Human-wildlife conflict is a shockingly common problem, often with enormous consequences for both individual animals and entire populations.
When human-wildlife conflict comes to mind, you may immediately think of wildlife crime instead - which isn't wrong, since many regions with wildlife crime problems like poaching are also areas where people may frequently deal with human-wildlife conflict, causing the two issues to go hand-in-hand. But human-wildlife conflict is a much broader issue encompassing many ways that human presence and interference can cause problems for us and animals alike. Human-wildlife conflict includes:
- Elephants trampling a farmer's crops, resulting in retaliation
- New real estate developments infringing on ecosystems where predator species live, leading to predators having less territory and less food, which in turn leads to predators attacking domestic animals and livestock
- Freeways dividing the territory of animals like mountain lions, leading to wildlife venturing into neighborhoods or being killed by cars
- Lead bullets used in hunting causing scavengers like condors to die of lead poisoning
These are just a few examples of how humans can negatively impact wildlife, and it's clear to see how many of these scenarios could escalate. Human-wildlife conflict solutions don't just include ways in which we can prevent these issues (for example, through tracking predators, monitoring populations' territories, or building barriers and wildlife crossings monitored by sensors), but also the ways in which we can help people connect with wildlife and care about learning to live alongside them.
If you're interested in solutions that can prevent human-wildlife conflict, join this group and get to know the people who are working to protect and save species around the world!
Header image: Casey Allen on Unsplash
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Wildlife conservationist, writer, and photographer looking for a job in wildlife conservation! My "dream job" would involve adding a creative aspect (e.g., writing or photography) to promote the conservation of wildlife worldwide.
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Passionate advocate for nature and experienced communicator, looking to explore opportunities to leverage technology in wildlife and marine conservation
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I studied Wildlife and Ecotourism Management in University of Ìbàdàn, Nigeria, I'm a front-end developer. I am interested in conservation technology
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Stellenbosch University & The Cape Leopard Trust
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WildLabs will soon launch a 'Funding and Finance' group. What would be your wish list for such a group? Would you be interested in co-managing or otherwise helping out?
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Now accepting applications for two $15,000 grants to help protect wildlife through cutting-edge, technology-driven efforts
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The IEF's Elephant Conservation and Research Funding Support Program has opened a call for applications. Average grant size is $15K, whereas the IEF funds 20 to 25 projects per year.
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Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
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A very good summary all-round Nilanga. Only a wholistic approach can truly resolve conflict. |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 3 months ago | |
Hi all, We often think about complicated tools when people refer to the use of tech in conservation. But mobile phones can be highly... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 4 months ago | |
Thanks both for your comments, very interesting indeed! Also great to hear that so many people are eager to get involved in this kind of research and will participate with great... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 4 months ago | |
Dear Femke, I am actually looking for studying the crop damages using drones and also tracking the movements, may be using GPS collars. But I do not actually know about these... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 5 months ago | |
Dear Femke, Thank you for your email. I hope I can hear from Mohan Raj. Electric fencing is one area where it can play very important role in human wildlife conflict management... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 5 months ago | |
Dear all, We wanted to share an interesting article we came across some time ago. It is about human-wildlife conflicts in Botswana, and... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 5 months ago | |
Hi all, I just came accross this interesting website and call for proposals for the use of Artificial Intelligence to help address... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 7 months ago | |
Hi Nilanga, Thanks for introducing me here and I'm looking forward to some interesting discussions with everyone here! Femke |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 7 months ago | |
Hello Fleury I am aware that such a collar has been tested in France to protect sheeps fromm wolves' attacks. I am also looking for some information about it to... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 7 months ago | |
Hi Anne and the Arribada team. This is such an exciting project and so pleased to see the progress you are making. A couple of quick ideas sprang to mind reading your... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 9 months ago | |
Here's a blurb of our idea cut-and-pasted from our application: We propose utilising animal detection and alerting technology that Wild Spy has already developed and... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 9 months ago | |
Does anyone remember the 11-year-old Masaai boy who invented 'Lion Lights' as a solution to stop lions from killing his livestock?... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 5 years 9 months ago |
Elephant's Banquet
19 September 2017 12:00am
Predator Protection Device emits random lights and sounds
15 June 2017 5:56am
HWC Tech Challenge - General Discussion
30 June 2017 4:58pm
12 September 2017 5:31pm
Hi Claire,
Congratulations on getting your proposal in!
