Abstract
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a continuous problem in the world and has a significant impact on both human and wildlife populations. This study was conducted to investigate the HWC around Belo-Bira Forest, Dawro zone, southwestern Ethiopia. We collected data from October 2019 to March 2020 through semistructured questionnaires, focus group discussion, direct observation, and key informant interviews. Our results show that crop damage and livestock predation were common problems caused by Papio anubis, Cercopithecus aethiops, Crocuta crocuta, Canis aureus, and Potamochoerus larvatus. Human population growth, habitat disturbance, proximity to natural forest, and competition between wildlife and livestock are the identified causes of HWC. Moreover, the study identified guarding and fencing as dominant traditional methods used to reduce HWC in our study area. Therefore, local communities can minimize crop loss by using the most effective method in an area, and crops such as wheat, maize, and teff should not be grown near the forest edge.
Highlights
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is regarded as any interaction between humans and wildlife that results in negative impacts on humans, animals, or the environment. e impacts on humans could have social, economic, or cultural forms, while the impact on wildlife can range from decreasing numbers to local extinctions
Belo-Bira forest is located in southwestern Ethiopia, in Essera district, Dawro zone, Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples Region (SNNPR)
According to the current result, HWC can have adverse impacts on wildlife and humans alike. It indicates that crop damage and livestock predation were the common problems for the conflict between humans and wildlife in the study area
Summary
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is regarded as any interaction between humans and wildlife that results in negative impacts on humans, animals, or the environment. e impacts on humans could have social, economic, or cultural forms, while the impact on wildlife can range from decreasing numbers to local extinctions. Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is regarded as any interaction between humans and wildlife that results in negative impacts on humans, animals, or the environment. HWC is common where wildlife and human populations coexist and share limited resources and has become a considerable problem throughout the world [2]. E continuous increase in human population results in competition between people and wildlife for shared but limited resources, which manifests as various types of conflict, such as crop raiding, livestock depredation, property damage, human injury and death, and the retaliatory killing of wildlife. Crop raiding by wild animals is a common problem all over the world. People living in developing countries of Africa and Asia are suffering from the negative impact of humanwildlife conflict, such as crop damage and livestock predation [4]
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