Human-Animal Conflict

Published on 04 Apr 2025

Human-animal conflict is the term used to describe circumstances in which wildlife and humans interact negatively and frequently cause harm to both. This conflict occurs when human and wildlife interests and activities overlap, posing challenges to coexistence.

Reasons for Human-Animal Conflict

• Habitat Encroachment: Natural habitats are invaded by growing human populations, which decreases the amount of space available for wildlife.

• Example: According to the University of Cambridge, human infrastructure is present in at least 80 per cent of the world's most important sites for biodiversity.

• Crop Raiding: Elephants, deer, and primates are examples of wild animals that can harm crops and cause financial losses for farmers.

• Example: Corn crops damaged by wild boars in Tamil Nadu

• Growth of the population of wild animals: A steady increase in the population of certain wild animals has posed a threat to human life.

• Example: India has more than doubled the number of wild tigers since 2010 (1411) to 3167 individuals according to the results of the All-India Tiger Estimation, 2022

• Growth of invasive alien species: Natural habitats can be altered by invasive plants, which can impact the resources available to native wildlife.

• Example: In the Nilgiris, invasive plant species such as Lantana camara, and prosopis are driving animals into conflict with humans.

• Deforestation: The removal of trees and other forms of vegetation reduces the amount of food, shelter, and place to breed out there.

• Example: Himalayan black bears move to human habitats in Kashmir during the fruit harvesting season due to encroachment of forest land.

• Climate change: Climate change is a neglected amplifier of human-wildlife conflict because it increases resource scarcity and increases human-wildlife encounters.

• Example: Higher air temperatures in Australia triggered more aggressive behaviour in eastern brown snakes, leading to more incidents of snake bites.

Impacts of Human-Animal Conflict

• Loss of life: Human-animal conflict has resulted in the loss of thousands of human lives in the past five years.

• Example: 103 people died last year due to tiger attacks and 605 others died due to elephant attacks, the Union environment ministry said in parliament

• Risk of Extinction: Persistent and severe human-animal conflict can drive species to extinction, especially if they are already facing other threats such as habitat loss or poaching.

• Example: Cheetah extinction in India due to hunting and habitat loss

• Decline in animal population: Animal population have declined due to poaching, electrocution etc.

• Example: 222 elephants were killed by electrocution across the country between 2018-19 and 2020-21.

• Increased Human Dependence: Ecological imbalances could result from some species becoming more reliant on resources provided by humans, like crops or garbage.

• Example: Polybezoars found in the stomachs of camels in the Thar region

• Economic costs: Damage to crops and agricultural land, destruction of infrastructure etc. have resulted in economic loss. 

• Example: According to Tata Cornell Institute, India’s state governments spend nearly Rs. 38 crores ($5 million) annually to compensate for damages to property and life caused by wildlife.

• Ecological Damage: Ecological imbalances can result from human actions such as killing predators, which can raise prey populations.

• Example: Widespread hunting of large predators was directly responsible for the menace created by herbivorous vermin like rhesus macaques, nilgai, boars, etc. in contemporary times.

Preventive and Mitigation Strategies

• Habitat Enhancement: Enhance the standard and accessibility of native food supplies in wildlife habitats to lessen dependence on areas dominated by humans.

• Erection of fences or other barriers: Establishing distinct wildlife corridors and erecting around farms to keep the animals away can be effective and affordable ways.

• Example: 'Bee fences' to ward off elephant attacks in Kodagu, Karnataka

• Predator-deterring guard dogs: Globally, human-animal conflict has been effectively reduced by using guard dogs to protect livestock from predators.

• Conservation Partnerships: Strengthening collaboration between conservation organizations, local communities, and government agencies to develop effective solutions.

• Example: Local communities in the Indo-Nepal border work along with Ujayalo Nepal (a conservation organization) and Armed Police Force personnel stations for coexistence with elephants.

• Compensation Schemes: Compensate farmers fairly for crop damage and loss of livestock due to wildlife attacks

• Legal Frameworks: Develop clear policies and legal frameworks to address human-wildlife conflict and protect the interests of both humans and animals.

Government initiatives and policy measures

• Reserves and protected areas: There are currently 105 Conservation Reserves, 567 Wildlife Sanctuaries, and 106 National Parks.

• Project Elephant: It is a centrally sponsored scheme and was launched in 1992 for the protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors.

• Advisory for Management of Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC): The advisory envisages empowering gram panchayats, providing compensation through PM Fasal Bhima Yojana and adopting early warning systems etc.

• The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972: It establishes the guidelines for India's animal protection and conservation efforts.

• Project RE-HAB: To prevent elephant attacks on human settlements using honeybees and so minimize the loss of both human and elephant lives

International initiatives

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): It is a leading international conservation organization that works on issues related to wildlife conservation and sustainable development.

• International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW): They prioritize projects that address human-animal conflict and encourage coexistence between humans and wildlife.

• Global Wildlife Program: It aims to reduce human-wildlife conflict, conserve biodiversity, and promote sustainable development.

Case study

• Cultural Model of Conservation: The peaceful coexistence of Maldhari tribes in Junagadh (Gujarat) with lions has contributed to the success of lion conservation in the Gir forest area.

Tags:
Environment

Keywords:
Biodiversity Human-Animal conflict Wild boar Tiger Elephant wildlife

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 3

Topics:
Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation