September 28, 2023
Climate change is leading to increases in human-wildlife conflicts
A warming planet is increasing the number of human-wildlife conflicts occurring across the globe, according to scientists at the University of Washington’s Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, which recently published research showing just how intertwined humans are with wildlife.
The research team referred to incidents of human-wildlife conflicts and identified cases that were linked specifically to the effects of climate change. These cases were identified as both short-term climate events like droughts as well as long-term climate events such as warming in the arctic.
From their research, the team concluded that climate shifts can drive human-wildlife conflicts by altering animal habitats, the timing of events, wildlife behaviors, and resource availability. These types of conflicts are likely to rise as climate change intensifies, however, there are proposed solutions. The team described the need for increased public awareness campaigns and action taken by governments to plan for times when extreme climate events bring people and wildlife into closer contact.