Introduction: Wild Dog Management Groups

Abstract

In this section, the social dynamics that underpin community formation in wild dog management groups are revealed in three case studies of wild dog management groups. The narrative approach allows us to see that:

• Groups create shared stories about the problems they face and the solutions they pursue; and

• These stories include details about the process of group formation and action for wild dog management.

• In these stories, the affected community is shown to be:

• resilient to change,

• firmly located in the landscape,

• persistent over time, and

• operating in a highly context-driven climate of social relations, power dynamics and historical tensions.

• The stories help us understand:

• the emotional dimensions of wild dog management;

• the constraints on community capacity to act;

• the pivotal role played by community leaders in generating and sustaining community efforts;

• the expression of power through the creation and sharing of knowledge; and

• how issues of community pest management are framed, including concepts of both success and failure.