Traditionally, research into the effects of climate change has treated the effects of climate change on humans and ecosystems as separate entities. However, a recent study has shown the relationship between humans and the environment, showing a link between global warming and a worldwide increase in human-wildlife conflicts. The study, led by scientists from the Center for Ecosystem Watchers at the University of Washington, and published in the journal Nature Climate Changeshows that global warming is exacerbating human-wildlife conflicts.

“We found evidence of human-wildlife conflicts exacerbated by climate change in six continents, five different oceans, terrestrial systems, marine systems, freshwater systems — involving mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and even invertebrates,” he said. lead author Briana Abrams, UW associate professor of biology. “While each case has its own different causes and consequences, these climate-driven conflicts really exist everywhere.”

Lions are being killed in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. When natural prey, such as drought, is scarce, lions and other large carnivores are more likely to prey on livestock.

To identify trends, the team examined published, peer-reviewed cases of human-wildlife conflict and specifically identified cases linked to the effects of climate change. These include both short-term climatic events such as droughts and long-term changes. Warming in the Arctic, for example, is causing the loss of sea ice, leaving polar bears without food. They are increasingly traveling by land, sometimes entering human settlements and attacking people, as a recent incident in Alaska has shown.

A new study shows that climate change can lead to conflicts by altering animal habitats such as sea ice for polar bears, as well as changing the timing of events, wildlife behavior and resource availability. It also showed that people change their behavior and position in response to climate change in ways that exacerbate conflict. Other examples of the effects of short- and long-term climate events include:

• Flash floods in Tanzania led to new attacks by lions after their usual prey had been driven away from the floodplains.
• Higher temperatures in Australia led to more aggressive behavior in eastern brown snakes, resulting in more snake bites.
• In Sumatra, Indonesia, wildfires fueled by El Niño drove Asian elephants and tigers from the reserves to human-inhabited areas and killed at least one.
• Disruption of terrestrial food webs during La Niña events in the Americas forced black bears in New Mexico and foxes in Chile to move towards human settlements in search of food.
• Warmer air and ocean temperatures during a strong El Niño resulted in increased shark attacks in South Africa.

Most climate-related human-wildlife conflicts are related to resource changes, not only for wildlife but also for humans.

This violating humpback whale is caught in fishing gear

Most of the land cases also involved changes in precipitation, which will continue to be affected by climate change. Many resulted in death or injury to people as well as property damage.

For example, in 2009 a severe drought hit the western Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. This has reduced the food supply for African elephants, which break into local plantations to graze crops and sometimes destroy 2 to 3 acres of land each day. Local farmers, whose livelihoods were directly threatened by drought, sometimes resorted to killing elephants in retaliation to try to alleviate these raids.

“Identifying and understanding this link between human-wildlife conflict is not just a conservation issue,” Abrams said. Said. “This is also a matter of social justice and human security.”

Such conflicts are likely to increase as climate change intensifies, particularly as a result of increased mass human and wildlife migrations and resource movements.

But it doesn’t have to be all bad news.

In times of drought, African elephants may leave protected areas and enter farmland in search of food. This can cause crop damage and attack people. Image credit: Briana Abrams

“One of the main motivations for studying the relationship between climate change and human-wildlife conflict is to find solutions,” Abrams said. Said. “Once we learn about specific events, we can identify patterns and trends and find interventions to resolve or reduce these conflicts.”

Some interventions can be as simple as public awareness campaigns, such as advising residents of the US Southwest to carry bear spray when hiking during La Niña. Governments can also plan for periods when extreme climate events will bring people and wildlife into closer contact. In Botswana, for example, there are funds to compensate herders and ranchers for drought-induced wildlife attacks on animals, in exchange for commitments not to engage in wildlife killings, often in retaliation.

“We now have effective drought forecasts. So governments can do early financial planning to reduce conflict,” he said. Create a “dry day” fund instead of a “dark day” fund.

A notable success story for Abrahams takes place in the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. In 2014 and 2015, record numbers of humpback and blue whales were caught in traps off the California coast. Subsequent studies showed that the extreme marine heat wave drove whales closer to shore, following their main food source. California regulators now adjust the start and end of each fishing season based on climate and ocean conditions in the Pacific Ocean and delay the season if close contact between whales and fishing gear is possible.

“These examples show us that once you know the root causes of conflict, you can design interventions that will help both people and wildlife,” Abrams said. “We can change it.”