Rural livelihoods, community-based conservation, and human–wildlife conflict: Scope for synergies?

Halting biodiversity loss is a major contemporary challenge. Nature protection can help conserve biodiversity, but increasing wildlife numbers inside protected areas and shrinking habitats intensify interactions between humans wildlife, potentially causing human–wildlife conflict (HWC). Contemporary narratives of HWC highlight detrimental effects on households' socioeconomic outcomes. Despite wealth literature HWC, many studies remain descriptive little inferential evidence has been provided. Here we identify the determinants reported household outcomes using spatial predictors an original farm-household dataset collected in Namibia's share Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. In addition to dependence agriculture, find that community-based conservation, community's area set aside for habitat connectivity are key drivers HWC. Contrary conflicts did not have strong negative income livelihood diversity. Conversely, conservation increases diversity among participating households. It is, however, also associated with food insecurity concerns. Such concerns may be driven by comparatively higher restrictions related land use planning zoning constrain productive uses, such as agriculture. Our findings suggest create development synergies households favorable environments, despite risks. However, potential trade-offs including non-material costs warrant further research.