Turf War? Fixing Grasslands Can Ease Human-Wildlife Clashes

In many places around the world, humans and wildlife don’t share the same spaces.

In others, humans and wildlife are in nearly constant contact.

For example, in Kenya’s savannahs, elephants and black rhinos share the land with pastoral Maasai communities.

And that proximity can become dangerous, even deadly, when resources are scarce: It’s estimated that hundreds of people and thousands of animals die every year as a result of human-wildlife conflict.

Now, a new study from Conservation International shows one way to reduce the risks:

Restore grasslands.

The problem of human-wildlife conflict is “a competition problem,” said Camila Donatti, lead author of the study and a Conservation International expert on climate change adaptation. “When grassland ecosystems are degraded and out of balance, they can’t support wildlife and the livestock that pastoralists raise, which leads to conflict.”

In areas where grasslands were restored, communities reported a significant decline in human-wildlife conflicts, Donatti said.