What is Human-Wildlife Conflict?
Human-wildlife conflict occurs when wildlife threatens human safety and livelihood or, human activities like urbanization, threaten wildlife survival. As the planet’s population increases, these conflicts have become more numerous.
Key Factors
The world’s human population was 1 billion in 1800. As of 2024, it is estimated to be over 8 billion, with a growth rate of 83 million people per year (1.1%).
According to the United Nations, these figures will increase to 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100 (United Nations).
As the planet’s human population expands, more natural environments are being destroyed to meet increased demands for:
• places to live (roads, towns and cities)
• food (farms and ranches)
• water (dams and reservoirs)
• mined materials that support human life (coal, iron, gravel, clay)
• other important natural materials like wood
These environmental changes have far-reaching consequences, including escalating human-wildlife conflict as more wildlife habitat is lost or fragmented.
Wild cat habitat loss
Many wild cat species have lost much of their range (the area a species uses to live, hunt, and mate) due to human expansion and human-related activities.
Lions and tigers have lost over 90% of their range, and jaguars have lost more than 50% of their natural habitat. Due to habitat loss, even small wild cats like the flat-headed and fishing cats are endangered.
Human-wildcat conflict
Not only does habitat loss displace wild cats, it increases their interaction with humans as they search for new shelter, food, and water sources. When these encounters lead to human injury or the loss of livestock, the cats are often killed.
These killings, whether in self-defense or retaliation, are contributing to the decline in wild cats worldwide and their extinction.
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