Abstract
Researchers have highlighted a conspicuous dearth of analysis focused on political-economic structures and processes in the rapidly expanding literature exploring human-wildlife conflict and coexistence. In this paper, we respond by highlighting the importance of attending to the influence of such dynamics in understanding and addressing both conflict and coexistence in human-wildlife interactions in particular locations and well as across levels and scales. We describe how analysis from the perspective of the capitalist political economy and the “uneven geographical development” (UGD) it produces can help to shed light on how different forms of such interaction arise in specific places and times. We illustrate this mode of analysis through comparative discussion of two contrasting case studies of human-wildlife interaction in Costa Rica and Bulgaria. We demonstrate how the particular positioning of our research sites within the overarching societies – as well as each society's positioning within an evolving capitalist world-system – encourages either conflict or coexistence between people and wildlife depending on this positioning. We conclude by calling for more researchers to also explore the overarching political-economic structures shaping human-wildlife interaction in their own contexts of study in order to more effectively address this important formative factor in patterns of conflict as well as coexistence.
Highlights
An extensive body of research has explored instances in which human and nonhuman interests overlap and clash as forms of “humanwildlife conflict” (HWC)
We have argued that greater attention to such structures and processes, in addi tion to the various other social dynamics highlighted in existing research, can help us to understand how human-wildlife interaction in such contexts takes its particular form
We have demonstrated the utility of this approach via our two contrasting case studies of human-jaguar conflict in Costa Rica and human-bear coexistence in Bulgaria, showing how both cases can be understood in part in terms of over arching political-economic conditions in the countries that have in turn been shaped by the countries' relative positions within the capitalist world-system
Summary
An extensive body of research has explored instances in which human and nonhuman interests overlap and clash as forms of “humanwildlife conflict” (HWC). In most of this analysis, the focus remains squarely on the im mediate context in which human-wildlife interactions occur, while another formative domain of human activity – the broader politicaleconomic structures and processes shaping people's livelihoods and forms of interactions in relation to these – have not yet become a sus tained focus within this line of investigation. Highlighting this notable omission, Margulies and Karanth (2018: 153) call for more attention “to the broader economic and regional forces underpinning the politics of human-animal encounter often missing” from such discussions.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
