Human-wildlife conflict and community perceptions towards wildlife conservation in and around a biodiverse National Park, northern Ethiopia

Crop raiding and livestock predation significantly influence the perception of the local community regarding wildlife conservation. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the scope, characteristics and origin of human-wildlife conflict, as well as the local community's attitudes towards wildlife conservation within the vicinity of Kafta-Sheraro National Park, northern Ethiopia. The study was conducted in 2020 between April and October. A multi-stage sampling design was adopted to select 260 households to examine respondents' opinions on the extent and underlying cause of human-wildlife conflict, communities' perception towards wildlife conservation, the damage that wild animal species cause and traditional human-wildlife conflict mitigation measures applied. Our results showed that the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), leopard (Panthera pardus) and African elephant (Loxodonta africana) were the top three species involved in conflicts as reported by the respondents. Both livestock depredation and crop raiding were the most serious human-wildlife conflict types in and around Kafta-Sheraro National Park. About 48 % of the respondents confirmed that illegal subsistence farming expansion and prohibited grazing were the main causes of human-wildlife conflict. The results of the multiple linear regression model indicated that education and the distance of villages to the park boundary are significant predictors of local community perceptions towards wildlife conservation. In the study area, the perception of the local community is greatly influenced by the benefit received from the park. To alleviate human-wildlife conflicts in and around Kafta-Sheraro National Park, residents used a combination of lethal and non-lethal mitigation measures. Therefore, environmental conservation education and managing the human-wildlife conflict are needed to improve the local community's perception towards wildlife conservation and to design wildlife conservation strategies in Kafta-Sheraro National Park.