity and opinions about wolf management in Oregon.  May 2020.

Download the published paper here

CHCC team members, including PI Stewart Breck and graduate students Matt Collins, Mireille Gonzalez, and Brielle Manzolillo, were awarded funding to particpate in the Center for Collaborative Conservation's Fellows Program in 2020-2021.

For more information, visit the CCC Fellows Program here.

Curious why people during COVID quarantine howled every night at 8 pm, and why wolves howl too?

Watch the interview by Stewart Breck to explain!

 

CHCC organized stakeholder workshop regarding potential wolf restoration and management in Colorado.  February 2020.

Download the report here.

View the CSU press release on stakeholder workshop here

2019

CHCC awarded funding from CSU's Office of the Vice President of Research to engage in pre-Catalyst for Innovative Partnerships (PRECIP) professional development series. April-December 2019.

CHCC awarded funding from CSU's Office of the Vice President of Research to study social norms transmission of carnivore tolerance in the Ruaha-Katavi landscape of Tanzania.  Summer 2019-Summer 2020.