Beyond numbers: the qualitative aspects of human-wild conflicts

Economic valuation of the benefits and costs of conservation to local communities has grown over the last decades. Comparatively, the qualitative aspects of costs incurred by local people due to conservation have been... [ view full abstract ]

Economic valuation of the benefits and costs of conservation to local communities has grown over the last decades. Comparatively, the qualitative aspects of costs incurred by local people due to conservation have been seriously overlooked, and subsequently are not well documented. This neglect is problematic because breaking down of costs into measurable units may undermine the qualitative aspects of human-wildlife conflicts that affect human well-being. We contend that the lack of focus on the ‘qualitative aspects’ of human-wildlife conflicts is due to an absence of a comprehensive definition or typology of conservation costs, consistent with classical economic approaches to measuring the benefits and costs of conservation. This paper presents an overview of the current understanding of human-wildlife conflicts and offers a definition and working typology of conservation costs as a basis for informing debates and policy around managing human-wildlife conflicts. Finally, the paper proposes possible future research directions relating to human-wildlife conflicts.