Wildlife & Human Conflict AG-WL-5

What are causes of habitat destruction?

Habitat can be destroyed by natural causes, human actions, & pollution Lightning strikes, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, & ice storms Human Actions Building highways, subdivisions, factories, agricultural practices Pollution Chemical contaminants, landfills, smoke, smog, & acid rain destroy habitat

What are human activities that impact wildlife? Harvest (hunting and fishing) Introduce exotic species Fire suppression Campsite and trail development Grazing Mining Predator control Harassment

What is human-wildlife conflict? Conflict occurs when wildlife requirements overlap the requirements of human populations. Species most exposed to conflict are also shown to be more prone to extinction due to human-induced mortality. Impact human welfare and have economic and social costs.

What are driving forces for human-wildlife conflict? Human Population Growth As populations increase, settlements expand leading to wildlife habitat encroachment. Land Use Transformation Consequence of increasing demand for land, food production, energy and raw materials. Species habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation Interconnected with population growth and land use change.

What are driving forces for human-wildlife conflict? Increasing Livestock Populations Increased densities in livestock production create an overlap of diets and forage competition with wild herbivores Results in over grazing and decline of local herbivore populations. Livestock may become source of prey for predators. Abundance and distribution of wild prey Abundance prey leads to increased predation. Decrease prey leads to diet change of predator which then focuses on livestock. Climatic factors Seasonal changes in rainfall or temperatures leads to diet and habitat change for animals.

What are indicators of human-wildlife confilct? Species Distribution Species shift away from human activity may indicate displacement. Species shift towards human activity may indicate attraction of opportunistic species. Abundance Increased abundance may indicate attraction of opportunistic species. Decreased abundance may indicate displacement of species.

What are indicators of human-wildlife confilct? Populations Trends Increasing population trends may indicate attraction for opportunistic species Decreasing population trends may indicate displacement. Species Diversity Diversity measures combine information on the number of species and abundance. A decrease in diversity may indicate some species have been displaced or eliminated. Does not reflect replacement of one species with another

What are indicators of human-wildlife confilct? Species Composition Change in composition may indicate displacement of species sensitive to human presence. May also indicate attraction if the species present are opportunistic Species Richness A decrease may indicate displacement of species sensitive to human presence. An increase may indicate that opportunistic species have moved into an area. Does not reflect the replacement of one species by another.

How can human-wildlife conflict be prevented? Lethal methods of control should not be first response. Public education is needed Improved land use planning