Sharing the benefits and costs of conservation: public preferences for transboundary lynx policy

Transnational conservation is becoming ever-more important, yet reaching consensus on international conservation agreements remains challenging when decision-makers prioritise national benefits. Whether such approaches align with public preferences, however, remains unclear. We conduct a Discrete Choice Experiment to understand preferences for Iberian lynx conservation in Spain and Portugal, with a focus on the distribution of costs and benefits across countries. Results indicate that respondents favour an equal sharing of conservation costs and benefits over alternative allocation schemes. We further explore attitudinal factors underlying these preferences and conduct a welfare analysis of potential conservation policies. The findings suggest that the current policy-characterised by shared costs and benefits between both countries-aligns well with public preferences. This is good news for conservation, as such preferences may facilitate urgently needed transnational conservation agreements if reflected in future policy making.