Human-wildlife conflict is one of the most serious threats to biodiversity

    Human-wildlife conflict is one of the most serious threats to biodiversity

    Conflict between humans and animals is a major threat to the long-term survival of some species

    Conflict between people and animals, from the famous Chinese wandering elephants raiding farms for food and water to wolves preying on livestock in Idaho, is a major threat to the long-term survival of some of the world's most iconic species. The alarm is raised by the new report from WWF and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).





    According to the analysis, the human-wildlife conflict it is linked to the contact between the two species and unfortunately in most cases the latter succumb: in fact, man kills animals both for self-defense and as a preventive measure. And this can cause it extinction. Globally, the killings related to such conflicts affect more than 75% of the world's wild cat species but also many other land and marine carnivorous species, from polar bears from Mediterranean monk seals to large herbivores such as elephants.

    Within a human lifetime, we have already seen extraordinary and unprecedented changes on our planet. Global wildlife populations have declined by an average of 68% since 1970, - said Margaret Kinnaird, WWF International's Global Wildlife Practice Leader. - Human-wildlife conflict, combined with other threats, has driven a significant decline of once abundant species, and species that are naturally less abundant have been pushed to the brink of extinction. Unless urgent measures are put in place, this devastating trend will only worsen, causing damaging and, in some cases, irreversible impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity.

    The study, one of the largest ever carried out on the subject, was carried out with the contribution of 155 experts from 40 organizations based in 27 countries around the world. According to the report, the human-wildlife conflict is as much a development and humanitarian issue as a conservation concern, affecting the income of farmers, fishermen and indigenous peoples, especially those living in poverty. It also interferes with access to water for communities that compete with wildlife and creates inequality. 

    This report is a clear invitation to raise the problem of human fauna conflict and to give it the attention it deserves in national and international processes. It is an invitation to adopt approaches that identify and address the deepest and most profound causes of conflicts, while developing systemic solutions with affected communities. Coexistence is possible and achievable,



    says Susan Gardner, director of the Ecosystems division at UNEP.

    While it is now clear that it is impossible to completely eradicate human-wildlife conflicts, it is possible to reduce them by promoting coexistence between humans and animals. One example is the Zambezi cross-border conservation area of ​​Kavango in southern Africa, where an integrated approach to the management of the human-wildlife conflict has led to a 95% reduction in livestock killings, eliminating the killing of livestock. lions in 2016 and allowing these previously threatened animals to recover.

    Reducing human-wildlife conflict in this way can lead to opportunities and benefits not only for biodiversity and affected communities, but for society, sustainable development, manufacturing and the global economy in general.


    To read the dossier, click here


    Sources of reference: Unep, WWF

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