London, Europe Brief News – Human and wild animals conflict occurs when the needs and behavior of wildlife impact negatively on humans or when humans negatively affect the needs of wildlife.
Coexistence is defined as a dynamic but sustainable state in which humans and wildlife co-adapt to living in shared landscapes, where human interactions with wildlife are governed by effective institutions that ensure long-term wildlife population persistence, social legitimacy, and tolerable levels of risk.
Data were collected by means of household questionnaires, focus group discussion, interview, field observation and secondary sources.
The nature and extent of human wildlife conflict in the study area were profoundly impacted humans, wild animal and the environment through crop damage, habitat disturbance and destruction, livestock predation, and killing of wildlife and human.
The major causes of conflict manifested that agricultural expansion (30%), human settlement (24%), overgrazing by livestock (14%), deforestation (18%), illegal grass collection (10%) and poaching (4%). To defend crop raider, farmers have been practiced crop guarding (34%), live fencing (26%), scarecrow (22%), chasing (14%), and smoking (5%). However, fencing (38%), chasing (30%), scarecrow (24%) and guarding (8%) were controlling techniques to defend livestock predator animals.
The French Biodiversity Agency, a state body, has been tasked with ensuring the peaceful coexistence of man and wolf. But it’s a tricky balance to strike.
Nicolas Jean, an engineer in charge of France’s “wolf strategy”, explains that the French state has put in place a series of measures, providing assistance to breeders with guard dogs and netting around herds. If wolf attacks persist, the French government does allow wolf culls, under very strict conditions.
“Learning how to live alongside wild animals requires balance, dialogue. Some measures might be more unpopular than others, but there needs to be a spirit of coexistence between nature and human activities,” he concludes.
