Investigating trends in human-wildlife conflict: is conflict escalation real or imagined?

Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) has a history that is as old as human civilization; yet currently the phenomenon poses a serious environmental challenge for human society. Both due to their bio-geographical and social characteristics, developing regions of the world such as South and Southeast Asia are particularly vulnerable to this problem. Although the popular perception is that HWC intensity has escalated over the past few decades, there is little published literature to support this view. We argue that insights into the historical trajectories of HWC are important to comprehend past trends and set up future priorities. As a case study, we review conflict literature from India to analyze trends in HWC in the country over the past four decades. Our analysis reveals that there has been a consistent increase in the number of HWC publications, and that nearly 90% of the country is currently afflicted by HWC. A total of 88 species belonging to nine taxonomic groups are involved in HWC. Yet, research has been limited to select species and geographical locations. We discuss potential causes for this bias and set out research directions for efficient management of this issue.