If you've explicitly asked for a confirmation, you should have already recieved it. Otherwise everyone who has submitted a proposal should expect a confirmation tomorrow.
Cheers
Steph
13 September 2017 10:42am
The Human Wildlife Conflict Tech Challenge closed on the 12th of September, 2017. Thank you for all your submissions and enthusiasm over the past months!
In total, we received 46 proposals. Entries included 22 proposals answering the elephant case and 24 for the carnivore case (17 for the tiger case and 7 for the polar bear case). Proposals came from 13 different countries across the globe - it is fantastic to see such a widespread interest in the subject and minds coming together to find solutions!
These proposals are now under review by an independent panel of HWC and technology experts. We will announce the two winners on the 20th October, 2017. Until that time, we will continue to keep you informed throughout this exciting process in the Announcements Thread in this dedicated WILDLABS HWC Tech Challenge Community Group.
Beyond the challenge, if you are interested in helping create new solutions for Human-Wildlife Conflict, we encourage you to get involved with our Human-Wildlife Conflict group here on WILDLABS.
Best of luck to all our applicants!
The HWC Tech Challenge Team
13 September 2017 8:17pm
Hi Mark and Teun,
we have been investigating this technology also. It is already being used, but has two problems. First, their reach is often very limited (around 50m) and the source of the trembles is hard to identify. Second, elephants are big, but their feet are also large. The consequence is that human steps cause more trembles that a "tiptoe-ing" elephant ;-)
Best,
Jan Kees
HWC Tech Challenge - Asian Elephant Case
30 June 2017 5:09pm
10 September 2017 3:35pm
Hi Femke,
We have submitted the solution proposal. Pls acknowledge upon receiving.Thank You!.
Regards,
Suniel
11 September 2017 4:38pm
Sorry I came across this challenge only a few days ago. It would not be possible for me to submit the idea I guess with now only 24 hours to go. Incase this challenge is not resolved please let me know I will be very happy to take up this challenge in future with or without a prize money.
Till now I was trying to form an idea on the basis of some research work which was inspired from this article. Please go through if you find it useful for helping elephants.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june1/elephant-052505.html
11 September 2017 4:59pm
Dear Somak,
Thank you very much for writing and we are sorry information on the challenge did not reach you in time. We are certainly interested in furthering discussions around various tools that can be used in such cases, so please feel free to continue the discussion in the Human Wildlife Conflict Community Page, which is one of the discussion sections on WILDLABS. Perhaps our other community members will also have thoughts to contribute to that conversation. If you do have a tool that you would like to test, at some point, we can discuss at that time how we can help. Thank you again for your interest.
Best,
Nilanga
HWC Tech Challenge - Polar Bear Case
30 June 2017 5:17pm
24 July 2017 8:50am
Hi Pachuco,
Interesting line of tought and I'm very curious to learn more about your ideas! The main reasons for human-polar bear conflict are related to the loss of sea ice habitat. In areas where sea ice retreats earlier and freezes back again later in the season, the time bears spend on shore gets longer. This combined with increased human activity in the Arctic leads to higher probability of interaction between people and bears. The animals are attracted by human (and dog) food and by waste. Please find more information about this and the reasons for conflict in the attached article (which can also be found in the section 'additional background reading + resources').
Femke
8 September 2017 4:49pm
Hi, where do you plan to test the polar bear system ? I need to know that to calculate the cost to go there and put it in the proposal.
Regards.
Gwenael
8 September 2017 5:30pm
Hi Gwen,
That's a tough question Gwen! And for any destination in the Arctic counts: it is horribly expensive! I suggest you count on Iqaluit in Nunavut-Canada. Access is from Ottawa. A cheaper option is Churchill in Manitoba-Canada. These give you some reference to find prices. But I suggest you make clear note about travel expenses will vary widely according to which field test site is selected and that you provide an indicative budget for travel only. I am hestitant to pin that down now as the proposed solution also will define the more suitable location by itself.
Best regards,
Gert
HWC Tech Challenge - Tiger Case
30 June 2017 5:11pm
7 September 2017 6:34pm
Hi Claire!
