Analysis of factors influencing human-wildlife conflict in the western Ghats of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) poses a significant threat to biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods, particularly in ecologically sensitive landscapes like the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu. This study employs a binary logistic regression model to investigate the key ecological and socio-economic factors influencing the occurrence of HWC at the household level. Data were collected from 400 households across conflict-prone regions through structured surveys, capturing both biophysical and anthropogenic variables. The results revealed that scarcity of essential resources (food and water), habitat loss and fragmentation, agricultural practices, urbanization, wildlife movement and increasing wildlife populations are statistically significant predictors of HWC. Among these, urbanization and resource scarcity emerged as the most influential, with odds ratios indicating a substantial increase in conflict probability. The final model demonstrated strong explanatory power (Nagelkerke R² = 0.527) and good fit based on deviance and Pearson chi-square tests. These findings underscore the need for integrated conflict mitigation strategies that address land use planning, community awareness and adaptive wildlife management.