Common Ground: Solutions for reducing the human, economic and conservation costs of human wildlife conflict Page: 7
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In Nepal, communities in an area with reasonably good land-use patterns experienced half
the economic damage from HWC as two other areas with less effective land-use patterns.
Looking more closely at the factors behind these differences, it became clear that the site with
less conflict had far more forest cover in 'edge' habitats between wildlife and human used
areas. The study revealed a direct positive relationship between the amount of deforested
land and economic losses due to HWC, and a positive association between the fragmentation
of forest habitats and economic losses due to crop loss. This means that greater economic
losses are suffered when the remaining forest habitats are fragmented into lots of small pieces
rather than existing as one large chunk. The level of habitat fragmentation was actually more
influential in determining the amount of crop loss than the amount of forest coverage itself.
This strongly indicates that the shape and distribution of forest cover is a crucial factor in
influencing levels of HWC, and further reiterates the importance of effective land-use planning
that ensures remaining forest areas are fragmented as little as possible.
In Riau, Indonesia, a simple geographic plotting of losses of human lives as well as captures
and deaths of elephants due to HWC indicate that the vast majority of human and elephant
deaths/captures occur in or around elephant pouch areas which have lost significant amounts
of forests. Looking from a different perspective, the lack of effective land-use planning at an
appropriate scale in Riau, has resulted not only in high levels of HWC and the near decimation
of elephant populations (a decline of 80% in less than 25 years,) but will also likely result in
the province being unable to capitalize on possibly its most important and valuable resource
- its carbon rich peat swamp forests. If current trends continue, Riau will be left with just
6% of forest cover by 2015, and will thus have relinquished an enormous opportunity to
generate economic benefits and development opportunities for its rural communities through
globally exchanged carbon credits, whilst simultaneously stabilizing the global environment
and conserving its unique and spectacular biodiversity.
What is needed for effective land use planning that reduces HWC?
The kind of macro level land-use planning that will be able to effectively reduce HWC
necessitates a broad 'landscape' approach, collaboration of all sectors and players, as well
as extremely strong enforcement.
This study has indicated that one of the most important factors for effective land-use planning
is constructive cooperation between all 'stakeholder ministries', generally including the
ministries of environment, agriculture, forests, water, energy, and infrastructure. At the current
time, it is often ministries of agriculture or forests that are responsible for deciding how and
where various land-use activities will take place, and it is these decisions that ultimately
determine how much HWC occurs. If they do not take HWC into account in their planning
(and decide to allocate agricultural concessions directly adjacent to unfenced wildlife habitat
for example), it is the environment ministry that is called in to solve the problem when HWC
inevitably occurs. The environmental ministry must then find solutions to stem the problem
that has been caused by another ministry, which is obviously extremely difficult. Environment
ministries, conservationists or often simply the animals themselves, receive the blame and
bad feeling for losses due to HWC. The only logical step is therefore to ensure that all sectors
take current or potential future HWC into account in their planning and feasibility assessments,
and ensure greater coordination and collaboration between all sectors. Unfortunately, to date
in many developing countries this has been the exception rather than the rule.
However adequate land-use planning is not enough. Proper implementation and effectiveenforcement have to accompany the plans. This should happen in a way that does not
exclude already poor people from development opportunities, but in a way that prevents
inappropriate land-uses developing that will be to the detriment of both people and wildlife.
The case study in Indonesia demonstrates what can happen when enforcement isn't applied.
Although there is substantial waste land available in Riau and a government land-use plan
that proposes that all new acacia plantations must be established on already degraded
wastelands, 96% of all pulpwood plantations in one part of Riau replaced natural forests, and
uncontrolled and rampant conversion of natural forest even in protected areas has meant
that over the last 25 years, the forest cover in Riau has shrunk from 78% to 27%.
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World Wildlife Fund. Common Ground: Solutions for reducing the human, economic and conservation costs of human wildlife conflict, book, May 2008; Gland, Switzerland. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc32900/m1/7/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .