Human–Wildlife Conflict and Crop Loss in Yellapur Taluka: Farmers' Perception and Management Strategies

Abstract Human–Wildlife Conflict (HWC) refers to interactions between humans and wildlife that result in harm to people, animals, or property, including crop destruction, livestock loss, and human injury. In India, such conflicts are common with species like elephants, wild boars, tigers, leopards, wolves, monkeys, deer, and birds. Recently, there has been a shift from viewing these interactions purely as conflicts toward promoting human–wildlife coexistence, especially in agro-pastoral landscapes. This study was conducted in villages of Yellapur Taluk, Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka to understand farmers’ perceptions of wildlife damage, assess economic losses, and document management strategies. Primary data were collected from 80 farmers using a pre-tested schedule through simple random sampling at the village level. The study employed descriptive statistics and crop loss estimation methods for analysis. The findings show that wild boars and monkeys are the main animals causing major crop damage. Other animals like squirrels, giant squirrels, gray langurs, peacocks, hyenas, elephants, and wild cats (hulibekku) also cause crop damage but to a lesser extent. Crop loss varied across categories, ranging from 9.28% in vegetables to as high as 50.13% in paddy, while areca nut plantations experienced losses up to 29.50%. Farmers adopted various non-chemical preventive measures, including stone wall fencing, solar fencing, plastic nets, acoustic deterrents, frightening devices, and manual guarding. Among these, physical barriers and active guarding were found to be more effective. However, the study highlights a lack of scientific methods in compensation assessment, with delays ranging from 6 to 18 months in receiving compensation. The study suggests integrating crop loss due to HWC under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and ensuring faster implementation of compensation schemes to reduce farmers’ economic burden and promote sustainable coexistence.