It is rather tricky to share GPS data, if we had them at hand, because of security. So I am afraid we are not able to give such data at this point in time. I assume you have something worthwhile in mind how such data can help detect animals early. I am really keen for you to write out your concept & experience in the HWC TechChallenge proposal form and submit it to us before Tuesday next week (when we close the challange). If our panel things this is a worthwile idea / concept to develop and test, we will make all available data available of course which is relevant to the fieldsite we would like your plan to be tested!
Looking very much forward to receive your proposal!
Gert
7 September 2017 6:34pm
Hi Claire!
It is rather tricky to share GPS data, if we had them at hand, because of security. So I am afraid we are not able to give such data at this point in time. I assume you have something worthwhile in mind how such data can help detect animals early. I am really keen for you to write out your concept & experience in the HWC TechChallenge proposal form and submit it to us before Tuesday next week (when we close the challange). If our panel things this is a worthwile idea / concept to develop and test, we will make all available data available of course which is relevant to the fieldsite we would like your plan to be tested!
Looking very much forward to receive your proposal!
Gert
7 September 2017 7:04pm
Thank you, Gert. My proposed solution takes security into account heavily. Excited to share it with you and the panel as well.
Claire
A first-person account of the capture of a tiger in Pilibhit: Four elephants and a bulldozer, as seen from a drone
10 August 2017 12:00am
HWC Tech Challenge - Additional background reading + resources
3 July 2017 5:58pm
5 July 2017 11:32am
@SamWilliams highlighted another timely publication fresh off the press yesterday that might be of interest to folks looking into the Polar Bear case:
Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate
James M. Wilder, Dag Vongraven, Todd Atwood, Bob Hansen, Amalie Jessen, Anatoly Kochnev, Geoff York (@gyork), Rachel Vallender, Daryll Hedman, Melissa Gibbons
Understanding causes of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) attacks on humans is critical to ensuring both human safety and polar bear conservation. Although considerable attention has been focused on understanding black (U. americanus) and grizzly (U. arctos) bear conflicts with humans, there have been few attempts to systematically collect, analyze, and interpret available information on human-polar bear conflicts across their range. To help fill this knowledge gap, a database was developed (Polar Bear-Human Information Management System [PBHIMS]) to facilitate the range-wide collection and analysis of human-polar bear conflict data. We populated the PBHIMS with data collected throughout the polar bear range, analyzed polar bear attacks on people, and found that reported attacks have been extremely rare. From 1870–2014, we documented 73 attacks by wild polar bears, distributed among the 5 polar bear Range States (Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and United States), which resulted in 20 human fatalities and 63 human injuries. We found that nutritionally stressed adult male polar bears were the most likely to pose threats to human safety. Attacks by adult females were rare, and most were attributed to defense of cubs. We judged that bears acted as a predator in most attacks, and that nearly all attacks involved ≤2 people. Increased concern for both human and bear safety is warranted in light of predictions of increased numbers of nutritionally stressed bears spending longer amounts of time on land near people because of the loss of their sea ice habitat. Improved conflict investigation is needed to collect accurate and relevant data and communicate accurate bear safety messages and mitigation strategies to the public. With better information, people can take proactive measures in polar bear habitat to ensure their safety and prevent conflicts with polar bears. This work represents an important first step towards improving our understanding of factors influencing human-polar bear conflicts. Continued collection and analysis of range-wide data on interactions and conflicts will help increase human safety and ensure the conservation of polar bears for future generations. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Happy designing!
24 July 2017 9:04am
Additional information on human-polar bear conflicts can be found in this article
Seeking collaboration and co-financing for PhD research: How land tenure arrangements impact upon illegal hunting in Sub-Saharan Africa
19 July 2017 11:13am
From the Field: Developing a new camera trap data management tool
7 July 2017 12:00am
Leverage Space Technology for Wildlife Protection with the European Space Agency Kick-start Grant
5 July 2017 12:00am
From the Field: Eric Becker and designing sensors for wildlife
22 May 2017 12:00am
acoustics for Human-Wildlife Conflict Prevention, Anti-poaching, and more
27 April 2017 6:44pm
Upcoming human-wildlife conflict workshop
25 April 2017 2:16pm
Education to combat wildlife crime
2 February 2017 4:54pm
9 February 2017 1:09pm
@StephODonnell Good to hear from you, and thanks for drawing my attention to this question!
