Human–Wildlife Conflict and Attitude of Local People to Wildlife Conservation around Dachigam National Park, Kashmir (India)

Abstract

This study investigated the patterns of HWC and the attitudes of local people to wildlife conservation around Dachigam National Park, Kashmir. Multistage random sampling technique was employed to select a total of 394 households from the 10 sample villages for household survey. Data were collected through questionnaire survey, focus group discussions and direct observations. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and correlation analysis. Results revealed that the major types of HWC were crop raiding, livestock predation, increased risk of livestock diseases and direct threats to human life. Majority of the respondents (44.82%) faced crop damage and domestic animal loss, 26.25% reported threat to humans and 0.67% reported that they did not face any conflict with wild animals. Close proximity of the villages to the park and seasons influenced livestock predation intensity with highest predation in the summer season (58.4%). To mitigate these problems, the local people utilized various traditional methods including guarding and drum beating. Most of the people had positive attitudes towards the conservation of wildlife. Appropriate measures are to be implemented to mitigate the HWC problems and safeguard the biodiversity of the wildlife in the park.