Factors affecting crop damage by wild boar and methods of mitigation in a giant panda reserve

Abstract

In China, following the introduction of protection measures, wild boar (Sus scrofa) are returning to forested mountains they previously inhabited and conflict in villages near or within areas under protection has intensified. We studied this phenomenon around a giant panda nature reserve in the Qinling Mountains, China to determine the incidence and frequency of wild boar damage and methods of mitigation. Over a 3-year period, we found that almost half of households in the local village sustained crop damage, that wild boar frequently raided maize (Zea mays), potato (Ipomoea batatas), and wheat (Triticum aestivum) adjoining the reserve, and that boar usually raided croplands at night and preferred the actual crops. The distance between maize fields and mountains or a stream predicted the probability of a field being raided and also the severity of the damage. Local farmers used many methods to protect their crops; however, all were ineffective except increasing the presence of humans in fields.