Estimating the household costs of human-wildlife conflict in China's giant panda national park

Human-wildlife conflict is a major cause of losses resulting from the establishment of protected areas, most of which are borne by the communities within these areas. It is therefore important to establish a compensation system for such losses. This study measures the total costs of human-wildlife conflict by surveying communities within and surrounding China's Giant Panda National Park. The results show that the primary visible costs from human-wildlife conflict, which include crop loss, livestock depredation, property damage, and human fatalities and injury, were 2185.6 Yuan ($316.9) per household. Approximately 64.9% of households were affected by this conflict in 2020. For each affected household, the average visible costs per capita was 952.6 Yuan ($138.1) or 7.2% of per capita net income. When converting well-being losses caused by human-wildlife conflict into economic costs, we consider visible costs and hidden costs (e.g., transaction, opportunity, and health costs). This study shows that human-wildlife conflict reduced per capita net income by 15.3% and significantly affected household well-being. The average cost of the well-being loss caused by human-wildlife conflict was 38.5 % of per capita net income.

Automated summary

Human-wildlife conflict leads to significant losses for communities living within protected areas, and it is crucial to establish a compensation system for these losses. This study conducted surveys within and around China's Giant Panda National Park to measure the costs of human-wildlife conflict. The results reveal that the visible costs per household, including crop loss, livestock depredation, property damage, and human fatalities and injury, amounted to 2185.6 Yuan ($316.9). The study also shows that human-wildlife conflict reduced per capita net income by 15.3% and had a significant impact on household well-being, with the average cost of well-being loss being 38.5% of per capita net income.