Low Human Density Research Articles

The role of artificial ponds for anuran diversity in managed areas of the Atlantic Forest

ABSTRACT Artificial ponds can be important reproductive sites for anurans in human-disturbed habitats. However, this capacity depends on the configuration of the habitat where they are inserted. We evaluated how anuran beta diversity was influenced by the configuration of the surrounding habitat and water parameters in artificial ponds in southern Brazil. Physicochemical parameters of water and the configuration of the surrounding habitat were the elements that best explained the variation in beta diversity. However, the surrounding habitat had a predominant role in the differences between communities. The level of exposed soil was the component that best acted on the turnover component of beta diversity followed by urbanization, which highlights the impact of human presence on anuran diversity. In other words, we observed that anthropogenic changes caused changes in species composition in the evaluated ponds. Among water parameters, only phosphate was relevant for the configuration of communities. Phosphate peaks may result from sewage or fertilizer contamination, not infrequent in the region despite the low human density and the small-scale agriculture economy. Even though they are anthropogenic environments, artificial ponds can help maintain the anuran communities, but their effectiveness will depend on the presence of forest remnants and water quality.

Local Watershed Properties Cannot Explain Divergent Dynamics of Pacific Herring in an Urbanizing Estuary

Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) is a foundational species in Puget Sound (Washington State, U.S.A.) and is subject to many anthropogenic threats. We assessed the overall status of the Puget Sound Pacific herring sub-stock complex and asked whether watersheds with less urban or agricultural land cover, less impervious surface, and lower human density were associated with better stock status. To this end, we developed multiple metrics of sub-stock population status; characterized watershed properties with respect to land use/land cover, percent impervious surfaces, and human density; and used statistical model selection to evaluate the weight of evidence in support of our hypotheses. Overall, the status of sub-stocks was poor; metrics for most sub-stocks indicate a decline from 1996–2021. However, the status metrics of sub-stocks were not related to recent (2016) watershed characteristics or the rate of change in watershed characteristics from the mid-1990s to 2016. While the cumulative effects of local human land use throughout Puget Sound may be contributing to the deterioration of spawning biomass, these results also suggest that other drivers that operate at larger scales (e.g., predation, disease, climate) are likely important.

Predictors of female American black bear body mass in an anthropogenic landscape

AbstractAnthropogenic pressure, such as urbanization and habitat loss, can wield many effects on wildlife that radiate through ecosystems. Large carnivores tend to experience these effects more severely than other species, diminishing their viability and altering ecosystem function by suppressing their role as an apex predator. Yet opportunistic carnivores that rely on an omnivorous diet can sometimes take advantage of anthropogenic food and improve their fitness prospects. We quantified the effect of phenotypic and ecological factors on female body mass of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) in New Jersey, USA. Habitat and reliable mast crops in New Jersey keep adult female black bear body mass and reproduction higher than many parts of the United States, and historically, female black bears in the mid‐Atlantic states tend to be larger than in other parts of their range. We used data collected from den surveys (n = 317) in northern New Jersey from 1984 to 2019 to examine the shared roles of climate, anthropogenic pressure (human food subsidies, harvest), habitat composition and configuration, natural food availability (hard mast production), and bear characteristics (age, history of human–black bear conflict) on female black bear body mass using generalized linear mixed models. Adult female body mass was heaviest with increased availability of cultivated crop and within low‐intensity developed land covers, suggesting anthropogenic food subsidies found in these 2 land cover types are contributing to female overall body mass. A history of conflict with humans explained heavier females, and a quadratic effect of age on body mass supported a senescent decline in adult female body mass later in life. Our results suggest that access to specific land cover types (i.e., crops, low‐intensity developments) that provide a diversity of food (e.g., corn, soft and hard mast) and support low human densities, explains female black bear body mass in a fragmented landscape.

Human-elephant conflict in the African rainforest landscape: crop-raiding situations and damage mitigation strategies in rural Gabon

While the conservation of forest elephants is a global concern, human-elephant conflict (HEC), especially crop-raiding by elephants, is a serious threat to both human livelihoods and conservation efforts. However, only a few studies have explored elephant crop-raiding and related damage mitigation strategies in Central Africa’s forest landscapes, which are characterized by low human and high animal densities and shifting cultivation practices. This study investigates HEC in rural Gabon, where human activities are limited, and local livelihoods are severely threatened by crop-raiding elephants. Through long-term ethnographic research and an in-depth analysis of damage mitigation practices by local people, the study unveils serious crop-raiding by elephants, leading to a significant change in the local lifestyle. Most households spend the majority of days in the field protecting crops, resulting in the village becoming almost empty. In addition to the physical burden of staying in poor living conditions, there is a considerable psychological burden for local people. Establishing effective elephant conservation systems requires understanding each local situation and evaluating the various costs to local people. To sustain livelihoods and address the challenge of HEC, it is crucial for local communities and various stakeholders to act collectively.

