The wolves are coming: understanding human controversies on the return of the wolf through the use of socio-cultural values

Wildlife comebacks are often subject to public debate. Recurring controversies dominate the discussion, while the frequent use of stereotypes to describe concerned actors reinforces polarizations. This is not any different for the return of the wolf. In order to assist in the interpretation of the human dimensions of the wolf debate, we propose the use of the socio-cultural (SC) value concept. This concept distinguishes between the performance and importance of ecosystem services and allows to give meaning to indicators without blindfolding on caricaturized profiles. The methodology is applied to the case study of the Ardennes (southern Belgium), where the wolf has recently made its comeback. An online survey, based on main points of controversy in human-wildlife debates, was presented to a large sample (N = 1461) of local residents and (potential) visitors, representative for age classes and gender. The answer options were modeled as a function of socio-demographic and profile variables, as well as SC value variables. Overall, a positive positioning was observed. The example of the hunter profile is used to demonstrate how SC values address heterogeneity within and overlap of profiles between groups. Our results show that the use of SC values, complementary to the sole use of standard profile variables, is an interesting tool to overcome preconceptions and to understand underlying reasons behind peoples stated position on points of controversy. These insights can, among others, lead to question the legitimacy of existing discourses and to transparency in terms of which values are accounted for by an actual or proposed management.