climate change & human-wildlife conflict an analysis of climate crowd data

The report uses data from 3,911 interviews across over 40 countries to demonstrate that climate-driven resource scarcity pushes both humans and wildlife into closer contact, escalating conflict. Key findings show that 25% of interviews mention increased human-wildlife conflict, often linked to reduced crop yields and water availability. Human responses, such as encroaching into protected areas for resources, and wildlife responses, such as expanding ranges to find food, drive these interactions. The report highlights specific high-conflict countries including Gabon and Namibia and suggests community-driven solutions like nature-friendly fences and rainwater harvesting.

• Analysis of 3,911 key-informant interviews from over 40 countries reveals that 25% of all interviews mention increased instances of human-wildlife conflict in conjunction with other climate change impacts.
• Climate stressors significantly impact rural livelihoods, with 76% of the analyzed subset reporting reduced crop yields and 72% reporting decreased water availability, often due to drought, heat waves, and flooding.
• Human adaptation strategies to climate change are increasing habitat encroachment; 35% of respondents reported increased encroachment into wildlife areas and 17% specifically into protected areas to seek declining natural resources.
• Wildlife is responding to climate-driven resource scarcity by shifting their ranges, with 25% of respondents noticing wildlife venturing into areas where they were previously not seen, leading to a 36% increase in reported crop raiding.
• The report identifies specific countries with high rates of reported human-wildlife conflict among the interviewed populations, with Gabon (69%), Namibia (67%), and the DRC (50%) showing the highest percentages.
• Community responses to conflict vary from non-lethal infrastructure to lethal measures; 8% of respondents reported driving wildlife away or building fences and trenches, while 5% reported killing problematic species or retaliatory killing.

APA

Lustig, L. (2025). climate change & human-wildlife conflict an analysis of climate crowd data. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/463/2i9pn6b82s_Climate_Crowd_Climate_Change_and_HWC_Final.pdf

Chicago

Lustig, Lily. climate change & human-wildlife conflict an analysis of climate crowd data. WWF International, 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/463/2i9pn6b82s_Climate_Crowd_Climate_Change_and_HWC_Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lustig |first1=Lily |title=climate change & human-wildlife conflict an analysis of climate crowd data |publisher=WWF International |date=2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/463/2i9pn6b82s_Climate_Crowd_Climate_Change_and_HWC_Final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lustig2025climate, author = {Lustig, Lily}, title = {{climate change \& human-wildlife conflict an analysis of climate crowd data}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/463/2i9pn6b82s_Climate_Crowd_Climate_Change_and_HWC_Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }