From conflicts to coexistence between people and wildlife – coverage by European Journal of Wildlife Research

Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) have often negative impacts on both wildlife conservation and human livelihoods, representing a highly relevant management challenge. The present commentary aims to assess the scientific coverage of HWC by the European Journal of Wildlife Research (EJWR) through a literature review of 93 studies published between 2005 and 2024. The results show an increasing trend in numbers of HWC publications during this period, reflecting a potential increasing interest in this topic from the early 21st century. In addition, this review reveals several coverage gaps on EJWR publications, with a general focus on conflict-related impacts instead of assessing human-human conflicts. Moreover, to date the journal has published a higher proportion of studies conducted in Europe (57.14%) and Asia (27.47%), with studies from Africa and America being underrepresented (15.38%). Furthermore, most articles have addressed mainly carnivores and ungulates, and associated damage to livestock and agriculture. These are often large and charismatic species attracting higher research interest and funding. This publication bias may potentially limit the development of comprehensive solutions for diverse conflict situations. Overall, these research gaps should be addressed for generating evidence-based knowledge that promotes effective mitigation and coexistence strategies between human activities and the conservation of wildlife species in different geographic contexts.