Anthropogenic influences on the distribution of a threatened apex-predator around sustainable-use reserves following hydropower dam installation.

Although previous studies demonstrate declines in many large bodied species following hydropower dam installation, others suggest that some species, including the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) may return to newly created reservoir habitats. Yet, there is a lack of evidence to support such theories. Here, we analyzed the effects of a hydropower dam on giant otters using a before-after control-impact study design in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. We collected data 3 years before (2011–2012 and 2015) and after (2017–2019) dam construction, totaling 6,459 km of surveys along rivers with 43 direct sightings of giant otters. Contrary to expectations, our results revealed that giant otters did not remain nor did they return to the dam reservoir. Beyond the zone directly impacted by the dam giant otter occurrence and relative abundance declined next to sustainable-use reserves where the river was more intensely used by people. Our study showed that in the absence of active management sustainable-use reserves and low human density were not sufficient to maintain this apex-predator. Our findings suggest a need to proactively create and maintain areas with low levels of anthropogenic disturbance to enable sustainable coexistence between energy demands and biodiversity across Amazonia.

Correlates of persistence in remnant populations of two Critically Endangered cockatoos

AbstractA challenge with species that have disappeared from most of their range is to identify the correlates of local persistence. With species decimated by trade, site‐specific trapping risk is hard to capture by remotely accessed predictors. The recently split yellow‐crested cockatooCacatua sulphureaand citron‐crested cockatooC. citrinocristatahave undergone catastrophic declines due to habitat loss and especially trapping, and are now extinct in much of their former range across Indonesia. Of 144 sites on 30 islands known to contain the species in 1950, only 76 on 27 islands did so in 2017–2019, with many of the other 68 experiencing extinctions between 1985 and 2000. We compared socio‐ecological conditions such as forest cover and loss, human population density and infrastructure, and protected area status between the occupied and unoccupied sites, using ‘random forests’ within decreasing time intervals 1950–2015. Populations on Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara were more likely to become extinct than those on Sumba, Timor‐Leste and small remote islands. Sites retaining cockatoos had high proportions of tree cover, low road density and low human densities. The relative importance of these factors changed little over time, but road density and human density became respectively more and less important in recent years. The examination of local conditions at ‘false negative’ sites (where cockatoos survived contrary to model predictions) showed that, particularly in recent years, cockatoo survival has been promoted by site‐specific protection due to traditional beliefs, NGO activities, dedicated individual residents and local topographic barriers. Some of these local influences add complexity to the task of conserving cockatoo strongholds, but also offer exciting possibilities for low‐cost conservation prescriptions tailored to individual sites. Studies combining field and remotely sensed data, and examining false negative sites for beneficial location‐specific conditions, have broad application for the conservation of taxa with once‐large ranges.

How Snow Leopards Share the Same Landscape with Tibetan Agro-pastoral Communities in the Chinese Himalayas

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) inhabits a human-altered alpine landscape and is often tolerated by residents in regions where the dominant religion is Tibetan Buddhism, including in Qomolangma NNR on the northern side of the Chinese Himalayas. Despite these positive attitudes, many decades of rapid economic development and population growth can cause increasing disturbance to the snow leopards, altering their habitat use patterns and ultimately impacting their conservation. We adopted a dynamic landscape ecology perspective and used multi-scale technique and occupancy model to better understand snow leopard habitat use and coexistence with humans in an 825 km2 communal landscape. We ranked eight hypothetical models containing potential natural and anthropogenic drivers of habitat use and compared them between summer and winter seasons within a year. HABITAT was the optimal model in winter, whereas ANTHROPOGENIC INFLUENCE was the top ranking in summer (AICcw≤2). Overall, model performance was better in the winter than in the summer, suggesting that perhaps some latent summer covariates were not measured. Among the individual variables, terrain ruggedness strongly affected snow leopard habitat use in the winter, but not in the summer. Univariate modeling suggested snow leopards prefer to use rugged land in winter with a broad scale (4000 m focal radius) but with a lesser scale in summer (30 m); Snow leopards preferred habitat with a slope of 22° at a scale of 1000 m throughout both seasons, which is possibly correlated with prey occurrence. Furthermore, all covariates mentioned above showed inextricable ties with human activities (presence of settlements and grazing intensity). Our findings show that multiple sources of anthropogenic activity have complex connections with snow leopard habitat use, even under low human density when anthropogenic activities are sparsely distributed across a vast landscape. This study is also valuable for habitat use research in the future, especially regarding covariate selection for finite sample sizes in inaccessible terrain.

