2021 highlighted another busy year for the IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict Task Force and the last quarter was no exception. We continued to update the online IUCN Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence Library with monthly additions, including a new page on pinnipeds. We held our first joint webinar with the FAO in a new Learning in Practice series on the engagement and ethics of working with communities. This will be one of many events that we are planning in 2022. Unfortunately, we had to postpone the International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence once more, but we look forward to holding it later in 2022. We have also been engaging with the ideas and questions that the word "coexistence" brings to interactions with wildlife. Our first publication in 2022 was a Briefing Paper explaining the Task Force's perspectives on human-wildlife coexistence and how we hope to support constructive discussions of the concept. As momentum towards CBD COP15 continues, we have been working with partners and parties to ensure that human-wildlife conflict is included within the UN CBD Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
Dr Alexandra Zimmermann Chair
Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Library
In the last quarter, 50 publications were added to our document library in October, November and December. We added a new page for resources and publications on the interactions pinnipeds have with humans, particularly as populations recover following histories of depletion. We've highlighted some articles below that made for interesting reading. For any missing items or to suggest a topic or species page to be added to the library, please let us know here.
In January we published our new briefing paper on human-wildlife coexistence. This briefing paper explains our perspectives on human-wildlife coexistence, outlining its scope, complexities, key characteristics and approaches to coexistence. We will be considering what ‘human-wildlife coexistence’ means in the context of human-wildlife interactions and human-human interactions over how to manage these during the next IUCN Quadrennium. You can read our new Briefing Paper here.
Alongside many partners we have been supporting efforts to ensure that human-wildlife conflict is specifically included in the UN CBD Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and to help direct resources and capacity towards addressing this issue at a global level. Having organised a webinar on monitoring human-wildlife conflicts for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, we have also published an Information Document which provides recommendations for the inclusion of human-wildlife conflict and are continuing to work with partners to encourage the development of suitable indicators for the implementation of the framework.
Learning in Practice Webinar Series Engagement and ethics of working with communities
In collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, we hosted the first webinar of our Learning in Practice series. The series provides an opportunity to link theory of principles in human-wildlife conflict management with practical experience and insights from projects on the ground. The first webinar focused on key aspects of community engagement processes and ethics of engagement via a discussion of three case studies from Guyana, India, and Tanzania. A recording of the webinar can be found here. We will be hosting further webinars on different important topics throughout 2022.
International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence
In January we postponed our conference planned for March 2022 but we hope to be able to hold the event on Thursday 1 – Saturday 3 September 2022, with short courses on Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st August, depending on further developments of the global coronavirus situation. We continue to receive great interest for this event with over 400 people on our waiting list and look forward to providing further information about this event as the programme develops. You can find out further information on our conference website here.
