Comparing Conventional and New Policy Approaches for Carnivore Conservation – Theoretical Results and Application to Tiger Conservation

Abstract

New policy approaches to facilitate the co-existence of wildlife and livestock are increasingly being sought-after as human sprawl increases and carnivore populations decrease. In this paper, models are developed to assess how alternative policy approaches can provide a livestock herder with incentives to sustain the socially optimal carnivore population. The well-established policy ex-post compensation is analyzed and compared to the innovative conservation performance payment approach. An empirical analysis of the model with data from tiger-livestock conflicts in India is presented.