Modelling the impact of hunting on the coexistence of congeneric deer species in Central Amazonia

AbstractThe long‐term coexistence of sympatric species is dependent on segregation in at least one of three niche dimensions: space, time or feeding habits. Hunting by people can influence species' temporal and spatial patterns and consequently affect their coexistence. We tested the hypothesis that hunting influences spatial and temporal patterns of coexistence of two sympatric deer species (Mazama americana and Mazama nemorivaga) in central Amazonia. We described deer hunting patterns using data from an 18‐year community‐based hunting monitoring program and predicted the spatial distribution of deer hunting trips. We used camera traps to (1) estimate the habitat use patterns of each species through conditional occupancy, (2) evaluate whether these species interact and (3) assess how modelled hunting intensity affects deer habitat occupancy. We also tested the temporal overlap of activity time between both species and hunters. We did not find evidence of hunting effects on occupancy and interaction, nor of spatial segregation among the deer species. M. americana was primarily nocturnal and M. nemorivaga primarily diurnal. The overlap between species' temporal activities was relatively low, suggesting temporal niche segregation between species. Hunting activity was mainly diurnal and overlapped with M. nemorivaga active hours. However, we found that M. americana was more frequently hunted than M. nemorivaga. The probability of daytime activity was not influenced by hunting intensity. Temporal segregation, with asynchrony of activity periods, seems to be the mechanism behind the coexistence of M. americana and M. nemorivaga in Central Amazonia. The absence of hunting effects on brocket deer species in our study area suggests a low impact of harvest on both species' behaviour. This indicates that contexts of low human density and large extensions of pristine forests can enable hunted brocket deer populations to be sustained through source‐sink dynamics.

Using habitat suitability and landscape connectivity in the spatial prioritization of public outreach and management during carnivore recolonization

Abstract Despite continued global declines in large carnivore abundance and distribution, some species are recovering. In North America, these recoveries can occur in large areas of suitable habitat in or near areas of human development, increasing the likelihood of human–carnivore conflicts. Understanding the intersection among habitat suitability, connectivity and human–carnivore conflicts can aid in conflict prevention and mitigation. We used GPS collar data from 97 bears and conflict reports collected from 1991 to 2020 to examine black bear Ursus americanus habitat suitability and landscape connectivity in relation to community‐level human–bear conflict occurrences and conflict rates in Missouri, USA. We used conflict–landscape relationships to predict potential community‐level human–bear conflicts given black bear recolonization. Suitable habitat for black bears comprised about 29% of Missouri and was predominantly forest and shrub cover with low habitat fragmentation and human density, and greater spring vegetation productivity. Landscape connectivity was greatest in south‐central Missouri with limited connectivity in northern and eastern portions of the state. Conflict rates were low (61 of 94 communities had 1–2 reported conflicts over 30 years), increased 6.5‐fold from 2000 to 2020, and 75% involved black bear use of anthropogenic food. The presence and rate of conflicts increased with greater amounts of suitable habitat, landscape connectivity and community size, with conflict rate also positively associated with patch density and aggregation and negatively associated with patch area. Of 1,010 communities in Missouri, we identified 99 communities with increased risk of human–bear conflicts based on surrounding landscape characteristics. Synthesis and applications. Our framework integrating landscape attributes and conflict reports can successfully identify communities at greater potential of human–carnivore conflict. In our Missouri case study, we identified 99 out of 1,010 communities which have increased risk of human–bear conflicts, knowledge which will increase the efficiency of education and mitigation rollouts as black bears re‐establish. This framework allows managers to identify communities at greater risk of conflict for many conflict‐prone species and helps prioritize communities for education and conflict mitigation actions, facilitating long‐term coexistence.