Hi Chris,
As Steph is mentioning, as Ranger Campus Foundation we aim to strengthen law enforcement in protected areas, by focusing on ranger training. We are developing an e-learning platform (Ranger Academy) and acconpanying training modules specifically targeted to the needs of rangers. The content is based on the training guidelines that were written by the big players in the field and were just made public:
http://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/anti_poaching_training_guidelines___electronic_version.pdf
Main advantages of Ranger Academy are:
- Combine e-learning with physical training and shorten the time you spend on basic level training. This enables instructors to make better use of their time when on the ground.
- Rangers can access their personal e-learning environment when they have time for it - no internet is required for following lessons. So no need to take people off patrols.
- Rangers can communicate with other rangers around the world and lessons in all modules are given by rangers.
- Managers have more insight in ranger competence levels and certificates acquired.
This turned into quite a story so will leave it at that. Let me know if there is anything I could assist with.
Best wishes,
Dominique
P.S. Attaching a picture of the filming of the Care under Fire module last month, where Joseph is demonstrating the correct use of a tourniquet. Picture copyright of Cees Baardman.
13 February 2017 12:26pm
Hi Chris,
@StephODonnell thanks for the heads up on this question!
United for Wildlife have an free online course https://learn.unitedforwildlife.org/ which has an "Introducing Conservation" lesson which covers conservation basics.
Over this year we're (for transparency - I work on the project) releasing a new series of Insights on specific areas of conservation.
So far we've released "Species and Spaces" and "Worth More Alive" insights - the latter is focussed on the Illegal wildlife trade.
We're also releasing a series of films called "Natures Guardians" which focus on the Southern African Wildlife College and cover some of the aspects of ranger training. You can view these on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH4rBFGCnvow7YQe3ycwWJ3mVR2MAwuIu or Facebook page
Thanks!
12 April 2017 5:30pm
Peter, thanks for your reply and sorry for the dealyed repsonse, I have been ahving some issues getting alerts in my email. I would like to talk to you more about your trafficking courses, especially who you have identified as your target audience and what the model was that these courses were designed aorund.
From the Field: Dr Raman Sukumar and Technology Developments Needed to Conserve Elephants
5 April 2017 12:00am
Foxlights predator deterrant
24 November 2015 6:53pm
22 March 2017 11:29pm
Sorry I have no idea about separate solar radios. However the "Jakkalsjaer" a South-African product, includes solar panels and a siren with the radio and costs about US$123.36 at current exchange rates.
http://www.farmersweekly.co.za/archive/wanted-non-lethal-predator-control/
You can contact André Theron directly: [email protected]
HTH
Chavoux
23 March 2017 12:24pm
Thanks for the reply. I will write to the contact because of the doubts.
24 March 2017 8:22pm
Personally, I'd order a few of the $10 radios from eBay and see how they work. They are cheap enough that if they don't work out, you wouldn't be out much money.
For $27, you could try one of these which is rated Waterproof Level IPX3; it can be used during rainy weather.
From my brief search, I think you are going to have a tough time finding something solar, waterproof, and inexpensive. But do let us know what you turn up!
How to stop the thieves when all we want to capture is wildlife in action
23 March 2017 12:00am
From the Field: María José Bolgeri and tech to alleviate Puma-Human conflict
22 March 2017 12:00am
#Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge: Our favourites from 2016
1 March 2017 12:00am
Working with wolves: Sheepdog puppies join new flock
28 February 2017 12:00am
Infrastructure impacts
22 December 2016 4:12pm
6 January 2017 10:06am
Hi Nilanga,
This is a topic of my interest too. I have been doing some work on getting some mitigations implemented on some highways in central India. So what excatly do you mean by tools? Some gadget to detect physical presence on large mammals around highways and railway tracks ? Or some software tools to predict animals crossings along them.
Regards
Udayan
6 January 2017 1:36pm
Hi Udayan,
Many thanks for following up and it's great to hear that it's an area of interest for you as well. I'm certainly interested to hear more about the work you've been doing on mitigation actions implemented or being tested to prevent wildlife collisions on highways in central India. Are they early detection tools? By tools, I mean either technology to detect presence and provide warnings to drivers or railway operators, or even tools to predict based on movement patterns. I'm interested in learning about any such measure that is being developed. You may be aware that in the last month alone, around 11 elephants have died from train collisions in northeast India. If there are means being developed to detect presence and prevent such deaths, it would be wonderful to know more about them and how we could test and implement such measures. Look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Nilanga
Wolf protection vests for dogs
14 December 2016 1:49pm
Conservation Leadership Programme 2017 Award
21 November 2016 12:00am
5 Smart Technologies That Will Crack Down On Wildlife Trafficking
14 November 2016 12:00am
WildLabs success! E-shepherd predator deterrent trials in USA
25 January 2016 8:04pm
11 February 2016 8:14pm
Thanks, @Suzanne.Stone ! It would be wonderful if the community could track your progress in this thread. Also looking forward to reading your Journal of Mammology paper.
