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Beyond Crop-Raiding: Unravelling the Broader Impacts of Human-Wildlife Conflict on Rural Communities:Unravelling the Broader Impacts of Human-Wildlife Conflict on Rural Communities
Title / Series / Name
Environmental Management
Publication Volume
74
Publication Issue
3
Pages
Authors
Editors
Keywords
Human-wildlife conflict
Elephants
Crop-raiding
Kakum Conservation Area
Ghana
Humans
Farmers/psychology
Animals, Wild
Animals
Rural Population
Food Insecurity
Agriculture
Conservation of Natural Resources
Crops, Agricultural
Global and Planetary Change
Ecology
Pollution
SDG 1 - No Poverty
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 15 - Life on Land
SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
Elephants
Crop-raiding
Kakum Conservation Area
Ghana
Humans
Farmers/psychology
Animals, Wild
Animals
Rural Population
Food Insecurity
Agriculture
Conservation of Natural Resources
Crops, Agricultural
Global and Planetary Change
Ecology
Pollution
SDG 1 - No Poverty
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 15 - Life on Land
SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/27315
Abstract
This paper examines the impacts of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) in the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA), Ghana. The primary focus is on crop-raiding by elephants. Using ethnographic methodologies, the findings shed light on the broader impacts of HWC in rural communities. These include food insecurity characterized by a notable decline in the quality and quantity of food accessible to individuals and families affected by crop-raiding. The study also underscores the negative impacts on mental and physical wellbeing as residents contend with stress, anxiety and fear due to crop-raiding and encounters with elephants. Furthermore, this research uncovers how coping mechanisms employed by locals in response to these challenges may result in problem drinking. Also, efforts taken to mitigate crop-raiding unintentionally result in health consequences for farmers who face risks of contracting diseases such as malaria and suffer from sleep deprivation due to guarding their fields at night. More importantly, this study provides an in-depth examination of the broader vulnerabilities caused by HWC which are often ignored and underscores the importance of looking beyond the direct impacts in HWC hotspots like KCA.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2024-09
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.1007/s00267-024-02018-9