Evaluating underlying causative factors for earthquake-induced landslides and landslide susceptibility mapping in Upper Indrawati Watershed, Nepal

The main objective of this study is to understand the overall impact of earthquake in upper Indrawati Watershed, located in the high mountainous region of Nepal. Hence, we have assessed the relationship between the co-seismic landslide and underlying causative factors as well as performed landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) to identify the landslide susceptible zone in the study area. We assessed the landslides distribution in terms of density, number, and area within 85 classes of 13 causal factors including slope, aspect, elevation, formation, land cover, distance to road and river, soil type, total curvature, seismic intensity, topographic wetness index, distance to fault, and flow accumulation. The earthquake-induced landslide is clustered in Northern region of the study area, which is dominated by steep rocky slope, forested land, and low human density. Among the causal factors, 'slope' showed positive correlation for landslide occurrence. Increase in slope in the study area also escalates the landslide distribution, with highest density at 43%, landslide number at 4.34/km2, and landslide area abundance at 2.97% in a slope class (> 50°). We used logistic regression (LR) for LSM integrating with geographic information system. LR analysis depicts that land cover is the best predictor followed by slope and distance to fault with higher positive coefficient values. LSM was validated by assessing the correctly classified landslides under susceptibility categories using area under curve (AUC) and seed cell area index (SCAI). The LSM approach showed good accuracy with respective AUC values for success rate and prediction rate of 0.843 and 0.832. Similarly, the decreasing SCAI value from very low to very high susceptibility categories advise satisfactory accuracy of the LSM approach.

Mosquito diversity (Diptera: Culicidae) and medical importance, in a bird sanctuary inside the flooded forest of Prek Toal, Cambodia

• Twenty five species of mosquitoes were collected. • Culex vishnui represents 58.8% of all collected mosquitoes. • Thirteen medically important species are present. • Six species could be considered as bridge vectors. Wild birds have been identified as reservoirs of many pathogens transmissible to humans through bird-biting mosquitoes. Understanding the diversity of vector fauna in bird-conservation areas, is a cornerstone to later develop early detection systems and reduce the risk of emerging disease incidence. Prek Toal is a bird Sanctuary in the Tonle-Sap area in Cambodia hosting the largest migratory bird colony of southeast Asia. The Culicidae fauna was investigated during both dry and rainy seasons. In total, 8,224 mosquitoes from 6 genera and 25 species were collected. The two most represented genera were Anopheles (8 species) and Culex (11 species), while the dominant species was Culex vishnui (58.8%). During the rainy season, 1.6 fold more mosquitoes were caught and the number of species doubled. One of the most notable feature is the absence of any Aedinii mosquito which could be attributed to the low human density around the area, and the large populations of migratory birds. A total of 13 species from 3 genera are reported to be of medical importance. 6 medically-important species were collected in all 3 sites, and are known to bite both wild birds and humans: An. barbirostris , An. campestris , Cx. bitaeniorhynchus , Cx. vishnui , Ma. indiana and Ma. uniformis . One of the most important feature is the over-abundance of Culex vishnui , largely dominant in Prek Toal throughout the seasons and the sites, and being present everywhere in Cambodia. This finding stresses its potentiality to act as bridge vectors in the case of new disease emergence.

Home range variation in leopards living across the human density gradient

AbstractHome range size is a fundamental measure of animal space use, providing insight into habitat quality, animal density, and social organization. Human impacts increasingly are affecting wildlife, especially among wide-ranging species that encounter anthropogenic disturbance. Leopards (Panthera pardus) provide a useful model for studying this relationship because leopards coexist with people at high and low human densities and are sensitive to human disturbance. To compare leopard home range size across a range of human densities and other environmental conditions, we combined animal tracking data from 74 leopards in multiple studies with new analytical techniques that accommodate different sampling regimes. We predicted that home ranges would be smaller in more productive habitats and areas of higher human population density due to possible linkage with leopard prey subsidies from domestic species. We also predicted that male leopards would have larger home ranges than those of females. Home ranges varied in size from 14.5 km2 in India to 885.6 km2 in Namibia, representing a 60-fold magnitude of variation. Home range stability was evident for 95.2% of nontranslocated individuals and 38.5% of translocated individuals. Leopard home range sizes were negatively correlated with landscape productivity, and males used larger areas than females. Leopards in open habitats had a predicted negative correlation in home range size with human population density, but leopards in closed habitats used larger home ranges in areas with more people.

