Spatial risk model and mitigation implications for wolf–human conflict in a highly modified agroecosystem in western Iran

Abstract

Human-carnivore conflict is hampering carnivore conservation worldwide. Conflicts between humans and wolves (Canis lupus) in western Iran, especially Hamedan province (HP), occur in the form of livestock depredation and predatory attacks on people. These conflicts have become a major concern for the lives and livelihoods of the local people as well as an obstacle for conservation of the wolf. To determine the most important predictors of such conflicts and to identify the distribution of areas with potential risk of wolf attack on humans and livestock in HP, we employed maximum entropy (Maxent) algorithm to build predictive models with reported conflict data from 2001 to 2010. The resulting models correctly assigned subsequent attack sites from 2011 and 2012 to high-risk areas. We found that variables related to land use/cover types affected by anthropogenic influences on the landscape, such as irrigated farms and human settlements, were the most important in predicting wolf attack risk levels. The risk maps developed in this study are useful tools for identifying conflict hotspots and facilitate policymaking and action planning for conflict mitigation in western Iran.

Use of agroecosystem matrix habitats by mammalian carnivores (Carnivora): a global‐scale analysis

“…, Behdarvand et al. ). Human–wildlife conflicts have also resulted from damage caused by Asiatic black bears to coniferous tree plantations (Yamada & Fujioka ) and from crop damage in oil palm, banana, and rubber plantations caused by Malay civets Viverra tangalunga (Jennings et al.…”

“…Only 7% of all studies reported that use of agroecosystems by carnivores resulted in conflicts with local human livelihoods, including crop raiding, crop damage, livestock depredation, and lethal or non-lethal injury to local people. Human encounters with large apex carnivores, such as wolves Canis lupus, Sumatran tigers Panthera tigris and Asiatic black bears Ursus thibetanus, can result in attacks on humans and subsequent retaliatory threats to these species (Nyhus & Tilson 2004, Takahata et al 2013, Behdarvand et al 2014). Human-wildlife conflicts have also resulted from damage caused by Asiatic black bears to coniferous tree plantations (Yamada & Fujioka 2010) and from crop damage in oil palm, banana, and rubber plantations caused by Malay civets Viverra tangalunga (Jennings et al 2010).…”

Land‐sharing potential of large carnivores in human‐modified landscapes of western India

“…Land conversions to agricultural use, accompanied by urbanization, have led to widespread modifications of arid and semiarid lands (Bestelmeyer et al, ; Ramankutty, Evan, Monfreda, & Foley, ). However, carnivores such as black bears Ursus americanus , cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus , wolves C. lupus pallipes , and jaguars Panthera onca have shown resilience and adapted to agricultural landscapes (Behdarvand et al, ; Blanco & Cortés, ; Boron et al, ; Ditmer et al, ; Winterbach, Winterbach, Boast, Klein, & Somers, ). From what was a primarily arid to semiarid landscape in our case, the crop cover currently stands at 25.2% of seasonal type and 20.9% of permanent type (http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in; accessed February 13, 2016).…”

“…Land conversions to agricultural use, accompanied by urbanization, have led to widespread modifications of arid and semiarid lands (Bestelmeyer et al, 2015;Ramankutty, Evan, Monfreda, & Foley, 2008). However, carnivores such as black bears Ursus americanus, cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus, wolves C. lupus pallipes, and jaguars Panthera onca have shown resilience and adapted to agricultural landscapes (Behdarvand et al, 2014;Blanco & Cortés, 2007;Boron et al, 2016;Ditmer et al, 2015;Winterbach, Winterbach, Boast, Klein, & Somers, 2015 4.8 (SE = 1.2) have been documented in agricultural areas in this landscape , and their presence has been documented in other production landscapes with prey elsewhere in the country (Athreya et al, 2015;Kshettry et al, 2017). Although dry grasslands have been representative habitats for wolves in India (Jethva & Jhala, 2004), seasonal agriculture better favored their presence compared to fragmented dry grasslands in the landscape.…”

Are We Coexisting With Carnivores in the American West?

“…Preliminary research suggests that human fear of wolves is more rooted in mistrust of institutions compared to fear of bears (Johansson and Karlsson, 2011;Johansson et al, 2012). Although public discourse includes fearful rhetoric about wolves' predatory behavior toward humans (Barnes, 2013;Berlin, 2013; a legitimate concern more so in contexts outside North America, e.g., Behdarvand et al, 2014), measured risk perceptions of wolves have been associated with vulnerable others (e.g., domestic animals) over personal safety and interests (Lute and Gore, 2019). Thus, although bears attack humans more than wolves do (Penteriani et al, 2016), risk associated with wolves seems to dominate policy discourse (Chandelier et al, 2018;Killion et al, 2018) and impede the pursuit of a shared and acceptable level of risk.…”