2. 1. Interaction between wild animals and people and the
resultant negative impact on people or their resources, or wild
animals or their habitat.
2. When growing human populations overlap with established
wildlife territory, creating reduction of resources or life to
some people and/or wild animals.
3. The conflict takes many forms ranging from loss of life or
injury to humans, and animals both wild and domesticated, to
competition for scarce resources to loss and degradation of
habitat.
.
3. Definition
Human-wildlife conflict is defined by the
world wide fund for nature as âany
interaction between humans and wildlife that
results in negative impact on human social,
economic or cultural life, on the
conservation of wildlife populations, or on
the environment.â
4. Causes
ï As human populations expand into wild animal
habitats.
ï Natural wildlife territory is displaced.
ï Reduction in the availability of natural prey/food
sources
ï New resources created by humans draw wildlife
resulting in conflict
5. Outcomes of conflict
ï Injury and loss of life of humans and wildlife.
ï Crop damage, livestock depredation, predation of
managed wildlife stock.
ï Damage to human property.
ï Trophic cascades.
ï Destruction of habitat.
ï Collapse of wildlife populations and reduction of
geographic ranges.
6. Management
ï Traditional techniques which aim to stop, reduce or
minimise conflict by controlling animal populations in
different ways.
ï Modern methods depend upon the understanding of
ecological and ethological understanding of the
wildlife and its environment to prevent or minimise
conflict.