Assessing the Economic and Ecological Costs of Human–Wildlife Conflict in Nuwara Eliya

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, is driven primarily by wild boars, which cause significant agricultural damage, livestock losses, and infrastructure destruction. Spatial analysis identified conflict hotspots near forest and tea plantation boundaries, highlighting the impact of land use on HWC intensity. While farmers employ multiple mitigation strategies with varying effectiveness, the study emphasizes the need for region-specific solutions to foster sustainable coexistence between wildlife and local communities. The research combined field surveys, expert interviews, satellite imagery, and analytical techniques like the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to quantify economic and ecological costs.

Anuruddha, M. C., Morimoto, T., Gamage, S., & Marikar, F. (2025). Assessing the Economic and Ecological Costs of Human–Wildlife Conflict in Nuwara Eliya. Ecologies, 6(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies6010006