Politics, Policy and International Relations Professor Jennifer Jackman Speaks at Global Human-Wildlife Coexistence Conference

Professor Jennifer Jackman (Politics, Policy and International Relations) presented her research on attitudes towards seals on Cape Cod at the International Conference on Human-Wildilfe Conflict and Coexistence in Oxford, UK as a part of a panel on marine species. Jackman’s presentation highlighted how perceptions of ecological benefits of seals among voters, tourists, and commercial fishers contribute to coexistence and can help prevent a backward turn in seal conservation, which would be detrimental to seals and to all stakeholders who depend on healthy marine ecosystems. 

Jackman is the Principal Investigator for the Human Dimensions of Rebounding Populations of Seals and White Sharks on Cape Cod, which is a partnership of Salem State University, Center for Coastal Studies, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, University of Massachusetts-Boston, and the Center for Animals and Public Policy at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. This talk was one of a series of presentations that Jackman and her colleagues have made to disseminate the study findings, including before policy makers and natural resource managers.

Multiple Salem State University undergraduates and alumnae served as research assistants for the study, which was was funded by Woods Hole Sea Grant, with contributions from the Salem State University Center for Research and Creative Activities, Department of Politics, Policy and International Relations, Elizabeth A. Lawrence Fund, and Berry Institute of Politics Summer Internship Scholarship.