In collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), we have been developing case studies on human-wildlife conflict and coexistence to illustrate key principles of human-wildlife conflict management and complement the IUCN SSC Guidelines on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence that are currently in preparation.
Most case studies tend to focus on the human-wildlife conflict problem and activities completed to address the problem. While this can be useful for specific situations, we know solutions are often not transferable from one situation to another. Therefore, these case studies have been developed to highlight the process that has been taken in understanding, planning and taking action to address the situation. By highlighting good processes, the lessons learnt are applicable to a wide range of situations in different regions, involving different species and having different contexts.
The first three case studies that are being published today highlight key aspects of community engagement processes and the ethics of engagement from case studies in Guyana, India and Tanzania.
In Guyana, the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme is working with local communities to reduce human-carnivore conflict by conducting participatory research with affected stakeholders. By applying a community rights-based approach, it ensures that indigenous peoples and local communities are fully involved in the project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of efforts to understand and resolve the situation.
In Tanzania, in collaboration with communities affected by large carnivores such as lions, hyaenas and leopards, the NGO Lion Landscapes have co-developed a community camera-trapping programme with the local communities. The programme delivers healthcare, veterinary and educational benefits to the communities based on the presence of wildlife on village land.
The final case study is from India where leopard attacks on the boundary of Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai led to the establishment of the 'Mumbaikers for Sanjay Gandhi National Park' project. The project mobilised various stakeholder groups of local citizens to better understand the reasons for the attacks, conduct activities to reduce their occurrence and request assistance from the local authorities. The inclusion of local journalists in the project created an opportunity to change the narrative and perception of the situation.
All three case studies can now be found in our new page in the Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Library, alongside the webinar we held in December 2021 on the case studies.
Comments