Humans are responsible for biodiversity loss in many related and sometimes conflicting ways. Human-wildlife conflict, commonly defined as any negative interaction between people and wildlife, is a primary contributor to wildlife extinction and a manifestation of the destructive relationship that people have with wildlife. The author presents this 'wicked' problem in a social and legal context and demonstrates that legal institutions structurally deny human-wildlife conflict, while exacerbating conflict, promoting values consistent with individual autonomy, and ignoring the interconnected vulnerabilities shared by human and non-human species alike. It is the use of international and state law that sheds light on existing conflicts, including dingo conflict on K'Gari-Fraser Island in Australia, elephant conflict in Northern Botswana, and the global wildlife trade contributing to COVID-19. This book presents a critical analysis of human-wildlife conflict and its governance, to guide lawyers, scientists and conservations alike in the transformation of the management of human-wildlife conflict.

‘… an ideal reference for environmental lawyers, conservation researchers ... (especially students), practitioners, and policy makers looking to delve deeper into the nuances of environmental jurisprudence vis-à-vis human-wildlife conflict. … It is an important and valuable addition to the vast literature on the subject and is novel insofar as it attempts to understand human-nature relationships in their entirety and the interactions between the psycho-social, cultural, economic, and political factors, aside from the ecological ones.’

Saloni Bhatia Source: Conservation and Society