Wild bees and hoverflies respond differently to urbanisation, human population density and urban form

While urbanisation contributes to global biodiversity declines, flower-rich urban habitats may provide beneficial pollinator habitats. We investigated the potential of urban residential areas to contribute to pollinator diversity by analysing wild bee and hoverfly species richness and composition of species assemblages of summer-active species, sampled in 53 gardens across urban and rural landscapes of Malmö, the regional capital of Sweden’s southernmost county. Species richness differed between urban and rural gardens, and between four urban residential types (ranging from low human density and high vegetation cover, to high human density and low vegetation cover), and taxonomic groups responded differently. Solitary bee species richness was higher in urban than rural gardens, driven by a higher richness in low-density urban gardens compared to both high-density urban gardens and rural gardens. In contrast, bumblebee species richness was higher in rural than urban gardens, whereas differences among the urban types were less clear. Hoverfly species richness was consistently higher in rural gardens than any urban garden type. Species richness of all groups was negatively related to human population density at the landscape scale (radius 500 m), but unrelated to vegetation cover. This indicates that population density affects pollinator habitat quality through associated green space management and design. Rural and urban wild bee species assemblages consisted of different species (significant species turnover), whereas urban hoverfly assemblages were a subset of rural ones (significant nestedness). Species nestedness of hoverflies, but not bees, increased with human population density. We show that urban areas can complement the regional wild bee species pool, mainly caused by large variation in tenure and management at small spatial scales, while urbanisation drives a systematic loss of hoverfly species. We suggest alternatives to improve dense residential areas for pollinators.

Modeling analysis revealed the distinct global transmission patterns of influenza A viruses and their influencing factors.

Influenza A virus has caused huge damage to human health and poultry production worldwide, but its global transmission patterns and influencing factors remain unclear. Here, by using the Nearest Genetic Distance Approach with genetic sequences data, we reconstructed the global transmission patterns of 4 most common subtypes of influenza A virus (H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, and H7N9) and analyzed associations of transmission velocity of these influenza viruses with environmental factors. We found that the transmission patterns of influenza viruses and their associations with environmental factors were closely related to their host properties. H1N1 and H3N2, which are mainly held by humans, are transmitted between regions at high velocity and over long distances, which may be due to human transportation via airplane; while H5N1 and H7N9, which are mainly carried by animals, are transmitted locally at short distances and at low velocity, which may be facilitated by poultry transportation via railways or high ways. H1N1 and H3N2 spread faster in cold seasons, while H5N1 spread faster in both cold and warm seasons, and H7N9 spread faster in wet seasons. H1N1, H3N2, and H5N1 spread faster in places with both high and low human densities. Our study provided novel insights into the global transmission patterns, processes, and management strategies for influenza under accelerated global change.

Does dispersal make the heart grow bolder? Avoidance of anthropogenic habitat elements across wolf life history

Dispersal is a fundamental ecological process that, on an individual level, is associated with intrinsic and fixed personality traits such as ‘boldness’. However, it is unknown whether personality traits or behavioural syndromes might change as a consequence of dispersal itself. We analysed 14 GPS-collared grey wolves, Canis lupus, in Finland that dispersed from their natal territories and settled in new territories, as well as 22 time-matched nondispersing controls. We used wolf avoidance of low-use forest roads, high-use primary roads and houses as proxies for boldness, and we estimated wolf responses to these features across spatial scales and across dispersal phases. Wolves, which already occupy portions of Finland with low human density, expanded into more human-impacted areas, but with a strong large-scale selection for relatively low human presence. At the finer scale, avoidance of human elements varied as a function of dispersal phase. During dispersal, avoidance of forest roads, primary roads and houses was substantially lower than in natal territories, reflecting the need to take more risks while moving in a small group (alone or with a single mate) in unfamiliar environments. After settling in new territories, the strength of avoidance of those elements continued to be lower than in natal territories, even after controlling for changes in availability. These results suggest that experiences gained across a major life-history transition, such as dispersal, might themselves influence personality traits.

Analysis of Socio-economic Status of People in aspirational districts of Odisha for Inclusive growth

Aspirational district programme was launched by the government of India to uplift the 117 backward districts in the country through rapid development. Ten districts of Odisha were included in this programme which included Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Balangir, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nuapada and Nabarangpur. Socio-economic variables formed important dimension for identifying the backwardness of districts. Hence, the socio-economic status of people in the 101 blocks in the ten backward districts were analyzed to address the weak points. The socio-economic indicators analyzed were: population density, sex ratio, SC and ST population, total literacy percent, male and female literacy percent, and gender gap in literacy percent and they were compared with the state average. Most of the aspirational districts are located in the southern part of Odisha except Dhenkanal. In the aspirational districts 89.3 percent of the population live in rural areas compared to 83.3 percent for state average. These aspirational districts have high tribal population (39.4 percent) with lower human density (153 per sq km), higher sex ratio (1010), low total literacy (58.1 percent), low female literacy (47.1 percent) and high gender gap in literacy (22.2 percent). The 101 blocks in the aspirational districts of Odisha were also ranked based on these indictors. The study revealed that the socio-economic indicators in the aspirational districts were weak which need focused attention for their improvement.

