Policy-making for peri-urban landscapes as arenas of human-wildlife interactions

Abstract

Peri-urban landscapes are transitional areas between urban and rural areas that are constantly changing. They are characterised by land use mixes and land cover changes, leading to significant changes in wildlife habitats. These changes, combined with an increasing anthropogenic presence, turn peri-urban landscapes into arenas of intensified human-wildlife interactions. In many scientifically documented cases, scientists are focusing on negative interactions. Furthermore, research about appropriate policy instruments for managing human-wildlife interactions is rare. This study focused on case studies and their characteristics from around the world on positive, neutral, or negative interactions between humans and wildlife at local level. In addition, influencing factors of human-wildlife interactions and policy instruments for managing human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes were addressed. A survey was conducted with an international group of scientists and practitioners working in this field. The results showed that various species were involved in human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes worldwide, with mammals as being the most common taxon. Contemporary changes in land use and land cover could be identified as a significant factor for increasing human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes. It can be highlighted that a policy mix consisting mainly of social and cultural instruments in combination with legal and regulatory instruments could be most suitable to address this situation.