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Paper short abstract:

The research employs ethnographic methods to explore the motivations and consequences of the strategic allyship between farmers and conservationists, against hybrids and in favour of livestock guarding dogs, in the Maremma region of central Italy.

Paper long abstract:

Following decades of sporadic passing-though and occasional breeding events in the Maremma region of Italy, wolves have returned and settled down for good. Their daring presence has generated strong opposition from the local community of sheep farmers, which still today form the backbone of the area’s economy. White Maremma livestock guarding dogs (LGDs), used against predators throughout many parts of the world, are native to this area but their use was abandoned long ago. To assist wolf recolonization, two European projects were implemented with the aim of: preventing hybridization with feral dogs in the wild to protect the genetic identity of wolves; and providing LGD puppies and technical assistance to interested farmers. As a spin-off, local farmers founded a grassroots collective to continue promoting LGDs after the projects ended. Despite a reduction in depredations, the grassroots collective intensified social conflicts, as some farmers felt that it betrayed the sector’s interests and identity. This research employed ethnographic methods to explore the motivations and consequences of the strategic allyship between farmers and conservationists, against hybrids and in favour of LGDs. In spirit and discourse the farmers of the collective vehemently opposed both hybrids and wolves due to the menace they pose to livestock. Yet, in practice, it is their everyday labour that allows wolves and sheep to coexist in the same landscape. This research contributes to conventional theorizations of coexistence by highlighting the importance of strategic positioning and non-representational theory to document everyday coexistence practices.