Variety and effectiveness of non-lethal crop protection methods against wildlife

Crop raiding is one of the main examples of human-wildlife conflict around the world. Farmers have developed a variety of crop protection methods against wild animals. However, these methods differ significantly in their effectiveness, which is affected by a number of factors. The aim of this review paper was to summarising information from existing literature about animals that damage crops worldwide and the non-lethal protection measures that are used to prevent these raids. The Scopus and Google Scholar databases were searched for publications from 1988 to 2024 focusing on human-wildlife conflict, crop raiding, and crop protection, using the corresponding search string. Of the literature searched, valuable information was extracted from a total of 208 sources, which consisted of research articles, review papers, short communications, and conference reports. Selected animal species were assigned ranks that corresponded to the frequency of field raids and the extent of crop damage they caused in a given region. Methods for protecting agricultural fields were also described, along with an evaluation of their effectiveness against various animals. In order to reduce crop losses and minimise human-wildlife conflict, more research should be conducted on the efficiency of the protective methods used and on the behaviour of animals that are considered as crop pests.