Conflicts between humans and wildlife are as old as civilization itself, but in today’s world, these tensions pose serious challenges—not only to biodiversity conservation but also to human well-being. Whether it’s farmers losing crops to elephants or predators threatening livestock, these conflicts affect lives and livelihoods, often fueling resentment toward conservation efforts. To address this growing concern, experts and the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) are advocating for a rights-based approach to managing human-wildlife conflict. But what does this mean in practice? 

Our project aims to answer this question by developing a guidance and a tool to help communities and conservationists work together in ways that respect and uphold Indigenous communities and Indigenous groups’ human rights.

Why does this matter?

Managing human-wildlife conflict isn’t just about conserving species—it’s about ensuring justice and fairness for people whose lives are directly affected. A rights-based approach recognizes that everyone, from Government organizations to international NGOs, have a role to play in preventing and resolving human-human conflicts over wildlife.
By creating tools and guidelines that respect human rights, this project has the potential to transform how we approach conservation, making it more inclusive, equitable, and effective.

What we’re working on?

The project is grounded in three interconnected components designed to turn the concept of a rights-based approach into tangible outcomes.

The first step involves creating a global guidance document to ensure human rights are central to human-wildlife conflict management. This comprehensive resource explores how human-wildlife conflicts can intersect with human rights violations, offering clear frameworks to identify rights holders, such as communities and Indigenous groups, alongside duty-bearers like governments and NGOs. By setting global standards for accountability and providing adaptable best practices, the guidance aims to embed rights-based principles into conservation organization policies and donor practices worldwide.

To complement this, the project is developing a practical, site-level tool designed to assess and resolve conflicts with a focus on rights and responsibilities. This tool empowers stakeholders—communities, conservationists, and governments—to address challenges collaboratively. It focuses on identifying the social impacts of conflicts, facilitating meaningful dialogue among stakeholders, crafting context-specific interventions, and monitoring progress to refine strategies over time. By blending diagnostics, action planning, and evaluation, the tool creates a dynamic framework for co-creating solutions that respect human dignity while safeguarding biodiversity.

The final component involves rigorous testing and refinement. The tool will be piloted across four diverse sites in two countries, each representing unique conflict scenarios. Over six months, its effectiveness will be evaluated, and the findings will be used to develop a refined beta-version manual for broader use. This process ensures the tool’s adaptability and relevance across different contexts, laying the groundwork for global implementation.

Stay tuned as we test and refine this approach, paving the way for a more just and sustainable coexistence with wildlife.