Chinese Scientists Propose Strategy for Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflict

Xining — Chinese scientists have shared new insights into resolving conflicts between humans and wildlife by developing temporal livestock management strategies, according to the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology (NWIPB) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Published in the journal Integrative Zoology, the study addresses a global challenge: ensuring sustainable development whilst protecting biodiversity. Large carnivore predation on livestock is a global conservation challenge that triggers conflicts between humans and carnivores, hampering coexistence with agropastoral communities, according to Lian Xinming, a researcher at NWIPB. Understanding carnivore activity patterns and applying temporal segregation represents an evidence-based strategy to reduce the risk of such conflicts.

Domestic livestock grazing covers approximately one-third of Earth’s terrestrial land area and significantly affects wildlife living alongside humans in shared habitats. This high degree of spatial overlap continually fuels conflicts between local herders and wildlife. In less developed regions where agriculture and pastoralism are economic mainstays, retaliatory killings resulting from human-wildlife conflicts have become a major driver of population declines in numerous wild species, posing serious threats to the long-term survival of many endangered species.

Various strategies have been developed and refined to prevent economic losses and casualties from human-wildlife conflicts. Focusing on non-lethal mitigation strategies, the research team conducted long-term field investigations in the Sanjiangyuan region, known as China’s “water tower”, in Qinghai Province in north-western China. In this area, the large carnivores most frequently in conflict with humans are snow leopards, wolves, lynx, and brown bears. The first three species typically prey on domestic animals, whilst brown bears primarily damage houses and can even cause human casualties.

Over a ten-year period from 2014 to 2024, scientists deployed 422 infrared cameras and collected monitoring data across the region, covering a cumulative monitoring area of 2,580 square kilometres. They obtained substantial numbers of valid photographs of snow leopards, wolves, brown bears, and lynx.

Using kernel density estimation and conditional circular kernel methods, researchers analysed the daily activity patterns of the four large carnivore species. The research also aimed to identify seasonal variations between cold and warm periods, enabling identification of high-risk intervals for conflict between these species and humans.

The analysis showed that all four large carnivores were primarily active at night, with peak activity times varying by species. Wolves displayed clear seasonal daily activity patterns, unlike the other species. Notably, temporal risk assessments for livestock predation identified specific high-risk periods for each species.

The study demonstrates that implementing targeted livestock management strategies during such high-risk periods is key to reducing predation risk. For brown bears, nighttime—particularly between 20:42 and 02:36 the following morning—represents the most dangerous period regarding the risk of this species entering herders’ homes. During these times, communities need to heighten vigilance. The study also recommends that communities keep dogs and use sound, light, and electric devices to detect and repel brown bears.

Based on field investigations and analysis, the study proposes that by integrating spatial use zoning and adjusting grazing times based on the temporal activity patterns of specific species, the likelihood of human-carnivore encounters resulting in conflict can be substantially reduced. This approach allows for more scientifically informed reduction of human-wildlife conflicts.