- Rachel
26 April 2016 2:12pm
@Rachel , the last time I checked (2015), it was about R1200-00 per collar. In South Africa that can be approximated as the price of one sheep. To my mind, that only makes it viable and affordable if the predation (or theft?) levels are very high (more than 10% losses/year?).
I have to add two additional observations:
- Sheep breeds differ in the extend to which they flock together in a single herd (e.g. African indigenous breeds graze together in larger herds than the most popular breeds in South Africa (Merino or Dorper). In these breeds it might be possible to have less collars per sheep.
- My greatest fear is that it will work wel for a year or two. Jackals (and I assume coyotes as well) are extremely intelligent. And methods which worked at first (e.g. bell collars) soon became useless. With jackals we also have the issue that many of the jackals on farms are now starting to hunt in packs instead of the typical territorial pairs (with helpers). So a commonly solitary hunter (the pairs would often hunt separately) is now turning into a pack hunter. However, I do think that it might remain fairly effective against solitary cats. I would be interested in the results of the tests in America, but I think it should be for at least a 3 year period (I know funding etc. might be an issue).
3 November 2016 5:09pm
@Suzanne.Stone have you had any success with your trials in Idaho?
Camera Trap based Alarm Systems
22 March 2016 9:14am
12 April 2016 10:19am
This might be a silly question, but why do you need a camera trap for either purpose - unless you want a record of specific individuals?
If the aim is to provide an alarm to scare off elephants then a system that uses a simple motion sensor wired to an alarm would do the same thing at a much lower cost without the risk of damage or theft that all camera traps suffer from.
If the aim is to alert locals then the Indian Nature Conservation Foundations Elephant Early Warning System is worth exploring http://ncf-india.org/projects/in-the-elephant-hills
21 April 2016 9:01pm
Hi James,
Thanks for sharing information on NCF's early warning system. NCF's tool is great and works well for the context in Valparai where it's being used. We work closely with them as well. As you are aware, the context for each conflict situation is different. These are open plantation areas where elephants can be seen if present in any patch, while in other areas, it's harder to tell when they come out of forested protected areas and into adjacent habitation in order to warn people. And for a number of the landscapes where we work, that particular approach may not be as effective, we are trying to test other forms of early detection. Do let us know if you learn of any results from camera-trapping early warning systems as well using a tool that could potentially serve multiple purposes. Many thanks.
Nilanga
27 October 2016 11:01pm
Hi everyone!
I have just posted about my machine-vision based elephant-detection system which I am currently attempting to develop! https://www.wildlabs.net/community/thread/284
Internet Cats Just Got Bigger
26 October 2016 12:00am
New journal article shows deficiency of studies on effectiveness of predator controls
2 September 2016 1:46pm
How can we bridge the gap in mitigating human-wildlife conflict?
2 August 2016 1:23pm
27 August 2016 5:09am
Hi John, I have two good friends in Kenya who have some answers. I'll ask them to come here and tell you more...
Marie
14 September 2017 11:08pm
Hello, this device looks really interesting...has anyone tryed? what brand is it? how much does it cost? what's the range of the speakers? what kind of sound does it makes? I've use foxlights and niteguard...I think animals eventually will get use to it and avoid the repelling device or simply just don't care of it. I think We have to use a repelling device that use more than one technique, for example lights, sound and chemical repelling, wildcats don't like other smells, specially citrus, pine and other specific, I think that capsaicin powder or spray it looks like the proper chemical, I've come to and idea that is to take a camera "trap" or a CCTV (GSM or UHF communication)+android app+mobile phone and the the camera gets the sensor activated the video will send to the mobile phone and the farmer can see the animal live...and to decide it to active or not the repelling system..that can be sound, light and chemical (capsaicin). This will teach a "lesson" to the predator and send a message to stay away from the farm.
have a good one