Extinction in the Anthropocene.

Samuel Turvey and Jennifer Crees introduce the effects of humans on biodiversity.

The spatial distribution and population density of tigers in mountainous terrain of Bhutan

Habitat loss, prey depletion, and direct poaching for the illegal wildlife trade are endangering large carnivores across the globe. Tigers (Panthera tigris) have lost 93% of their historical range and are experiencing rapid population declines. A dominant paradigm of current tiger conservation focuses on conservation of 6% of the presently occupied tiger habitat deemed to be tiger source sites. In Bhutan, little was known about tiger distribution or abundance during the time of such classification, and no part of the country was included in the so-called 6% solution. Here we evaluate whether Bhutan is a potential tiger source site by rigorously estimating tiger density and spatial distribution across the country. We used large scale remote-camera trapping across n = 1129 sites in 2014–2015 to survey all potential tiger range in Bhutan. We estimated 90 individual tigers (60 females) and a mean density of 0.23 adult tigers per 100 km2. Bhutan has significantly higher numbers of tigers than almost all identified source sites in the 6% solution. With low human density and large swaths of forest cover, the landscape of Bhutan and adjacent northeast India is a promising stronghold for tigers and should be prioritized in large-scale conservation efforts.

Reef fish antipredator behavior in remote islands does not reflect patterns seen in coastal areas

The reduction or loss of antipredator behavior is expected for animals isolated on islands, but most of studies have focused on terrestrial rather than aquatic species. Two different processes may modulate fish antipredator behavior in the waters off remote archipelagos. First, places with low human density may have reduced fishing pressure. Second, due to their remoteness and lack of other human impacts, these isolated places may have more intact fish assemblages. We investigated antipredator behavior off the smallest archipelago in the Equatorial Atlantic not subjected to regular spearfishing by quantifying flight initiation distance (FID) ― the distance a diver can approach a fish before it flees. Our goal was to identify natural patterns of risk assessment in reef fish. We focused on five common species and investigated how body size, group size and depth influence on the FID. In contrast to previous studies, we found that Caranx lugubris had significantly negative relationships between body size and FID, whereas Kyphosus sectatrix showed an opposite relationship. Finally, only a single species (Melichthys niger) had a significant relationship between depth and FID. Given we found small FID for all species studied, we suggest that much of our understanding of fish antipredator behavior studied using FID may reflect the somewhat ubiquitous impact of humans on species’ risk assessments and not reflect patterns seen in areas with very low human density/disturbance. Our results suggest that fish antipredator behavior may be a metric of human impacts.

Crop variety and prey richness affect spatial patterns of human-wildlife conflicts in Iran’s Hyrcanian forests

Human-wildlife conflicts are a growing problem in Iran and pose a notable challenge to conservation efforts in its Hyrcanian forest region. We surveyed 162 households in 45 villages at six study sites to understand species-specific patterns of human-wildlife conflicts and people’s reactions to these conflicts, and to suggest appropriate conflict mitigation measures. By using generalized linear and generalized linear mixed models, we analysed socio-economic and ecological variables to find key determinants of the main conflict types around seven species of mammals. We also incorporated prey richness data (i.e. red deer, roe deer and wild boar) in our models. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) and grey wolf (Canis lupus) were found to be the primary conflict species in regard to reported levels of severity and crop loss by wild boars was reported by 97% of households. Logistic regression showed that these conflicts were positively influenced by the variety of cultivated crop species and the size of land under cultivation. Generalized linear mixed models showed that human-wild boar conflicts increased in areas with lower human density, vegetation cover and distance to protected areas. Wolf conflicts were most frequent in the form of sheep attacks (81%) compared to goat (11%) and cattle (8%) attacks. Our analysis showed that the attacks were positively influenced by village and elevation and increased in areas with lower prey richness and those located closer to, or inside, protected areas. Several cost-effective mitigation measures should be used complementarily according to their effectiveness. These include avoiding planting of palatable seasonal crops near protected areas and establishing physical barriers around crop fields to lower large-scale crop damage by wild boars. To reduce livestock predation by wolf, it will be essential to address the restoration of the wild prey community and efficiency of animal husbandry practices.