Human‐wildlife conflict at high altitude: A case from Gaurishankar conservation area, Nepal

• Published in: Ecology and evolution 2024-07, Vol.14 (7), p.e11685-n/a
• Main Authors: Pathak, Abhinaya, Lamichhane, Saneer, Dhakal, Maheshwar, Karki, Ajay, Dhakal, Bed Kumar, Chetri, Madhu, Mintz, Jeffrey, Pun, Prakash, Neupane, Pramila, Dahal, Tulasi Prasad, Rayamajhi, Trishna, Paudel, Prashamsa, Thapa, Ashim, Regmi, Pramod Raj, Thami, Shankar, Thapa, Ganesh, Khanal, Suraj, Lama, Supriya, Karki, Jenisha, Khanal, Sujan, Ferdin, Arockia E J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Altitude; Bears; Behavioural Ecology; Biodiversity; Biodiversity Ecology; Coexistence; Compensation; compensation policy; Conservation; Conservation areas; Conservation Ecology; Economic impact; Ecosystem Ecology; Fatalities; Gaurishankar conservation area; Global Ecology; High altitude; High-altitude environments; Himalayan black bear; Human-environment relationship; human‐wildlife conflict; Injuries; Injury analysis; Landscape Ecology; leopard; Livestock; Local communities; National parks; Natural resources; Panthera pardus; Parks & recreation areas; Population Ecology; Property damage; Reptiles & amphibians; Tourist attractions; Ursus thibetanus laniger; Wildlife; Wildlife conservation
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11685

Human–wildlife conflict studies of high‐altitude areas are rare due to budget constraints and the challenging nature of research in these remote environments. This study investigates the prevalence and increasing trend of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) in the mountainous Gaurishankar Conservation Area (GCA) of Nepal, with a specific focus on leopard (Panthera pardus) and Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger). The study analyzes a decade of HWC reports and identifies goats as the livestock most targeted by leopards. The Dolakha district of GCA received the highest number of reports, highlighting the need for mitigation measures in the area. In GCA, livestock attacks accounted for 85% of compensation, with the remaining 15% for human injuries. We estimate that the number of reported wildlife attacks grew on average by 33% per year, with an additional increase of 57 reports per year following the implementation of a new compensation policy during BS 2076 (2019 AD). While bear attacks showed no significant change post‐rule alteration, leopard attack reports surged from 1 to 60 annually, indicating improved compensation may have resulted in increased leopard‐attack reporting rates. The findings emphasize the economic impact of HWC on local communities and suggest strategies such as increasing prey populations, promoting community education and awareness, enhancing alternative livelihood options, developing community‐based insurance programs, and implementing secure enclosures (corrals) to minimize conflicts and foster harmonious coexistence. This research addresses a knowledge gap in HWC in high‐altitude conservation areas like the GCA, providing valuable insights for conservation stakeholders and contributing to biodiversity conservation and the well‐being of humans and wildlife. Recent policy changes have reduced hurdles to receiving compensation for wildlife attacks on people and livestock within the mountainous Gaurishankar Conservation Area of the Himalayas. We show that over the last decade, the number of reported attacks have increased by approximately 33% per year, after accounting for the boost in reporting due to improved compensation. The reported number of injuries by Himalayan black bears was overshadowed by a rise in reports of leopard predation on livestock, particularly goats, an important source of income for local farmers.