Zones of contention | A survey of human-animal conflict across India

Humans and wildlife are increasingly getting trapped in shrinking spaces, pushing tolerance levels to the tipping point

Zones of contention | A survey of human-animal conflict across India Mitigating human–wildlife conflict is a priority in wildlife conservation and management, particularly in a country like India where wildlife and high densities of people coexist. People living across landscapes have remained tolerant towards species due to cultural and social factors but as natural cover and resources shrink, humans and wildlife are increasingly getting trapped in shrinking spaces, pushing tolerance levels to the tipping point. In a pioneering study, Krithi Karanth, executive director at Centre for Wildlife Studies and associate conservation scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society (US), along with her team analyse the current scenario. “Our observational study model self-reported crop and livestock loss and compensation access by households. We identified conflict hot spots and factors to improve current management efforts directed at conflict prevention and mitigation,” says Karanth.