Social-economic impacts of rewilding: the case of the pinniped population boom on California coast

Abstract

Abstract This paper explores the dynamics of change and reorganization of coastal California socioecosystems over the past 30 years in response to regional population increases of two pinniped species: the California sea lion Zalophus californianus and the harbour seal Phoca vitulina. The work presented focuses on four very different types of socio-ecosystems - urban beaches, harbours, a river, the coastal marine ecosystem (continental shelf). The dynamics of rewilding led to the questioning of the management of these spaces by certain local stakeholders who saw their uses threatened, generating a strong judicialisation of the relationship between humans and non-humans. This paper presents the solutions, mainly technical, that have been tested to deal with this dynamic, with no obvious effectiveness due to the adaptability of pinnipeds and the impossibility of harassing federally protected species.