Thus the climate crisis is increasing conflicts and attacks between humans and wild animals
An international study shows - from tigers to bears, elephants or cetaceans - how in the last decade the coexistence between humans and fauna it is increasingly complex. But on the occasion of World Wildlife Day Legambiente and WWF point out that much can be done to improve it
At the beginning of the year it happened again. In Uttarakhand, in Indiaa leopard attacked a farmer. Now it happens - the data say - more than once a month. The same goes for the charges of elephants, against man, in Southeast Asia. But there are also cases of killer whales hitting the bows of ships or, conversely, thousands of cetaceans - like whales - killed by passing boats. Even the episodes of clashes with large predators, come on tigers to the wolves up to polar bearsI'm growing.
The interview
"To save animals we must think that they are individuals like us"
by Cristina Nadotti
The why, says science, is always due to actions of man: both because of the advance of the 8 billion human beings on the planet, who continue to invade the natural habitats and remove space a fauna and Floraboth for the climate crisis we have triggered, now argues a new study.
The research, published in Nature Climate Change and conducted byUniversity of Washingtonargues that due to emissions and the climate emergency we are experiencing, conflicts between men and wild animals are growing. News that should make us reflect not only on March 3 - the day in which the world celebrates World Wildlife Daya day dedicated to wild animals - but above all in view of the future.
In fact, due to the changing climate, it is increasingly difficult to find food, water and healthy natural habitats: this applies to both man and wildlife, which come into conflict. A challenge in which, in Nature where everything is connected, we both lose.
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The US researchers started from the analysis of 30 years of scientific studies finding that the number of researches linking climate collapse to human-animal conflicts has quadrupled in the past decade, compared to, say, the previous two decades. Looking into almost 50 cases of conflict on all continents (excluding theAntarctica) experts have observed an intensification of the clash that affects both the smallest species and i large mammalslike the African elephantsbut also birds, fish, reptiles, invertebrates.
For example, it emerges that i temperature changes and rainfall were among the most common factors of conflict, present in over 80% of the case studies. In the clash the most common outcome was the harm or death to people (in 43% of studies) or for wildlife (45%) and what impresses scientists is both the breadth and scope of the phenomenon.
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"We were surprised that it's so widespread globally," he explained Briana Abramsa wildlife biologist at the University of Washington - so far there hasn't been proper recognition that climate change is exacerbating these conflicts: We may see new conflicts in places where there weren't in the past, as well as others that intensify in areas already accustomed to these events".
From the "raids" of elephants to the attack of tigers
The examples provided in the study go both ways. For example theincrease in clashescaused by man, between boats and blue whales. More generally we talk about almost 20,000 whales killed every year due to impacts with large ships. In many cases, also due to the climate crisis leading to a warmer sea, i cetaceans their migratory routes are changing.
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Or, with crops that invade areas previously destined for nature or by way of forest fires iinduced by Droughtthe attacks of the big cats. While leopard attacks are a concern in India, research also points to Sumatra tigers and elephants once deprived of their habitat they are now moving to new areas, causing clashes and deaths among human beings. On the contrary, it also happens that with higher temperatures during the day, predators increasingly attack the livestock at night, when it is less controlled: the consequence in the villages is often reprisals that lead to the killing of the animals.
In the'Arcticin Manitoba, human-polar bear interactions have tripled: no more sea ice reduced by climate crisis i big bears they move to settlements and mainland to hunt.
On the other side of the world, in Africain this case in Tanzania"the drought is forcing the elephants to look for food and water near the villages" thus causing damage to crops and killings always in retaliation. Conflicts are even increasing in Europe: for example in Scotland elevated temperatures lead to an increase in geese who eat thepasture grass triggering the anger of the farmers, who often retaliate by killing the birds.
In conclusion, the experts indicate the need to work both to reduce the climate emergency and to "anticipate" conflicts where they are most likely to occur and to develop strategies to reduce them, for example through the setting up wildlife early warning systems moving to areas prone to Drought or fires. "Recognizing the connection between climate change and human-wildlife conflict is essential to anticipate it," the scientists say.
The appeal of WWF and Legambiente
On the occasion of Wildlife Day, the Italian environmental associations also recall the importance of working for a correct coexistence between human beings and wildlife. Legambiente argues that in Italy it is necessary "to accelerate the pace in the protection of flora and fauna by updating rules and strategies, investing adequate resources to curb the loss of biodiversity. There are only 7 years left to achieve the 2030 objectives".
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For example, they write in the report "Wild Nature at risk in Italy"to avoid cases of difficult coexistence or sad epilogues, such as the recent death of the bear Juan Carrito run over on a road, it is necessary "to increase the protected areas, improve collaboration between the various institutions and envisage collaboration pacts between protected natural areas and communities local" and implement those good practices, such as the project Life DELPHI to help dolphins entangled in nets, which can limit the risks to both animals and humans.
WWF Italy also recalls that "although human activities have caused the degradation of forests, grasslands, productive agricultural lands, oceans, rivers, seas and lakes and around 1 million species are on the verge of extinction, the good news is that we have the tools and solutions to reduce the loss of biodiversity on Earth."
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The key to this reduction is to intensify efforts "to conserve, reintroduce or strengthen the populations of the so-called key species, which is equivalent to safeguarding entire ecosystems and communities of species" and cites for example the need - also for relations with man - to protect themarsican bear working on "ecological connectivity throughout the range", or to insist on the recovery of key species such as otters ol'Bonelli's eagle.
