Listening to the Wild: Risk and Preparedness in Hiker-Wildlife Conflicts during Outdoor Recreation

Human-wildlife conflicts pose significant challenges in outdoor recreation, endangering both hikers and wildlife while disrupting ecological balance. Despite the prevalence of wildlife-related risks—ranging from confrontations with large animals to exposure to disease-carrying insects, existing outdoor hiking tools focus narrowly on navigation and search route conditions, lacking systematic solutions for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. This study addresses this gap through thematic and requirement analyses of trail journals and expert interviews to identify risk factors and inform the design of recommender systems for safer hiking practices. Our findings highlight the need to inform and educate hikers about prevention and deterrence methods, coupled with the development of context-aware recommender systems that share real-time information. These systems should provide customized warnings tailored to specific wildlife risks and conditions, ensuring hikers are well-prepared and capable of making responsible decisions. This research contributes actionable insights for hikers, policymakers, and trail managers to promote sustainable outdoor recreation.