Human Wildlife Conflict and Management: Gravity and Interventions

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) has emerged as a major sustainability challenge caused by human expansion into natural ecosystems. As forests decline and farmlands spread, wild animals are forced into human spaces, triggering frequent clashes. Factors like climate change, habitat destruction, and resource competition worsen the issue, threatening both communities and wildlife. This book explores the causes, consequences, and solutions to HWC, aiming to promote coexistence. The impacts are grave-people lose crops, livestock, and even lives, while animals face retaliatory killings and habitat loss, disrupting ecological balance. Addressing HWC needs integrated action through policy reforms, technology, and community participation. Successful global approaches include Asia’s community-led conservation, Africa’s wildlife-based economies, and South America’s agroforestry systems. India, especially Kerala, has pioneered innovative, people-centered strategies using technology and traditional wisdom. Through global insights and local experiences, this book highlights pathways toward harmony between humans and wildlife.