Wildlife Clashes Threaten Humans

Human activities have significantly disrupted our planet's ecosystem, severely affecting its natural balance and capacity for regeneration. These actions diminish our planet's health and negatively impact lifestyles and socioeconomic practices worldwide.

Our ways of resource extraction, land use, and waste production are primary factors that cause environmental degradation. Primary issues such as desertification, droughts, rising sea levels, pollution, glacier lake outburst floods, loss of biodiversity, and human-wildlife conflict are primarily driven by human activity. Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges in recent decades.

A WWF report published in 2022 shows a 69 per cent average decline in wildlife species since 1970. Yet, World Bank data indicates that 73 per cent of countries consider HWC a significant issue in their region. As the human ecological footprint expands, low-income nations with smallholder farmers and pastoral communities are mostly affected.

Only a few regions worldwide remain unaffected by the conflict between people and wildlife as increasing population pressures lead to land-use changes, infrastructure development, and greater resource extraction. These actions have pushed animals closer to human settlements and agricultural lands as wildlife habitats are fragmented.

Land use change does favour some generalist species of animals and birds that can adapt to the changing environment. Still, the habitat specialist species that are not adaptable to changes in their habitat are sure to vanish. As habitats shrink, wildlife must venture closer to human settlements for food.

Old or injured carnivores unable to hunt their natural prey are likely to attack livestock or humans in desperation. Herbivores such as rhinos and elephants, driven by the seasonal scarcity of food within forests, often raid crops like maize, millet, bananas, and rice, leading to conflicts with farmers.

Furthermore, various other natural factors, like forest fires and natural calamities, drive wildlife closer to human-dominated landscapes.

Human-wildlife conflict can arise from herbivores, such as elephants, rhinos, and deer, that raid crops and carnivores, like tigers and leopards, that prey on livestock. Smaller animals, including rodents, insects, birds, and reptiles, also contribute to these negative interactions. Global estimates each year show economic setbacks from resulting damage to agriculture, loss of human and animal life, and economic setbacks from human-wildlife conflict in the billions.

Human-wildlife conflict 

Humans encroach on wildlife habitats through road construction, agricultural expansion, and settlement. Traditional migratory and dispersion routes for wildlife have been fragmented, intensifying conflicts. Nepal is no exception to the growing challenges posed by human-wildlife conflict. With 44 per cent of the total area covered by forests, Nepal is home to a rich diversity of wildlife. However, much of this forest land lies outside the protected area, and conflict between people and wildlife is widespread across all the country's geographic regions. In the Terai, communities frequently face conflicts with large herbivores, including elephants and rhinos. At the same time, those in the hilly areas struggle to protect crops and livestock from monkeys, wild boars, and leopards. In the Himalayas, conflicts with carnivores like snow leopards and Asiatic wolves are common, as these predators heavily rely on domestic animals as part of their diet. A study shows that in some regions of Nepal, a snow leopard's diet consists of nearly 78 per cent domesticated animals.

For example, elephants are causing problems in Sauraha, a prime destination bordering Chitwan National Park and a significant source of income from nature-based tourism. Female elephants owned by private hotels seem to communicate with male wild elephants by producing infrasonic sounds, attracting them to busier areas. These wild elephants wreak havoc on infrastructure and people's property, damaging walls and vehicles and even causing harm to humans. This conflict recently cost the life of a wild elephant, as a male elephant was shot dead by army officials while attempting to drive it away from human settlement areas into the core forest. This tragic death has raised concerns about our conservation measures' effectiveness and implementation. It has also impacted the breeding success of both wild and domesticated elephants around the Chitwan National Park area.

Conflicts with reptiles, including snakes and marsh mugger crocodiles, are also increasingly common in Nepal. Snakes are frequently observed in human-dominated lands, while marsh muggers are known to invade fish farms. In many cases, these animals are killed in retaliation, though in some instances, rescuers are called in to save them.

Conflict with tigers is one of the most pressing issues in Nepal, with annual human casualties from tiger attacks surpassing twenty in recent years. The tiger population in protected areas and adjoining forests of Nepal is estimated at 355, with prey-predator density ranging from 32.6 to 146.2 animals/km². This indicates a relatively healthy prey-predator density capable of sustainably supporting a significant tiger population. However, when tigers are driven out of their natural habitat, they attack livestock or humans.

Residents of Nepal's southern lowlands have long struggled with conflicts involving elephants, with an average of 20 people killed annually in elephant-related incidents. These attacks typically occur when people attempt to drive elephants away from agricultural fields or settlements using firecrackers, spears, and stones rather than seeking assistance from authorities. The encroachment of human settlements into traditional elephant migration routes, open storage of grains and crops, and the expansion of farmlands are major drivers of the conflict.

Unfortunately, humans are not the only victims of these conflicts. Retaliation killings, where people harm wildlife in revenge for lost livestock or loved ones, remain common. Methods such as electrocution, snare traps, and poisoned carcasses have led to the deaths of many elephants, rhinos, tigers, and leopards. Electrocution is mainly responsible for the majority of elephant and rhino fatalities, while carnivores like tigers and leopards fall victim to poisoned prey. Additionally, snare traps set for game animals like deer and wild boar sometimes capture wild carnivores like hyenas and leopards. Many water-dependent animals, such as crocodiles, dolphins, and turtles, are also severely affected by abandoned fishing nets in rivers. These nets become entangled in their mouths and fins, preventing them from feeding and sometimes causing them to be unable to move.

Way forward

A comprehensive landscape approach has been suggested to address the ever-increasing human-wildlife conflict in Nepal. As forest cover increases, so do wildlife movements. While conservation strategies, including international collaborations and funding, have yielded positive results, more should be done to ensure coexistence between people and wildlife.

Nepal's tourism industry heavily relies on the country's natural beauty and biodiversity, drawing tourists from around the world and making fostering peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife even more crucial.

In partnership with NGOs and international organizations, the government has made significant progress in mitigating human-wildlife conflict through various initiatives. Awareness programs for vulnerable communities and measures like electric fencing and predator-proof enclosures have helped reduce conflict. GPS collars and relocation have also been used to manage problematic wildlife. Using wildlife-friendly infrastructure, regulating grazing around national parks, establishing early warning systems, restoring natural migration routes and corridors, ensuring the natural flow of rivers, and providing alternative livelihood options for vulnerable and marginalised communities could play key roles in reducing conflict.

In conclusion, addressing human-wildlife conflict in Nepal requires a multifaceted approach that includes effective wildlife management, community engagement, and sustainable development practices. By fostering a cooperative relationship between humans and wildlife, Nepal can ensure the long-term health and safety of its natural environment and the prosperity of its people.

(The author is pursuing a master's degree in wildlife management at Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry.)