In Frontiers in Conservation Science, Nova Scholar Hannah Gosnell and coauthors examine range riding programs designed to reduce conflicts between recovering wolf and grizzly bear populations and livestock producers in Montana.
As large carnivore populations recover across the American West, livestock producers increasingly turn to nonlethal strategies like range riding—using human presence to prevent livestock losses and monitor herds. Through interviews with range riders and program coordinators in western Montana, researchers found that range riding combines predator deterrence, livestock monitoring, grazing management, and relationship-building with rural communities. The study identifies a “paradox of prevention”—when range riding successfully reduces livestock losses, it can undermine its own funding justification. The findings suggest range riding represents a return to traditional rangeland practices adapted to new political and economic realities, and its sustainability depends on stable funding, supportive policies, and broader recognition of its role in predator-human coexistence.
