Knowing how to minimise human-wildlife conflicts is important for protecting both communities and wildlife. Human-wildlife conflict can occur when animals enter farms, homes, roads, or other areas where people live and work.
Crop destruction, livestock losses, property damage, and threats to human safety can create tension between communities and wildlife. Effective prevention focuses on reducing situations that bring people and animals into dangerous contact.
Table of Contents
Protect Crops From Wildlife
Protect Livestock
Keep Food and Waste Secure
Avoid Feeding Wild Animals
Improve Community Awareness
Use Early Warning Systems
Protect Wildlife Corridors
Improve Road Safety Near Wildlife Areas
Report Problem Animals Through the Proper Channels
Involve Local Communities in Conservation
Provide Support for Communities Affected by Wildlife
Avoid Retaliation Against Wildlife
Protect Crops From Wildlife
Farmers can use appropriate barriers and other methods to reduce the chances of wild animals entering crop fields.
Fencing, secure gates, and other locally suitable deterrents can help protect crops while reducing the need for harmful responses.
Maintain suitable fencing
Secure entry points
Monitor areas regularly
Use locally appropriate deterrents
Protect Livestock
Livestock can attract predators, particularly when animals are left unprotected at night.
Keeping livestock in secure enclosures and improving supervision can reduce attacks.
Use secure livestock enclosures
Keep vulnerable animals protected at night
Repair damaged fences
Improve supervision where necessary
Keep Food and Waste Secure
Wild animals can be attracted to food remains, rubbish, livestock feed, and other easily accessible sources of food.
Properly storing food and disposing of waste can discourage animals from entering residential areas.
Secure rubbish containers
Store food safely
Avoid leaving food outside
Dispose of waste properly
Avoid Feeding Wild Animals
Feeding wild animals can make them associate people and homes with food.
Animals that become accustomed to receiving food from humans may lose their natural fear and become more likely to approach people.
Do not feed wild animals
Keep food away from wildlife
Discourage others from feeding animals
Report repeated wildlife approaches where appropriate
Improve Community Awareness
People living near wildlife areas should understand animal behaviour and know how to respond when wildlife is encountered.
Community education can help residents recognise risks and avoid actions that could provoke animals.
Teach residents about local wildlife
Share information about animal behaviour
Explain safe responses to encounters
Encourage reporting of wildlife incidents
Use Early Warning Systems
Communities can use appropriate warning systems to identify wildlife approaching farms, homes, or other vulnerable areas.
Depending on the location, these may include community patrols, monitoring systems, lighting, or other approved methods.
Monitor areas where wildlife frequently appears
Share warnings with neighbours
Report sightings promptly
Use appropriate monitoring technology where available
Protect Wildlife Corridors
Development can restrict the natural movement of animals and increase encounters with people.
Protecting wildlife corridors and maintaining suitable natural habitats can allow animals to move between areas without passing through densely populated locations.
Protect natural habitats
Maintain wildlife corridors
Avoid unnecessary development in important wildlife areas
Support responsible land-use planning
Improve Road Safety Near Wildlife Areas
Roads passing through wildlife habitats can increase the risk of collisions between vehicles and animals.
Warning signs, appropriate speed limits, wildlife crossings, and public awareness can help reduce these incidents.
Observe wildlife warning signs
Reduce speed in wildlife areas
Use designated wildlife crossings
Avoid stopping unnecessarily near wild animals
Report Problem Animals Through the Proper Channels
If a wild animal repeatedly enters homes, farms, or other areas and poses a serious threat, contact the relevant wildlife authorities.
Avoid attempting to capture, injure, or kill the animal yourself.
Report dangerous encounters
Provide accurate information about the animal’s location
Keep people away from the animal
Follow instructions from wildlife authorities
Involve Local Communities in Conservation
Communities living alongside wildlife should be involved in decisions about conservation and conflict management.
Community-based conservation programmes can help residents understand the value of wildlife while developing practical solutions to local problems.
Involve residents in conservation programmes
Support responsible tourism where appropriate
Encourage cooperation with wildlife authorities
Develop local conflict-prevention strategies
Provide Support for Communities Affected by Wildlife
Where communities suffer repeated crop or livestock losses, appropriate compensation, insurance, or other support programmes can help reduce resentment towards wildlife.
Such programmes should be transparent and accessible to affected communities.
Document wildlife-related losses
Learn about available support programmes
Encourage transparent reporting
Support sustainable livelihoods
Avoid Retaliation Against Wildlife
Killing or harming wild animals may not solve the underlying problem and can negatively affect ecosystems.
Long-term solutions should focus on preventing animals from accessing food, livestock, crops, and other resources that bring them into conflict with people.
