Climate change is contributing to human-wildlife conflict

As climate change continues to drive environmental shifts, another growing threat is emerging: human-wildlife conflict. Both people and wildlife are being pushed into closer proximity in search of increasingly scarce natural resources. This means a greater potential for negative interactions, and these conflicts are only expected to become more frequent as droughts, unpredictable rainfalls, and shifting weather patterns escalate.

Rural communities living near wildlife areas are the most acutely affected by human-wildlife conflict as they share the landscape. Wildlife can venture into nearby villages in search of food or water, sometimes damaging crops, attacking livestock, and destroying property.

WWF’s Climate Crowd initiative—which studies how climate change is impacting people and landscapes and then implements on-the-ground solutions—found human-wildlife conflict to be a recurring theme in its data analysis. A recent Climate Crowd report, based on an analysis of over 3,000 key-informant interviews from communities living near biodiversity hotspots, found that a fourth of all interviews mention human-wildlife conflict as an impact of climate change. The results verified what many communities already know firsthand: the ways people and wildlife respond to climate stressors are deeply interconnected and often impact one another.

In fact, much of this conflict is rooted in the same cause—resources are disappearing, and both humans and animals are trying to adapt.

• 36% of respondents from the data subset reported more crop damage from wildlife as animals roam into farms in search of food.

• 35% of respondents said they’re encroaching deeper into wildlife habitats to find land or water.

• 43% of respondents acknowledged that their own coping strategies—like cutting deeper into forests or farming along riverbanks—are further degrading ecosystems and wildlife habitats.

In Namibia, for instance, one farmer mentioned planting closer to riverbanks where the soil holds more moisture during drought. But that’s also where hippos graze, which often destroys crops.

In Kyrgyzstan, another farmer shared a similar story: worsening conditions are driving snow leopards into villages. “Climate change leads to new conflict between man and nature,” one farmer said. “The impoverishment of the food base makes snow leopards attack livestock.”

These stories are not isolated—they reflect a broader trend that spans continents and ecosystems. And conflicts between people and wildlife are only expected to increase as we experience the growing challenges of climate change.

How Climate Crowd is helping

Rather than waiting for conflict to escalate, Climate Crowd is helping communities act now and tackling the root causes of human-wildlife conflict—not just the symptoms. For example:

• In Kenya, rainwater harvesting systems for communities and a rehabilitated water pan for wildlife and livestock reduce direct encounters with wildlife.

• In Bhutan, “living” fences made from trees were planted to protect fields and prevent crop-raiding wildlife, while also supporting the local ecosystem.

• In Zimbabwe, Indigenous goat breeds and predator-proof kraals support pastoralists struggling with livestock losses from drought and predation.

By promoting sustainable, community-led solutions, Climate Crowd is helping people and wildlife coexist, something that’s becoming increasingly urgent as the climate crisis continues to alter ecosystems and strain natural resources.