Conservation often conflicts with the needs and wishes of people. Land that is protected for wildlife may also be wanted for farming, housing, roads, mining, logging or fishing, so conservation has an economic cost.Common conflicts include:
• Human-wildlife conflict. Protected animals may damage crops or kill livestock, for example elephants raiding farms or wolves attacking sheep. Farmers may then kill them.
• Loss of land and income. When a reserve is created, local people may be displaced from their land or banned from hunting, grazing or collecting wood.
• Tourism. Visitors bring money but large numbers cause footpath erosion, litter, disturbance of breeding animals and pressure for new roads and hotels.
• Poaching. High prices for ivory, rhino horn or bushmeat give poor people a strong incentive to hunt illegally.
• Competing priorities. Governments must balance spending on conservation against health, education and jobs.Conservation is more likely to succeed when these conflicts are reduced rather than ignored. Approaches include:
• compensation payments to farmers for crops or livestock lost to protected animals;
• ecotourism, which funds conservation and provides jobs for local people;
• zoning, so some areas are strictly protected while others allow farming or recreation;
• community-based conservation, where local people are involved in planning and managing the area and share its benefits;
• education, so people understand the value of biodiversity.
• Human-wildlife conflict. Protected animals may damage crops or kill livestock, for example elephants raiding farms or wolves attacking sheep. Farmers may then kill them.
• Loss of land and income. When a reserve is created, local people may be displaced from their land or banned from hunting, grazing or collecting wood.
• Tourism. Visitors bring money but large numbers cause footpath erosion, litter, disturbance of breeding animals and pressure for new roads and hotels.
• Poaching. High prices for ivory, rhino horn or bushmeat give poor people a strong incentive to hunt illegally.
• Competing priorities. Governments must balance spending on conservation against health, education and jobs.Conservation is more likely to succeed when these conflicts are reduced rather than ignored. Approaches include:
• compensation payments to farmers for crops or livestock lost to protected animals;
• ecotourism, which funds conservation and provides jobs for local people;
• zoning, so some areas are strictly protected while others allow farming or recreation;
• community-based conservation, where local people are involved in planning and managing the area and share its benefits;
• education, so people understand the value of biodiversity.